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Visitor reviews for Argentiere Ski Resort

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• January 18, 2012
  Hectic19 from United Kingdom
  

  Been skiing here since buying a place at the bottom of the Grand Montets lift some 20 years ago. The mountain, there is only one, used to be a head case paradise with pretty much only expert skiers in residence. However recently, more intermediate skiers have been catered for by changes in the piste which has sort of tamed the beast. Off-piste it is still a joy to ski although with more less able skiers around, avoiding turkeys on the steeps can be a problem. Bars, well, the best bar there currently would be the Rusticana (lerusticana.com) owned and run by Sven (founder of the original Office Bar which was once holed up in the hairdressers opposite prior to expansion and relocation to its current position across the road). Tell him the Doc sent you and he might just buy you a drink!! Other than that, remember to rap up warm because early season can be cold on a north facing slope as it gets very little sun which keeps the snow great but the tootsies can feel the pain. Enjoy the place but keep it to yourself.

• Argentiere Ratings

  Based on 3 votes. Vote

  Access: 5.0 (1) At least one overnight stop, (2) requires a whole day, (3) requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns (4) arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon, (5) there is a main airport within an hour of Argentiere.	Public Transport: 4.5 (1) There are no buses or taxis to Argentiere, (3) there are slow or infrequent buses / trains available, (5) getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections.
  Scenery: 5.0 (1) An ugly resort in a bland setting, (3) average mountain views and resort, (5) a spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town.	Accommodation: 4.0 (1) No places to stay in/near Argentiere, (3) a few places to stay in the resort, (5) a wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets.
  Cheap Rooms: 4.3 (1) No budget accommodation available, (3) just one or two hostels so book ahead, (5) several cheap hostels and pensions available.	Luxury Hotels: 1.0 (1) No luxury accommodation available, (3) just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead, (5) several up-market hotels in Argentiere.
  Ski in/Ski out: 4.0 (1) The ski area is located far from any accommodation, (3) a free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip, (5) Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available.	Childcare: 3.0 (1) There are no child care facilities at Argentiere, (5) the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche.
  Snowsure: 5.0 (1) Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing, (2) is often closed due to a lack of snow, (3) occasionally suffers from a lack of snow, (4) rarely suffers from a lack of snow, (5) Argentiere is snowsure even in the poorest seasons.	Snowmaking: 3.5 (1) Argentiere relies entirely on natural snow, (3) there are just a few snow cannons, (5) there are snowmaking facilities on all pistes.
  Snow Grooming: 4.5 (1) There are no snow groomers at Argentiere, (3) occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state, (5) all the runs at Argentiere are groomed daily.	Shelter: 3.0 (1) there is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut, (3) there are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close, (5) Argentiere is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close.
  Nearby options: 5.0 (1) If snow conditions are poor at Argentiere, it will be poor everywhere nearby, (3) there are good alternatives within an hours drive, (5) other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions.	Regional rating: 5.0 (1) Argentiere usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region, (3) has average conditions for the region, (5) usually has the best snow conditions in the region.
  Lift Staff: 3.0 (1) The staff at Argentiere are rude or unhelpful, (5) lift staff at Argentiere are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help.	Crowds/Queues: 3.0 (1) the resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues, (3) it is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays, (5) it is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare.
  Ski Schools: 3.5 (1) No ski schools available, (2) one or two ski schools but local language only, (3) a few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors, (4) plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available, (5) excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors.	Hire and Repairs: 5.0 (1) Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex. (3) there are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance, (5) good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible.
  Variety of pistes: 5.0 (1) The ski runs are featureless and unvaried, (3) the ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week, (5) Argentiere has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain.	Beginners: 3.0 (1) Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard, (3) a few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week, (3) Vast areas of gentle terrain.
  Intermediates: 3.5 (1) No intermediate terrain at Argentiere, (3) intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days, (5) vast areas of cruising runs.	Advanced: 5.0 (1) Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders, (3) enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste, (5) Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week.
  Snow Park: 3.7 (1) Not even a kicker at Argentiere, (3) average sized park quite well looked after, (5) huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails.	Off-piste: 5.0 (1) No off-piste worth mentioning, (2) off piste is out-of-bounds, (3) some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days, (5) a vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days.
  Cross-country: 5.0 (1) There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Argentiere, (3) there are some cross country trails available, (5) the area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails.	Luge/Toboggan: 1.0 (1) No designated luge or toboggan runs, (3) there are toboggan runs that open quite often, (5) Argentiere has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages.
  Mountain Dining: 2.0 (1) Nowhere to buy food by the pistes, (3) some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive, (5) there is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets.	Eating: 2.5 (1) Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop. (5) A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants.
  Apres-Ski: 3.5 (1) Nothing to do, not even a bar, (3) there are a few bars in the resort but nothing special, (5) clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere.	Other Sports: 2.0 (1) No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts, (3) resort has just a small public swimming pool, (5) resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool.
  Entertainment: 3.5 (1) Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here, (3) the non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week, (5) the resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports.	Winter Walks: 4.0 (1) Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails, (3) a couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails, (5) extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities.
  Ski Pass Value: 3.5 (1) A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available, (3) the ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts, (5) ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area.	Value (National): 5.0 (1) Overall, Argentiere is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money, (3) overall represents average value for money, (5) overall offers the best value resort in the country.
  Value (Global): 4.5 (1) Overall, Argentiere is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world, (3) overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries, (5) internationally the resort offers excellent value for money.

  Based on 3 votes. Vote

• December 02, 2011
  Dodgey R from France
  

  Great place to come and ski off-piste as the area is so huge ''You can ski untracked powder for days after a storm''
  Top tip-get to the Grand Montets lift at least two hours before it opens on a powder day to ensure a) Plenty of time to talk to your mates b)You get good and cold c) The lift will open late d) You lose your place when they open the chair first.e)You have lots of time to read the misinformation board. NB The Pisters do a fantastic job keeping the mountain safe it's a shame that often the communication in the valley doesn't reflect their good work
  (-: (-:.

• November 11, 2011
  Matt from United Kingdom
  

  I went to Argentiere for the first time in March 2011, in fact, it was my first time ever to venture to the mountains on a pair of skis. I took a week with UCPA Argentiere and it was brilliant, couldn't recommend it more, in fact, I'm going back for an early week the coming 2011/12 season. For an absolute beginner it's a great place to go, the mountain Le Tour is the perfect learning ground with a couple of nursery slopes and a few easy blues, some tame reds and stunning views of the Chamonix valley, its a' superb place to ski. Our instructor took us up to Les Grandes Montets on the fourth day and we ski'd the blue's and red runs which were great fun and a bit steeper than Le Tour. My favourite run was the long red that goes from Lognan to Argentiere which was when parallel turning really clicked for me and started to get the hang of it so that run in particular will always be a special place for me.
  Most will think of Les Grands Montets as a mountain catering for the extreme but that's not the case; there are plenty of tame runs the average skier can enjoy and have a great time. Le Tour is very open mountain with sun all day if it's out and it's a glorious place to be. I can't wait to get back to the mountains for some more skiing, I'm addicted! Argentiere is a really nice quiet town with a few small bars and a few small shops. I'm not so interested in the apres-ski night clubs these days as I want to maximise my time on the slopes rather than in a hot sweaty nightclub as I can do anywhere in the world.... If you want a true ski experience, this is the place to come!

• November 29, 2009
  Chris from France
  

  Argentiere skiing is challenging but brilliant. I've been living there for a while now, working on improving my skiing with All Mountain Performance, a local British run ski school specializing in off-piste coaching. I can now ski the whole mountain and can't wait to hit the slopes again this coming weekend.

• February 14, 2008
  Angus from United Kingdom
  

  I love Argentiere, probably my favourite ski-place in Europe. Top tip - do the Pierre-a-ric run over and over in the middle of the day, it's pretty much empty and well groomed, with perfect snow. From the top of the Bochard lift watch the nutters abseil into the Couloir Plomb (the steepest off-piste drop). Brilliant place to sort out your mogul technique!

• December 25, 2005
  Tom Travis from United States
  

  I have skied throughout Europe and North America, and the Grand Montet at Argentiere is simply my most favorite ski station in the world. I have skied there 10 times and will keep returning. The skiing from the mid-station on its verticals of 4200' to the summit, 2100' on the La Herse lift, and 2700-3200' from the La Bochard lift, are endlessly fascinating, interesting and challenging, limited only by one's own imagination and capabilities. I adore the off-piste Glacier run from the summit, as well as the runs of Les Pylones and La Pendant. The "off-off" piste Pas de Chevre down to the Mer de Glace is fascinating, if not scary. If after skiing from the summit, one takes the long, intermediate run, the Pierre a Ric down to the valley base, the vertical is 6'600'. Wow! The views from the Grand Montet, especially the summit and the rocks to the right of the Bochard lift are incredible. The Grand Montet receives loads of snow and its north face retains the snow, often well into May. After skiing the Grand Montet for days, one can sample the other ski stations of the Chamonix Valley. I particularly enjoy La Flegere, with its glorious views of the Mont blanc range and one of the sweetest bowls anywhere, the Combe Lachenal; as well one has the opportunity to ski the Vallee Blanche, with its 9200' vertical and 10 mile run, and awesome views.

• March 09, 2004
  Johnny from Ireland
  

  What can you say about Argentiere? Grand Montets is just fantastic. So much skiable terrain and on a powder day incredible. Night life is mainly pubs but a quiet night can quickly degenerate into an all night feeding frenzy and with Chamonix only 10 minutes away...
  So what are you waiting for - If its big mountain skiing you're looking for then get on board!