There are two things that are really special about Chamonix: the jaw-dropping scenery and the off-piste skiing. Why stay on the tame groomed runs with the crowd the whole time when you can spice things up with a real mountain adventure?

Use the lifts to get your elevation, then work out of ski area boundaries for fresh snow, long descents, beautiful views, challenging skiing/boarding and solitude.

Or better yet, use skins to climb up where there are no lifts. Or hire a helicopter or a ski-plane to drop you on a nearby peak.

Avalanches, crevasses and other high-mountain hazards mean you definitely want a guide to help you with this. Try www.markseaton.com/ for a great British guide who lives in Cham and knows the area ski options well.

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Mountaingirl is a great company that offers women's climbing courses and holidays. It's run by inspiring and fun female mountain guides who teach and encourage you instead of just drag ging you up a hill.

They have courses for absolute beginners to high level climbers and are happy to make a "bespoke course" for you and your friends if you ask. They offer a very high-quality experience where you can learn a new sport, laugh a lot, and also get out somewhere incredible!

London office
128 Shoreditch High St,
London E1 6JE
www.mountaingirl.eu

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A small yet perfectly-formed company for anyone interesting in mountaineering in the French Alps. They offer a wide number of courses to suit everyone from absolute beginners to experts. Bloody good at what they do, and a terrific laugh too.

90 Via d'Aoste, Chamonix Sud
www.icicleUK.com
+33 (0) 67 55 621 55

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