One of my favourite trail runs in Chamonix—which simply does not disappoint when the weather is decent—is from Parc du Merlet to Aiguillette des Houches and then crossing over to Le Brévent and down into Chamonix. Once out of the forest around Parc du Merlet, you have an incredible and continuous view over the snowy Mont Blanc massif (pictured above) on the way to the Aiguillette. You can also take a ridge path over to Le Brévent, and keep this beautiful view, or enjoy the quiet in the soft marshy land on the left side of the ridge. From le Brévent, you can take the chairlift back down into Chamonix. However, for a longer route, continue from Le Brévent down to Plan Praz and then back into Chamonix. I ended up catching a lift from Le Brévent to Plan Praz because there was quite a bit of snow cover (in July) and it was slippery. However, I did take the steep and daunting trail from Plan Praz down into Chamonix. This last bit—known as “Chamonix’s Vertical Kilometre“—was by far the most technical part of the run and included a number of ladders and ropes.
Siena Anstis 