Home » Technology » Excursions: welcome to Chamonix’s “Couvercle”, the alpine refuge of the foreseeable future

Excursions: welcome to Chamonix’s “Couvercle”, the alpine refuge of the foreseeable future


“It is the terrace with the most attractive see in France! Over there are the Grandes Jorasses and, whole body, Mont Blanc ”, Christophe Lelièvre, keeper of the recently refurbished Go over refuge (2687 m) in Chamonix (Haute-Savoie) hardly ever tires of detailing. “The attendance of mountaineers is lowering owing to worldwide warming, so the selection of beds has been halved (from 128 to 64), clarifies Jérémy Pouge, head of the restructuring of the French Federation of Alpine Clubs (FFCAM), which owns the refuge. .

“The ancients experienced accomplished all the things on the shoulders of gentlemen”

The 1932 stone facade has not been modified to manage the identity of the refuge. On the other hand, the full inside has been modernized. “The area preserving provides real doing the job ease and comfort”, the concierge is pleased. In addition to this, the insulation, when dilapidated, respects the restrictions in force to limit heating. Indications of modernity, USB sockets adorn the walls to recharge smartphones, employing photo voltaic panels. “It has very little to do with the times when there ended up 40 people in the exact dorm! »Exults Alain, a mountaineer in his fifties who has experimented with the old route. He was passing by means of with his son to climb the Aiguille du Moine, 1 of the classics over the Lid.

“And then, he adds, nonetheless surprised, the bar has very little to envy in the center of Chamonix. There are showers too! The autonomy in the h2o, so cherished this summer season with the drought, is ensured by a manufacturer new drinking water tank of 30 m3. The 2.3 million euro undertaking was a logistical challenge, long lasting 2 yrs and strike by snowstorms, even in the top of summer months. “The employees have expended weeks shed in the middle of the mountain. But let us keep on being humble for the reason that the ancients experienced finished every little thing on the shoulders of adult men a century back. We have the helicopter ”, explains Sylvain Garnier, job manager of the Haag and Bacquet cupboard.

To recognize this, it will take 5 several hours of technological strolling to get closer to the refuge. But fashionable comfort and sights extra than reward this work.

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