Tom Travis from UNITED STATES writes:
I want to counter some of the very surprising negative comments about Chamonix. The cable cars may be old, but they get the job done, and efficiently and quickly transport skiers up to the mid station or summits. The gondola at Bochard on the Grand Montet is new and rapid, and La Herse chairlift is a new, six person speedy lift. Also, Le Brevent has three quite new, speedy chairlifts, and a new high speed six person chairlift whisks skiers up the main slope of La Flegere. The chairlifts on the Vallorcine side of Le Tour are also new. So Chamonix has made a major effort to upgrade and improve its lift system.
The biggest problem with lifts, is that when there is insufficient snow to ski from the mid-stations down into the valley, the wait to access the lift back to the valley can be long at Le Brevent and La Flegere. The way to avoid the wait, is to return to the valley before 3:15 PM, but not everyone wants to depart this early. At the Grand Montet this is rarely a problem because the Rierre a Ric trail down the mountain has snow-making.
One commentator said the weather is permanently bad. This is a ridiculous statement. The weather is no better or worse than most of the Alps resorts. Indeed, the weather has been clear and rather mild on the majority of the many days over 25 years that I have skied at Chamonix. This April it was sunny for four days and cloudy and sometimes snowy for three days when I was there. The bad thing is that when the weather is cloudy, foggy or snowy, visibility can be difficult since most of the skiing is above tree line. But many ski stations in the Alps are above tree line.
Chamonix has a reputation for difficult slopes. However, the majority of the slopes at Le Tour, La Flegere, Le Brevent and Les Houches are blue and red in difficulty. The most difficult area is the Grand Montet, but even there the groomed pistes are mostly reds and easy for an intermediate skier to do. For excellent skiers the slopes at the Grand Montet are an endlessly challenging and exciting.
A reviewer said that none of the slopes are groomed, which is false. Every area, including the Grand Montet, cuts pistes into the snowfields and grooms them well. At the Grand Montet, for example. one can ski groomed pistes down verticals of 2072, 2428, 2564, and 3345 feet.
A reviewer said a positive is that there are "some good" views. I have skied all over the world and regard the views at Chamonix to be unsurpassed in beauty and splendor. Nowhere else in France or Austria are the views so spectacular. In Switzerland, at Saas Fee and Zermatt, and maybe Grindelwald the views come close, but I still prefer them at Chamonix.
A reviewer says the town of Chamonix is filled with Soviet style concrete bloc architecture. Yes, there are a few unfortunate concrete apartment buildings above the main street, but overall, Chamonix retains its architectural tradition and charm. It is a lived-in French town, with far more architectural interest than the modern ski towns of Les Trois Vallees, Val d'Isere or Verbier. Also, along the valley are small traditional towns that, largely, retain their original architecture. Chamonix is full of excellent restaurants--French, Italian, Thai, and even Indian. I can't comment about the night-life but there are plenty of bars.
One reviewer stayed in Les Houches and said access was difficult to a supermarket or to bars. Why would anyone without a car want to stay at Les Houches, which is far from the center of Chamonix, and an inferior ski area to boot.
A reviewer says that one has to drive or take a bus to every ski station. If one stays in town, one can walk easily (but up a hill) to Le Brevent. Otherwise, it's true that one needs transportation to the ski stations in the valley and that is unfortunate. The Chamonix bus system shuttles regularly between the ski areas and is free, but at peak times, the buses get crowded, and that can be uncomfortable. However, I found this year that the buses run more often than in the past and never had to wait more than 10 minutes for a bus.
A reviewer says the ski ticket is expensive. For an American the multi-day ticket is cheap in comparison to the ridiculous prices charged at US ski areas.
I regard the Grand Montet as the single best ski station in the world for its variety of runs down vast bowls, the pistes from the summit, the slopes over glaciers, and the limitless off-piste opportunities. I also love the runs at La Flegere, especially the Lachenal bowl, my favorite run in the world for scenery and an exciting, moderately challenging, curving advanced intermediate down hill, and La Floria is not far behind.
2008-04-21 |
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