Snowsure: 4.1
- Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing
- Is often closed due to a lack of snow
- Occasionally suffers from a lack of snow
- Rarely suffers from a lack of snow
- Chamonix is snowsure even in the poorest seasons
Visitor reviews for Chamonix Ski Resort
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(NOTE: Reviews may be edited by our content team for the purposes of ensuring accurate and relevant information)
(NOTE: Reviews may be edited by our content team for the purposes of ensuring accurate and relevant information)
Latest
November 20, 2012
Migrated crow
Migrated crow
After reading lots of reviews from "piste heroes" and tourists with bad attitude I felt compelled to share my opinion of this unique place. Please don't try to compare Chamonix to any other "resort." Chamonix is a real town that operates all year round. It happens to be surrounded by skiable mountains one of which, L'Aguille du Midi (3842m)is open all year round. This peak is strictly for mountaineer skiers of which there is an abundance in Chamonix. The ski areas are not linked but they each offer a great day of skiing piste & off-piste if you are an accomplished skier. The Chamonix area beats every other "resort" in the world for vertical drop. Try the top of Les Grand Montets down to Argentiere a couple of times for a morning warm-up! Chamonix is in France so please at least try to speak French. Chamonix has no more "rude" French than any other resort I have been to. One can be unlucky with snow in any resort, however, Chamonix has an incredible record for number of lifts open and snow cover. There is a huge amount of skiing above 2000m so even when many other European resorts are struggling for snow, Chamonix runs will often remain open as there are mid station lifts on almost every mountain at 2000m. This also makes it a fabulous place to ski in springtime too. Skiing is a fabulous sport which can be practised anywhere there is snow. I don't really care where I ski as long as I ski. I don't manage to get to Chamonix much these days, but without doubt all my best skiing has been done in Chamonix : powder, steeps, touring, bumps, jumps, speed, most vertical in a day, and the list goes on. Simply an amazing and incomparable place full of amazing people. Do yourself a favour before you go there. Learn a little French but more importantly, learn how to ski. You can practice at one of the lower, flatter, more Anglo resorts.
November 03, 2012
Grey on a Tray from
United Kingdom
Grey on a Tray from
United Kingdom
I read a lot of the reviews here with bemusement.
Chamonix is Chamonix "full stop". It is unique, beautiful, sometimes infuriating but hit it on the right day and it will give you moments, or longer, of the reason we go to the mountains: Freedom and experiences that can never be equalled. It is, without doubt, a wild place. Go up high for a while and, whatever your level of experience, enjoy as the saying goes "how can you ever know the valleys if you have not been in the mountains". Cham for me is the best!
October 19, 2012
Jamie Jones from
USA - California
Jamie Jones from
USA - California
I agree with another reviewer. The problem with Chamonix is the ubiquitous know-it-all Brit and their attitdes. It's like the greedy New Yorker where I live. They can't comprehend that the place and people where they are visiting is different from the wicked city where they come from. That's why I like Chamonix in the off season.
[note from the editor: names of other reviewers etc are omitted]
June 02, 2012
ivan from
France
ivan from
France
This is really funny to read so many British people expecting to find more French "English speakers". In lot of Chamonix restaurants, you need to speak English. If not, no chance to place your order...
I went several time in UK and I have not cross many people speaking French....English is still not the native world language...
June 14, 2011
alex from
Greece
alex from
Greece
April 18, 2011
David from
United Kingdom
David from
United Kingdom
My wife (skier) and I (boarder) went for the last (long) weekend in March and had a brilliant time. Chamonix is different from other resorts I have been to in that it is a proper functioning mountain town and access to some of the slopes is via a free local bus. There are slopes close to the centre - Brevent - with access to Flegere, and the Aiguille du Midi but to make use of the other slopes - La Tour, Grand Montets, Les Houches and even Courmayeur, in Italy, you hop onto a free local bus, which we found to be very frequent and no problem at all. We skied / boarded at La Tour, Grand Montets and Courmeyeur during this visit and found the slopes to be excellent and varied and some of the best off-piste I have known. The town itself is beautiful with many period buildings and the Mont Blanc massif setting is quite stunning. There is also lots to do away from the slopes - the cinema shows films with English subtitles and the ice rink was great - we hope to catch an ice hockey match next time we visit. There are lots of bars and restaurants in town and we found the prices to be surprisingly reasonable if you look off the main high street. All in all, we had a great time and feel like there is so much more for us to explore in the valley - we will definitely be back and are planning for a week's visit next year.
March 08, 2011
Ian C from
United Kingdom
Ian C from
United Kingdom
Why go to Chamonix? Only go if the following apply -
1. You want a diverse, multicultural skiing experience steeped in mountaineering/skiing history and located in fabulously rugged terrain.
2. You are at least a strong intermediate skier/boarder with a sense of adventure and are willing to get off-piste, even if it's not back-country.
3. You are willing to make a few compromises in the process - unlinked ski areas, busy buses, average lift system.
4. You like a good party but the skiing comes first - it's a party town but the majority of skiers/boarders are there for the mountains not the beer.
5. You are adaptable and can change plans when needed. Most runs are above the trees so when bad weather arrives then local options can be limited. Having a car is a lifesaver as there are many other neighbouring resorts that are more enjoyable when the cloud comes down e.g St Gervais, Courmayeur
Given the above criteria, this is one truly epic ski resort. If they don't apply to you then I wouldn't bother because you will be frustrated and disappointed.
March 07, 2011
Bryan from
United Kingdom
Bryan from
United Kingdom
We were in Chamonix for a few days - Feb 15-18 2011. Our intention was to ski off-piste and then the Vallee Blanche, however, the snow was so poor it was not worth skiing anywhere in the Chamonix valley. This was mid season and daytime temperatures were 7-8 degrees! - muddy puddles everywhere! We did go to the Grand Montets area and skied the few runs there which were ok considering the lack of snow. But on the advise of the locals we went through the tunnel (47 euros return) each day to ski in Courmayeur. Here there was good snow and some great off-piste areas, although the pisted area is limited.
I'm sure we were unlucky with the snow conditions, but I certainly won't rush back to Chamonix. Is it a ski resort or a mountain town that has a few ski areas around it? You need a car so you can drive to where the snow's good - not a very convenient ski holiday unless you get snow right to the bottom, which I gather does not happen often. The next week we were in Tignes which was brilliant - far bigger linked pistes and great off-piste.
I didn't find it especially expensive, nor find anyone unfriendly, but I went there to ski!!.
March 06, 2011
Mark from
United Kingdom
Mark from
United Kingdom
If I could sum up Chamonix in one word it would be ‘fantastic!’
I’ve seen a fair number of negative reviews of Chamonix on this site, and my own personal experience is the complete opposite. I found there was lots to see and do even if you weren’t enjoying the slopes, and it made for an unforgettable holiday with long lasting memories!
There is a lot of freedom once you get up into the slopes and you are free to go off-piste if you choose, or spend time perfecting your skiing/boarding skills on the great runs there are on offer! Chamonix is not directly marketed at beginners, but that being said there are a good deal of blue and green slopes to be found. Le Tour for example would be a good place for beginners to start. I went with two beginner boarders and I myself am an intermediate skier and we found the slopes at the majority of runs we went to easy to traverse, even slopes signed as reds could easily pass for blues so don’t be worried if you read that Chamonix is strictly NOT for beginners!
A big criticism I’ve seen here about Chamonix is expense. Chamonix is no more expensive than any other ski resort in my experience, and in fact compared to Meribel for example, it is considerably cheaper! It would be entirely possible to blow hundreds of Euros if you went out to restaurants night after night, then off drinking afterwards in the main square and the high street, however, there are many bars and restaurants more towards the Chamonix-sud end of town, and down the streets leading away from the high street/tourist trap areas that are substantially cheaper (we found a place where you could get a pint of lager at more or less the same price you would in the UK!). If you want to save money, you could try making packed lunches and taking them up onto the slopes with you as the restaurants there can be very expensive as you’d imagine. When it comes to accommodation, staying in a place away from the town centre, such as Chamonix-sud, will be cheaper and will still be within walking distance to the centre and other points of interest.
I think the thing to remember is that ski resorts are generally not cheap holidays, so I think paying a bit more for things than you would normally is justified as you’ll being having such a great time!
Another criticism I’ve read is the lack of grooming on slopes, the antiquated lift systems, crime and rude locals. Well, it’s true that slopes are generally ungroomed, I myself didn’t have too much of a problem with this but I guess it’s all down to personal preference. There were a few groomed slopes at some of the sites for example, such as a Brevent, but generally they just let Nature get on with it. The lift systems have, within the last year or so, been replaced with modern counterparts, so therefore no issues there anymore. Personally, we didn’t experience any crime but that’s not to say that there isn’t any there, just use common sense such as locking rooms, not walking around with large amounts of money and not leaving your personal belongings unattended, and you’ll be fine. Remember that travel insurance is your friend! Finally, I found all the locals to be friendly and helpful. Having a D grade in GCSE French, I’m not the best French speaker, however, I did have a go at it and I think the locals appreciated me trying. The majority of people you encounter will speak English to a degree, so as long as you’re polite and try your best then they’ll try in kind!
My only gripe with Chamonix would be that you cannot ski directly into town, you will have to drive (or more commonly) get a bus to and from the piste you want to go to. These can often be crowded and you’ll probably have to stand for the duration of your journey, however, if you get your timings right and go early in the morning (before 9am) and return late afternoon (no later than 4pm) you’ll generally avoid the rush and may even be able to secure yourself a seat! Buses are regular, however, and free to use. You may also encounter a few Essex/Londoner ‘lad‘ types, as they seem fairly common there which came as a surprise to me, so be prepared to witness a number of them, generally drunk and not doing the stereotype of the British lager-lout image any favours!
So, in summary, be prepared to have a great time, Research the place properly before going to see if it caters for all your needs and go at the off-peak times if you can to get the most for your money - there are loads of deals out there for Chamonix so it’s possible to make huge savings if you just search around online.
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