France
Great new hotel in Chamonix with shop for kit rental, beer garden with it's own climbing wall and a cool bar and restaurant downstairs. Open year round with regular events/parties in the bar.
964 Routes Des Gaillands, on the South side of Chamonix by the lake and climbing wall. www.verthotel.com
Tel +33 0450 531 358
Go in summer, then the place won't be full of boring, arrogant middle-class tossers pretending that skiing isn't the most boring, pointless activity on Earth.
Such good fun on a wednesday night! Great atmosphere and lots of action and a great bar too.
Chamonix College
A small yet perfectly-formed company for anyone interesting in mountaineering in the French Alps. They offer a wide number of courses to suit everyone from absolute beginners to experts. Bloody good at what they do, and a terrific laugh too.
90 Via d'Aoste, Chamonix Sud
www.icicleUK.com
+33 (0) 67 55 621 55
Chamonix has an excellent sports centre, with a range of activities including an indoor climbing wall. There's also a very good swimming pool, which - somewhat eccentrically - doesn't open until 3pm. If outdoor climbing is more your thing, try the climbing wall down at Les Gaillands, one minute's drive south of Chamonix on the back road.
214 Avenue de la Plage, Chamonix. Tel: +33(0)450530907
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