Thursday
30 August 2018
7 p.m.
The word “nightlife” might make us think of clubbing or college—but here, it’s a little different. Chamonix has redefined nightlife to mean, literally, life that happens at night.
In Cham, nightlife sounds like karaoke floating out from bars, like kids playing ping-pong while their parents grab a beer, and—depending on the time of year—the roar of a trail-race finish line.
Nightlife in Chamonix is when athletes like Rory Bosio share experiences at athlete panels; it’s the time of day when birthday-celebraters like Timothy Olson invite old and new friends to breweries, mixing craft brew, vegan cake, and kid’s play—all ages always welcome.
It’s also the time of day for multi-course meals and clinking wine glasses after long days of appetite-building mountain romps, of grabbing a “boule” (or two, or four if it’s post-race) of gelato from one of the dozen vendors on Cham’s streets, of watching the clouds move in and out of the towering rock spires, of dreaming of where tomorrow might take you.
Of course, Chamonix has bars where you can dance your post-race feet across sticky floors and scream-shout yourself hoarse to Britney Spears. But really, Cham’s nightlife is just the period of time between mountains and bed. Always lively, always enlivening.
Bonne nuit, Chamonix.
[Editor’s Note: This week, as the UTMB festival of races center around the European Alps town of Chamonix, France, we’re bringing you daily dispatches from photojournalist Kirsten Kortebein. Our goal is to document the global community that trail running brings together in Chamonix. Thanks to Jaybird for sponsoring these dispatches.]
All photos: iRunFar/Kirsten Kortebein
