Photo: Corbis
The impossible high
Ever since it hosted the first winter Olympics in 1924, winter sports enthusiasts have flocked to Chamonix. Even driving up the valley is enough to send shivers down the spine, as you emerge from the tunnel at Servoz and are confronted by the jagged and imposing peaks of the Mont Blanc massif towering at impossible heights above the town.
Getting the best out of Chamonix is a challenge, and it's perhaps this that draws people from all over the globe there in their thousands each winter. Chamonix has the best and the worst that ski resorts have to offer. Get it on a bad day and you'll spend hours standing in lift queues wondering why you didn't go somewhere else. Get it at its best, and you'll be treated to the best skiing and snowboarding you'll find anywhere in the world, all of it amidst views that they could only be described as awe inspiring.
A couple of winters ago I chatted to a chap from Mt Baker in the lift. He had been planning his pilgrimage here for years, and here he was scratching around in patchy snow and ice in the blistering cold while Mt Baker enjoyed a bumper season for powder. And he was positively delighted to be doing it. That's the kind of devotion that will continue to keep Chamonix at the top of the ski resort tree.
Getting the best out of Chamonix is a challenge, and it's perhaps this that draws people from all over the globe there in their thousands each winter. Chamonix has the best and the worst that ski resorts have to offer. Get it on a bad day and you'll spend hours standing in lift queues wondering why you didn't go somewhere else. Get it at its best, and you'll be treated to the best skiing and snowboarding you'll find anywhere in the world, all of it amidst views that they could only be described as awe inspiring.
A couple of winters ago I chatted to a chap from Mt Baker in the lift. He had been planning his pilgrimage here for years, and here he was scratching around in patchy snow and ice in the blistering cold while Mt Baker enjoyed a bumper season for powder. And he was positively delighted to be doing it. That's the kind of devotion that will continue to keep Chamonix at the top of the ski resort tree.
Best view
Nature Reserve, Le Tour
Take the draglift up to the top of the nature reserve, from where you get an unusual perspective on the valley. From here it's plain to see just how enormous Mt Blanc really is, as it dwarfs l'Aiguille du Midi in a way you don't notice from elsewhere in the valley.
Le Tour, Chamonix
Best walk
Les Bossons Glacier
This gargantuan hanging wall of ice is one of the visually defining features of Chamonix. It's often lit up at night when it takes on a very surreal air, but the best time to see it is by day, from close up. A pleasant stroll through the woods above Les Bossons takes you to the edge of the ravine, from where you can often see huge chunks ofice falling off. Don't get too close!
Les Bossons, Chamonix
Nighttime hangout
MBC
This Canadian run microbrewery produces several of its own excellent beers and lagers, and has a great menu of bar snacks (cross-cut fries, nachos, etc) and more substantial evening meals. It attracts a lively apres-ski crowd who flock there to enjoy 'giraffes' of beer, and there's live music several times a week. It's very popular so you'll need to book a table for dinner.
Tel: +33(0)450536159
When the weather's bad
Les Houches
A 10-minute drive down the valley from Chamonix, the resort’s more sheltered location means it often stays open when the rest of the valley's resorts are closed due to high winds. It's also mostly within the tree line, making it the perfect choice for flat light days.
Les Houches, Chamonix
Down days
Centre Sportif de Chamonix
Chamonix has an excellent sports centre, with a range of activities including an indoor climbing wall. There's also a very good swimming pool, which - somewhat eccentrically - doesn't open until 3pm. If outdoor climbing is more your thing, try the climbing wall down at Les Gaillands, one minute's drive south of Chamonix on the back road.
214 Avenue de la Plage, Chamonix. Tel: +33(0)450530907
Best-kept secret
Le Sarpe
You'll find this delightfully eccentric restaurant in the sleepy hamlet of Les Bois, just next to Flègere. The decor is odd and the lighting a touch bright, but if you're after authentic French cuisine it's the best bar none. It's also excellent value for money (particularly the set menus) and the wine list is excellent.
Les Bois, Chamonix. Tel: +33(0)450532931
Best apres-ski
La Terrace
Located slap bang in the centre of Chamonix, this popular riverside cafe/bar has great views and often puts on live music. Make sure you stay for a drink or two in its sumptuous upstairs lounge bar.
Tel: +33(0)450530995
Where to watch the world go by
Le Petits Gourmands
A tantalising array of fine chocolates and ornate cakes greets you as you enter this bustling town centre hub. It's quite an assault on the senses, but you can recover with a coffee and a freshly baked croissant in the cafe at the back.
Rue du Docteur Paccard, Chamonix. Tel: +33(0)450530159
Best lift cheat
Vallorcine
If the back side of Le Tour is closed, drive round to Vallorcine and take the telecabine up towards the Col de Balme. From here it's a short walk up the path and you're into some of the best tree runs in the valley, with no one else around.
Vallorcine, Chamonix
Best snowboard shop
Zero G
Chamonix's best snowboard shop. It stocks a huge range of quality kit and all the staff are experienced snowboarders. If you plan on renting any equipment it's the best place in town bar none, and it's also does a good line in repairs and servicing.
134 av Ravanel le Rouge, Chamonix. Tel: +33(0)450535844
Best run (beginner)
Le Vormaine
You'll find this piste right by the car park at the bottom of Le Tour. It's a wide and mellow piste serviced by a pair of easy draglifts, making it the ideal place to take to the slopes for the first time. The lift pass is cheap, and there's a good cafe ideally situated for when you're fed up of falling over.
Le Tour, Chamonix
Best run (intermediate)
Le Col Cornu
The run back down towards Le Brevent from the Col Cornu chairlift is long, reasonably challenging and has a great variety of terrain. There are rollers, steep sections, cat tracks and all manner of things to jump off just to the side of the piste. It gets a lot of sun so the snow tends to soften up quite early in the day.
Le Brevent, Chamonix
Best run (expert)
Le Bochard
The run from the top of the Bochard right down to the car park is steep, challenging, and, at over 2,000m of vertical, a real leg burner. Make sure you get it first thing in the morning before it gets too bumpy.
Les Grands Montets, Chamonix
Best run for jumps
L'Index
The winding cat-track from the top of the Index lift offers endless opportunities for getting airborne. It's at its best on a sunny afternoon when the snow has softened up, or pretty much all day long in spring.
La Flègere, Chamonix
Best tree run
Le Tour
The back side of Le Tour is legendary for its wide variety of tree runs, ranging from tight and challenging to fun and undemanding. The Tete de Balme four-man chairlift takes you right back to just above the tree line, allowing for quick and easy circuits.
Le Tour, Chamonix
Best day out
La Vallee Blanche
One of the world's most famous off piste runs needs no introduction. Take the hair-raising Aiguille du Midi liftright to the top (3,842m), then follow the itinerary all the way back downto the Montenvers train, which takes you back down to town (1,042m). There's plenty of time to take in the stunning scenery on this 22km trip, but it's glacier all the way so go with someone experienced or hire a guide.
L'Aiguille du Midi, Chamonix
Best off-piste
Pas du Chevre
Accessed from the 'top tickets' lift at Grand Montets, you skit nervously across the glacier before dropping into one of the longest and most satisfying couloirs in the valley. It's both dangerous and very reliant on snow conditions, so it's best to go with a guide. From the bottom it's a short hike up to the Montenvers train, which takes you back down to the centre of Chamonix, or - snow allowing - you can take the trail through the woods.
Les Grands Montets, Chamonix
Best fast food
Grand Central
A Swedish-run snack bar situated right by the river on the Rue des Moulins. It serves delicious freshly made sandwiches, bagels, cakes, and a wide range of freshly squeezed fruit juices and smoothies. It also knocks out some of the best coffee in town.
165 Avenue Michel Croz, in central Chamonix at the edge of the square, facing McDonalds.
Best for big appetites
Munchies
With delicious food, cosy atmosphere and great service, this small Swedish-run restaurant is justifiably popular. It has a well thought out Thai-inspired menu, and the best vegetarian food in Chamonix.
Rue des Moulins, Chamonix. Tel: +33(0)450534541
Best new restaurant
Le Delice
This little restaurant and tapas bar in Les Houches has been open scarcely a year, but has already built up a great reputation amongst the locals. The food is excellent and they cater well for vegetarians, but it's popular so you'd best book in advance.
Les Houches, Chamonix. Tel: +33(0)450915206
Best accommodation
The Clubhouse
Tucked away just on the edge of town, this recently opened boutique hotel and member's bar has a great lounge bar that boasts the best cocktails in Chamonix. There's wireless broadband internet access and free tea and coffee for guests, and resident Chamonix DJ Scott Nixon plays a relaxed evening set once weekly.
Tel: +33(0)450909656
Best accommodation (for snowboarders)
Board n Lodge
A small and popular UK owned company providing catered and self-catered snowboarding holidays. They'll chauffeur you around the valley in minibuses and their knowledgeable guides will help you get the best the mountain has to offer. They're also hosting the Animal Rider Camps (26th March - 9th April 2006) where you can hang out and ride with Animal's UK pro team.
Argentiere, Chamonix. Tel: 020 7419 0722 www.boardnlodge.com
Best snowboard camp
McNab Mountain Sports
Based in Argentiere, a stone's throw from the Grand Montets, McNab provides accommodation, various levels of coaching and back country tours. The programme is run by qualified high mountain guide and pro freerider Neil McNab (he's also an ex British Snowboarding champion and ski racer!), and the chalet has a hot tub with a great view of the mountains.
Argentiere, Chamonix. Tel: 01546 830243 www.mcnab.co.uk
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