Chamonix

Chamonix is not a ski area, it is a town in its own right and well located from which to explore several ski areas; Brevent, Flegere, Grand Montets and Le Tour. You can also get to St. Gervais and Les Contamines very easily indeed. Chamonix is located at the foot of the Brevent ski area which is linked to Flegere, these two are perhaps the most traditional ski areas as they offer sweeping runs including some lovely tree runs as well as high alpine areas. Grand Montets is all about off-piste, there are some great pistes too but catch this area on a powder day and you’ll have a blast. Le Tour is a little further away but offers some nice runs, mostly easy blues but it is quite limited. Great for half a day but little more. We do like Les Houches even though it is a 10-15 minute bus ride from the centre, it has some lovely tree runs and some flattering blues.

BEGINNERS:

In all honesty, Chamonix is very limited to the inexperienced skier. It does offer good resort level nursery slopes in all the ski areas but it doesn’t work for beginners looking to progress. In Chamonix centre, try Le Savoy or Les Planards. To move one, we like Les Houches or Le Tour but because both are the furthest ski areas away from Chamonix, that all important convenience is lost.

INTERMEDIATES:

A fair amount to do, the main Brevent/Flegere ski area is well suited to intermediates. Try the red Cornu piste, probably the best run in the area for intermediates looking to challenge themselves.

EXPERTS:

This is where Chamonix really comes in to its own, experts love the choice of ski areas on offer but generally flock to the Grand Montets ski area with its steep pistes and incredible choice of easily accessible off-piste terrain. Chamonix doesn’t take any prisoners so make sure you hire a guide and are well covered by your winter sports insurance before venturing away from the pistes.

The Vallee Blanche descent accessed via the Auguille de Midi cable car is the one run every expert skier should do. You MUST do this with a guide though, take a wrong turn and you’ll be confronted by one of the areas many crevasses. Just getting to the top of the descent is a very serious business indeed, on exiting an ice tunnel you are faced with a steep drop on either side. A safety rope is generally there to assist you but it still feels very intimidating indeed. The run itself should generally be done at the end of the week when your ski legs are well and truly “in” because it can take up to 6 hours to complete.

Apres-ski in Chamonix is slightly different from most resort purely because you have to travel back to the village before you can start! Fear not though, the exuberance that a good day on the hill doesn’t dissipate thanks to bars such as Chambre Neuf which is probably the most popular of the central bars after the skiing is done. Live music and dancing on any surface available is the order of the day here, a great fun venue. Just over the road are Moo Bar and Elevation. We like the Moo Bar, friendly service and great cocktails!

The après-ski and nightlife tend to blend into one because of central locations of all the best spots. All of the après-ski bars are just as popular for a few drinks after dinner, other bars worthy of mention are Bar d’Up which is a great choice to watch sports, MBC which has its own micro-brewery and Le Pub. In terms of quantity, Chamonix is a great choice.

When booking ski lessons, make sure you book one in a convenient location. Please do call for advice.

BASS Ski School: http://www.basschamonix.com/

ESF Chamonix: http://www.esfchamonix.com

ESF Argentiere: http://www.esf-argentiere.com/

Evolution 2: http://evolution2-chamonix.com/