The Chalet des Anglais
Location and History
The Chalet des Anglais is
some 4500 feet up on the side of Le Prarion, a small mountain on the
Mont Blanc massif. It is above Les Houches and St Gervais, reached by a
telecabine from Les Houches (and an easy downhill walk) or by the
Tramway de Mont Blanc (and a harder uphill walk from the Col de Voza).
It easily sleeps fifteen; it is comfortable, with two flush lavatories and both hot and cold running water, but no electricity. It
was first built in the 1860s by an eccentric diplomat called David
Urquhart, burned down in 1906, rebuilt in 1909 and used ever since by a combination of
Balliol, New College and Univ. students for reading parties and walking
holidays.
Chalet Parties and This
Year's Dates
Chalet Parties consist of about a
dozen students, a manager and bursar (also students) and a couple of
adults. The purpose of the parties is to let people read, walk, and
talk for ten days; serious climbing is absolutely forbidden, but
strenuous walks are encouraged. The daily round depends a lot on the
weather, but given decent weather, most people have a late breakfast,
read on the lawn, eat a picnic lunch, and then get some exercise;
pre-dinner drinks either consist of mulled wine in the Chalet or
something restorative on the terrace of the hotel at the top of the
telecabine: this is the Hotel Le
Prarion better known as 'The Pav' from the days when it was Le Pavillon du Prarion. The routine
is simple: each day, two people cook for the party, shopping in Les
Houches earlier in the day; otherwise, the necessary chores amount to
rubbish disposal, washing up, and firewood collection. Parties are led
by a manager and bursar, the former to organize the daily round and the
latter to save us from financial disasters.
In 2009, there will be two New College parties, the first will
run from August 14th to August 24th, and the second from August 24th to
September 3rd.
Travel and Costs
Getting to the Chalet is
simple: the cheapest and quickest route is by EasyJet to Geneva, train
from there to St Gervais, round to Les Houches on the local railway and up the telecabine. A
big group makes it economical to use the taxi service from St Gervais, which includes a four-wheel drive taxi for the final stages.
EasyJet have been offering roundtrips to Geneva for as little as
£35. Otherwise, trains to St Gervais are frequent, though it is
hard to get from Oxford to Les Houches before the telecabine closes at
5.30 in the evening. The return journey can easily be done inside the
day. Living costs are low; last year, it was £5.00 a day for
students and £8.00 for their elders - wine in the Chalet is
included in that, but not whatever you rack up at the hotel or further
afield. There is some college assistance available for anyone who feels
unable to go for financial reasons.
