This gallery is in a lovely old building in Les Praz – once a mill, as the name suggests. They always have something interesting inside from the collective based there, including Andy Parkin and Philippe Vouillamoz. We dropped in on the way back from Chalet Floria – it’s just beside the path back to the chalet – as they were having a big one-day exhibition of local artists. There’s another one planned for October 4th 2009 – hopefully they’ll continue on a regular basis,  as it seemed to be a big success with some lovely work on display. http://lemoulindesartistes.blogspot.com/

The Dru from the Buvette des Mottets, on the way up to Montenvers from Les Praz

If looking at the soaring peaks surrounding Les Praz gives you a thirst to climb, there is no better place in the world than Chamonix. For those aspiring to routes like The Dru or the Aiguille Verte – “the Alpine summit that turns you from a climber into a true mountaineer”, Icicle Climbing can arrange flexible itineraries and guiding. For those who aren’t quite yet ready for those heights, they also offer climbing courses at all levels. In winter, there’s the exhilaration of ice climbing to try, too.

Chamonix Panoramas, originally uploaded by amazingmonkey22.

Another of these gorgeous panoramas – this one, I think, is taken from near the top of the Floria lift at Flegere? The huge circular formation is the Lavancher bowl – the left hand side of this is part of the Grands Montets ski area. It’s really worth clicking through to see the larger version!

Sunset from the Flegere lift in Chamonix

The blazing colours of the Alpine sunsets are caused by the natural phenomena of Alpenglow.

Chamonix Panoramas, originally uploaded by amazingmonkey22.

Gorgeous panoramic shot from Flegere – it’s really worth looking at the larger version, or, if you have a really big screen, the original size.
On the left are les Drus – looking completely different from this angle. The Mer de Glace glacier is in the valley, and then come the Aiguilles de Chamonix, the Aiguille du Midi and then Mont Blanc – appearing smaller than it really is from here. The base of the Index lift is on the right

Les Drus, originally uploaded by Your new friend Pete.

The spectacular spike of the Aiguille du Dru , or Aiguilles des Drus, dominates the sky above Les Praz. Its 38 pitches are legendary amongst climbers and many routes are etched deep into mountaineering history.
Mountaineering information and some lovely photos of the Dru
Many of the hikes around the area give wonderful views of the mountain, and one of the loveliest is from the Montenvers railway, making it accessible to anyone.

Les Praz-Flegere Cable Car, originally uploaded by berliner_jake.

The Téléphérique La Flégère takes you from the 1030 m altitude of the village to the 1900 m midstation. In winter it accesses the Flégère ski area, with sunny, south-facing slopes and a wide variety of pistes for all levels, with wonderful views of the Mer De Glace glacier.
Flegere also has excellent off-piste skiing and snowboarding, and it’s well worth getting a guide for the day to experience it at its best.
Real Time lift opening information from chamonix.com

In summer, the lift takes you to the start of beautiful mountain walks like the Lac Blanc and challenging mountain bike trails.