Chamonix Climbing

So I'm over in Scotland right now and am planning on heading to Cham next for the first time. Just wondering if people could offer up beta on where to stay, what to climb this time of year (by which I mean alpine [since I'm guessing ice season is over]), etc. Also is it possible to find partners over there and how/where would I go about doing so? I will be climbing with a friend from the UK for a few days but seeing as how I am not on a schedule I would like to stay a lot longer if I can find people to climb with.

Simply put, any Cham info would be greatly appreciated.

I was there in during the summer of 04' so I'm not sure what it is like this time of year. You can find partners and tons of other info at the office of mountaineering (can't remember the french name, maybe office of montage). You should also be able to find plenty of info at one of the twenty or so climbing stores. Ok, maybe not twenty but it seems like there is.

I was just there in july for 2 weeks. Had no rez or plans except to climb mt blanc. i stayed at a campground near the telephernique (forgot the name but the visitor center has all the info for the campgrounds). then i went up to the glacier and camped there for the rest pf the time. i met my partners blind by just asking climbers if i could climb with them as i saw them arrive onto the glacier. i climbed mt 3 times via 2 different routes. also had an offer to do come crazy rock/ice thing but i just wasnt up for that this round. then i just came back home to LA. oh, make reservations for the direct to CHAM shuttle from the geneva airport. it will save u LOTS of time over the bus (nightmare) or train (a little better but a hassle too). have fun.... oh, i would do it like this again... on my trip i met more people from more countries than anyplace ever. i climbed w peeps from UK, france, usa, agentina.... be careful of avalanche conditions. the entire 3 Monts route avalanched 1 week after i climbed it and killed like 12 or more people. crazy!!!

I was there mid march till the end of April 2 years ago. All the waterfalls in the valley had melted out but the alpine ice routes were in prime condition, everything was in. I stayed at the Ski Station and would highly recommend it, it was also the best place to find partners...

I'd recommend staying at the Gite le Vagabond: gitevagabond.com/
Pretty affordable, and they have a gear locker you can put your stuff in, so if you head up into the mountains for a few days you don't have to pay for a room but still have a place to store your crap.

The redbook in the Haute Montagne is a pretty good source for partners. Using that and a combination of folks hanging out/staying at the vagabond I've never wasted more than a few days finding someone to climb with.

www.summitpost.org

more of an international climbing website