Arve — Chamonix (Les Praz) → Les Houches
Arve · Haute-Savoie (74), Alpes du Nord
Grade
III
Type
gorge · dam
About
Classe II-III. The Chamonix town run, roughly 6-7 km of fast, cold, continuous class II-III glacial water with superb Mont Blanc views, used daily by local rafting companies in summer. Straightforward wave trains but relentless current and very cold silty water — swims are long. Take out above the Barrage des Houches; the gorge below Les Houches towards Servoz/Le Fayet is NOT a continuation (deep unrun gorge with falls, siphons and wood). Season: May-September; glacial melt off the Mont Blanc massif, levels peak on warm afternoons, high in May-June Gauge reference: Vigicrues/Hub'Eau station L'Arve à Chamonix-Mont-Blanc
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