Chamonix, France

Paul from UNITED KINGDOM writes:

A quick post to address a few points made by Dan of France in his 20 March entry. I have spent the last couple of months in the Chamonix valley and sadly have to leave soon.
First, I agree with some of Dans points. The lift system generally needs some improvement, especially the cable car up to Flegere, though I do not agree that the the Argentiere / Grands Montets lifts are generally "old / slow": queue times here are generally fine given its popularity (there's a choice of fast chair or cable car up from Argentiere).
I also agree that Chamonix is geared to strong intermediates / advanced skiers and there is a big step-up from the valley-floor nursery areas to the blues and reds on the mountains. A number of beginners visited me this season, however, and were won over by the spectacular scenery, old-town charm and excellent nightlife.
Picking up on a few of Dans negative comments:
- I don't agree that Chamonix is "very expensive": there are plenty of cheap options for eating, drinking and sleeping in Chamonix, which, being a year-round normal French town, has plenty of standard-priced supermarkets, fast food chains, 'happy hours' and competition between the 100 plus eating and drinking venues.
- Dan said that (at the time of his visit) "very few runs to the villages were open": there are 4 main ski areas in the Chamonix valley (Le Tour, Argentiere, Brevent-Flegere, Les Houches). At the time of Dans post (20 March) runs to the resorts were open in 3 of the 4 main areas. Only Brevent-Flegere's home runs were closed.
- "If you are not in Chamonix there is literally no nightlife in the other villages". This is simply not true. In Argentiere alone there are 11 bars, 1 nightclub and at least as many restaurants. Bars are generally open til 2am, the nightclub later.
- "The pistes are unkempt...". Piste bashers operate in all ski areas every night. A minority of pistes are intentionally left unbashed; these are clearly signed.
- "Poor selection of mountain restaurants - all very expensive..." The standard price for a ham baguette in most restaurants is EUR 4.00 (ie. cheaper than London) and some restaurants do excellent hot meals (main course and dessert) for EUR 12.00. The majority of restaurants offer astonishing views of the Chamonix valley and its amazing mountain ranges.
Overall, I think the skiing in the Chamonix is excellent, particularly for advanced skiers. Grands Montets deserves its reputation as one of the great off-piste mountains in the world due to its height (1200-3300m), aspect (north facing), contours (huge natural bowls, countless gullies) and gradient (consistently 20-30 degrees: perfect red - black pitches) and quality of snow (currently 500cm at the top: keeps powder snow even when 15C in the valley). Right now, the majority of its huge surface can be skied by strong intermediates: it is not a mountain reserved for daredevils - the joy is that off-piste here is accessible to many.
The Chamonix valley is not, however, a single purpose built resort so lacks the convenience of many other resorts. This is a product of its history (real living town and villages) and its remarkable geography in surely the most picturesque and extraordinary location in the Alps.

2008-03-24