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

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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

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The painfully slow and rickety green cable car that services the area is one of the worst bottle necks in the valley, but if you get up there early this works beautifully to your advantage and you can enjoy a relatively quiet two hours.

Les Praz, Chamonix

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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

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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

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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

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The run back down towards Le Brevent from the Col Cornu chairlift is long, reasonably challenging and has agreat 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

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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

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