Dates and venue
The Les Houches 2021 Dark Matter Summer School ran from Monday July 26th to Friday August 20th, 2021. Participants were expected to arrive at the Les Houches site after 3pm on Monday July 26th. The lectures started on Tuesday July 27th in the morning. Lectures were given on mornings and afternoons of most weekdays. The weekends were reserved for free excursions, free time and individual study. Participants were expected to leave the site by 3pm on the last day, Friday August 20th. It was not possible to extend the stay before or after the session.
The School took place entirely at the Les Houches site, in the local auditorium and in the study rooms. The precise address is 149 Chemin de la Côte, 74310 Les Houches, France. Les Houches is a village located in Chamonix valley, in the French Alps, about 1150m above sea level, close to the forest and facing the Mont Blanc mountain range.
Detailed directions are found on the site's website.
Please note that there were no shops nearby (restaurants and other services are more than 2 km from the site and bus stops 30 minutes away on foot).
Accommodation and food
All participants were accommodated on site, in eight mountain buildings with single rooms and private bathroom facilities. Sheets and towels were provided. Each room had a desk, cupboards and a small safety deposit box. It was not possible for participants to have accompanying persons (except special cases, see below).
All meals were taken at the restaurant on site. Breakfast from 7:45 to 8:45. Lunch at 12:30. Dinner at 19:30.
Special dietary requirements could be taken into account, if they were specified when requested by the Secretary’s Office. Picnics could be provided for lunch by registering the day before at lunchtime. Meals were provided on weekends too. However, if the weather was good, a picnic could be provided for everyone for lunch on Saturday or Sunday. There was a bar in the lounge area below the restaurant.
Registration fees
Each participant payed a fee of 1992 € (VAT included).
The fee covered accommodation and full board meals, including on weekends, plus the services offered on site (coffee breaks, library, IT space, leisure facilities such as piano, bikes, ping-pong...). It was applied for the whole stay, no partial stays were possible for participants.
Depending on obtained grants, the organizers were able to offer a fee reduction or a fee waiver to selected participants. Financial assistance could have been requested while applying.
Accompanying person
In normal conditions, one accompanying person per participant would have been admitted, in the same room for a maximum stay of 1 week and a fee of 64.80 € (VAT included) per day, covering accommodation and full board meals.
However, because of the COVID-19 situation, that year the School could not accept any accompanying person for the participants.
COVID-19 and related procedures
The spread of the COVID-19 had changed our everyday lives and, at that time, continued to impact travelling and normal activities.
As of 24 July 2021: the School was expected to take place in person as planned. The number of participants had been reduced, but the possibility of online attendance (via Zoom) was given. In addition, all the lectures were recorded and made available on the YouTube channel of Les Houches.
Below were the main national and local regulations. (Please keep in mind that these were provided for your convenience: you should have always referred to the official documents.)
Rules for entry into France: See this website. In summary:
| From 'green countries' (EU, Switzerland, Australia, Canada, Israel, USA...) | Vaccinated | Nothing to do |
| Non vaccinated | Negative PCR or antigenic test (<72h or <24h depending on country of origin) needed | |
| From 'orange countries' (all non green nor red, includes e.g. the UK) | Vaccinated | Nothing to do |
| Non vaccinated | Many restrictions apply, and the School does not qualify as 'pressing grounds for travel' | |
| From 'red countries' (Brazil, India, South Africa...) | Vaccinated or non vaccinated | Many restrictions apply, and the School does not qualify as 'pressing grounds for travel' |
More information for travelers to France, updated in real time, could also be found on the following government webpage.
Rules for the Les Houches Institute: All participants were required to present proof of full vaccination or, in absence of that, have a negative test (antigenic or PCR) dating less than 72 hours upon their arrival at Les Houches.
Physical distancing measures were enforced in the lecture room, the restaurant and the common rooms. Masks had to be worn. Specific flows were in place.
In the case in which some admitted participants were not able to travel due to the prolongation of the emergency, we reimbursed the fee and offered remote attendance to the school (through Zoom).
