hi all.
first time posting here, have been sport climbing and bouldering in the gym and at the crags for some time now and wanting to progress to a bigger scene.
summer vacation is coming up and i want to get my alpine start in chamonix this august.
thinking of a basic alpine course or a intro to mountaineering via a guided week long trial which could end with a 4000 m peak bid.
i am looking for some partners available for a intro climbing course or maybe a mont blanc ascent after some time acclimating and getting firm grasp of the task at hand.
also a good idea where one could find decent lodging in chamonix this time of year baring in mind i'm a girl.
this is all last minute planning so i know im at a disatvantage any advice is most welcome.

thanks,
Dalit

There's loads of accommodations in the valley, though it tends to be pricey and you'll find more climbers at the budget end of the spectrum. From my last visit I remember there is at least one campground that is popular but outside the city center. You shouldn't have much problem showing up without any reservations. I think the best place to find partners and climbing information is the high mountain office. They have a big book and bulletin board to advertise for partners. There are also a few cragging walls that are ideal to meet new potential partners. The tourism office (just beside the old church and the high mountain office) also has free wireless internet.

thank u for the information
though i prefer to get there with a certain plan. getting there and see what i find might lead to some great experience, but on the other hand it also might be a total disaster..
would love to get more comments/advices.
thanks again.

There are better message boards for the
Alps. UKClimbing for one, I think for the real good ones you need to converse in italian or french

Dalit wrote:thank u for the information :)
though i prefer to get there with a certain plan. getting there and see what i find might lead to some great experience, but on the other hand it also might be a total disaster..

I agree that it's better to plan ahead. Although I doubt a pretty young girl would have a hard time to find people to climb with, your goals are somewhat specific so it would also be a matter of finding the right people. Since you have no real (high-altitude) mountaineering experience it's probably best to take some kind of course or find someone who's willing to teach you.

Joining a course seems like your best bet, since anyone skilled enough will likely not want to spend a week of his/her vacation time teaching you basic mountaineering skills. Again, you will no doubt find someone who will take you "up", but whether that would be in your or their best interest given your experience level is another question.

If you really can't find anyone, send me a PM. I'll be in Chamonix multiple times in August and I have at least one rest day planned there this far. Worst comes to worst I might be able to explain some basics.

As a preparation you could also go online and order some books that will give you a head start. A lot of the techniques can be practised just as well in your garden or even living room.

These three should get you started:

• http://www.amazon.com/Glacier-Travel-Crevasse-Rescue-2nd/dp/B000YU8PP8
• http://www.amazon.com/Mountaineering-Freedom-Hills-50th-Anniversary/dp/1594851387/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1341340198&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=freedom+of+the+hills
• http://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Alpinism-Climbing-Light-Fast/dp/0898866545/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1341340289&sr=1-1&keywords=climb+fast+high

hey,
thanks for the response.
as u can see from my first post, taking the one of those alpine intro courses was my initial plan. however i didn't seem to find a partner (been putting an ad here and on the israeli climbers club website but no luck) and all the guides i contacted in chamonix couldn't fix me an existing course to join, so for now even if i find a partner the only available dates left (again from the guides i made contact with) are for the end of august/beginning of september.
i still intend to make this trip so i guess the "no plan" way will have to do.
i really appreciate your offer its very nice of u.
Dalit