I'm going to France in September, and will want to spend a couple of weeks climbing in Chamonix in the first 2 weeks of the month.

I'm looking mostly at alpine mixed routes, not too familiar with French ratings but I think I can lead AD/D routes, ideally some long ones that require either bivys or very long days. Am willing to be dragged up harder routes if someone else can lead.

I don't have firm plans yet, so just give me a shout if interested...

I think Farmax was looking for partners in Chamonix. How was Yosemite, KG?

september can be the perfect time weather-wise but beware telepheriques start cutting down hours, and certain refuges beging winding down......

ad/d are the _old_ ratings....they're still sort of useful for the classic routes and you'll find them in books (especially british books)....but you also want to consider the uiaa or french grade that is given to the routes....

by multiday routes do you mean routes that you'll be on the climb for more than one day....or routes that require an approach day?

big difference in terms of logistics, preparation and seriousness....e.g. hike in to a refuge like cosmiques, torino, envers, etc and climb the next day.....VS lay it on the line for 3 or 4 days on the integrale de peuterey.....

2 weeks is probably the minimum amount of time i'd want to try to get really big stuff done....4000 meters isnt the death zone but its 4000 meters....and you'll want at least a couple of days and a couple of climbs to acclimatize unless you're already living and climbing at altitude....if you need a rest day after that you're down to about a week for the big stuff

lots of good routes....from easy to hard to hero....snow, mixed or pure rock....some good mid-mountain and high-mountain warmups.....everything from real short approaches in sneakers to full on glacier travel....

have fun...one of the most beautiful places to climb in the world.....perfect granite.....short approaches to massive spires in the high alpine.....great food....

best cheap place to stay in town is the ski station chalet up next to the brevent telepherique station.....the owner, veronique, is very nice....

multipass is the most economical thing for the telepherique...buying one off of someone can make them very cheap....

weather is posted all over town....and linked from the ohm and tourist office websites (i think - at least it used to be)

check at the ohm for route conditions etc.....especially if there are chances that your objective has a massive rimaye (bergschrund) blocking entry or there's been some route-changing rockfall.....

ohm also has a partner book....and i think there is a link on the website for partner posts as well....ukclimbing is also a good message board for partners (who speak english if thats what you're looking for).....usually fairly easy to find a partner....the question is whether you want to head into the alpine with some random joker who might not know how to belay....i tend to like to burn a day trying out a partner on something mellow - cragging in the rouges, or around the valley, etc....lots of little crags, slabs, and picturesque bouldering in the col des montets.....

i know folks there in july and august...i'll keep my ears out for september

ski station - cheap sleep (on a bed) with kitchen and showers
http://www.skistation.fr/

ohm - weather, conditions and partners
http://www.ohm-chamonix.com/fiche.php?id=00&ling=Fr

conditions
http://www.alpineexposures.com/blogs/chamonix-conditions/

partners
http://www.ukclimbing.com/

basic cham info
http://www.chamonix.net/english/home.htm

more beta
http://www.ffme.fr/index.php
http://www.terragalleria.com/mountain/info/chamonix/
http://www.summitpost.org/area/range/150797/Mont-Blanc-GROUP.html


you can get a free bus pass from veronique at the ski station (or from most other hostels/hotels/gites)

several supermarkets in town for cooking own food (super u probably the cheapest)

best cheap eats are the poco loco, midnight express, and a variety of boulangerie....some tasty high class food for celebrating at the end of the trip too....there are a couple of good savoyarde restaurants and i actually think the indian restaurant (annapurna) is pretty tasty....neither of those options was super cheap though...

there are tons of gear shops....with cham3s being the dominant....of which snell is the most popular, largest, and in my opinion home of the best beta

there are at least 6? guidebooks you could buy....the two volume snow, mixed and ice books, plus the new piola aiguilles rouges and the new piola envers des aiguilles, plus the cragging book, and the 4000m snow climb book.....but the classic rock routes are all best researched in out of print guide books at the ohm....where you can photocopy any book NOT in print for 10cents a page or something like that.....if you can find the old piola guidebooks those are awesome....there is also a vogler classic rock routes book and the british alpine guides....voglers is out of print...but the british alpine guides are available...lindsay griffin i think authors those....also two volumes....if you want all of them bring 300 euro or so for books alone.....i got gifted some old hand me down books from a retired climber a bunch of years back....bit out of date but with the ohm topos gets the job done.....

also.....

membership in the alpine club (caf = club alpin francais) gives you a discount at refuges and rescue insurance etc....

aac membership _sometimes_ offers reciprocal discounts at refuges but it depends...

i cant seem to find the bookmarks i had for the french climbing message boards where i had luck finding partners....one link is dead....and the other two? i cant find..must have lost them

good luck....take photos....awesome place

i'm psyched to go back

September is good for climbing, but the mixed routes with ice sections may be dry depending on how much heat there is in July and August.

They had a great amount of snow this past winter, but now they are going through a pretty intensive hot period already, therefore check conditions later in the summer.
I will be there for 2 weeks in July and if you need beta for routes let me know, I have been going there for the past 4 years.

This year I hope to do among other things, the Frendo Spur on The North Face of the Aiguille du Midi, The Innominata Ridge on Mont Blanc, and the Dutch Route on the North Face of the Aiguille de l'Argentier…I am really exited……