Getting My Sweat ON!
While running from Chamonix to Les Houches during the week and cheering on the UTMB TDS competitors as they closed in on their finish line, I saw a sign for a trail to the Statue du Christ-Roi and decided to check it out. My original plan was to train back to Chamonix from Les Houches after my run but adding on a mini hike first was OK too, I had water and snacks with me so I was prepared.
When I emerged from the River Arve trail that I had been running along, I crossed the road, walked about 20 metres uphill and there was the start of the Christ-Roi trail.
The photo below is looking back down towards Les Houches. You can see the trail I came from on the bottom left of the photo, the strip of tarmac next to the bridge.
In the bottom right corner of this next photo you can see the trail signs that I spotted as I left the river trail.
A closer look at the sign at the start of the trail. It advises twenty-five minutes to the Statue du Christ-Roi so it wasn’t far (I knew I could make it there and back in time to catch my train).
The trail was well tracked with some lovely wild flowers along the way, the ones pictured below are my favourite and smell amazing. They lined the forests we cycled through on our bike tours in both 2017 and 2018 and so their scent always reminds me of those trips.
As I continued on the trail, it became quite technical with a lot of tree roots and rocks to negotiate but it was very doable. It was also very steep in parts but my legs were warmed up from my run so I just had to ignore the buckets of sweat dripping off me and keep going - it was another hot day in the valley!
The path and road constantly intersect so you need to be careful at each stage where you exit the path onto the road, cross the road and get back on the path once again. While the road was not very busy I did meet cars every time I had to cross it and the road is very bendy, so visibility isn’t great so definitely take care!
After a short time I got my first glimpse of the Statue up high in the distance:
And a view of the valley:
It was only about 1.2kms from the start of the trail to the Statue.
When I got there a large group of adults were sitting outside at tables eating their lunch with a clergy member, no doubt enjoying the fine weather and the view.
I took a few photos of the statue and the view.
Then I made my way back down the trail, running where I could without the risk of face-planting!
When I emerged from the trail I continued on the road to the train station in Les Houches. Five minutes later I was happily sitting on a very quiet train back to Chamonix looking forward to a cool shower.
More Chamonix Blogs:
If you liked this blog and want to keep reading all about Chamonix then check out these other blogs:
- Taking the Panoramic Mont Blanc Gondola in Chamonix.
- Hiking to the Stunning Emosson Lake & Dam in Switzerland from Chamonix.
- A Short Hike to Chalet du Glacer des Bossons.
- Running & Hiking the Petit Balcon Sud Trail.
- Tips When Visiting Chamonix in Autumn.
- The Best of Chamonix.
- Back in Beautiful Chamonix.
If you've any questions, suggestions or just want to say hello, contact me via the Contact Form, Instagram (@noroadlongenough) or By Email noroadlongenough1@gmail.com