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
April 21, 2008
Tom Travis from
USA - California
Tom Travis from
USA - California
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.
April 05, 2008
Sue from
United Kingdom
Sue from
United Kingdom
We have visited Chamonix, as a mixed group (ages and abilities), for the last 2 years during the Easter holidays. I can't believe the negative feedback I have just read, as we found it a perfect place for the beginners to learn the ropes last year, and then to practice their techniques this year on the lovely long green runs at Flagere. The intermediates had fun on blues cruisin' all over the resort but especially Le Tour, whilst the more adventurous tackled the reds between Flagere and Brevant, and the experts enjoyed a couple of tours from a local ski guide. The weather was snowy and sunny - just what you want (65cms fell in one day)! Prices are comparable to the rest of the Alps and our chalet (Vert et Blanc) was superb again. Even non-skiers had plenty to do. Queues have to be expected at peak times during the day, but they can be avoided. I have to agree with Matt though that a bit of local knowledge is extremely useful! We will go back.
March 28, 2008
matt from
United Kingdom
matt from
United Kingdom
Reading these reviews of Chamonix makes confusing reading - Chamonix appears to be the Marmite ski resort !! I went for the first time over Easter 2008 where I was treated to 80cm new snow and sunshine. I had two very very good days which helped me forget about the prices, poor service and queues. I think you have to be there at the right time and have a bit of local knowledge - otherwise you could end up leaving some of the negative comments here.
I rode at Le Tour / Grand Montet and there was plenty to do. Compared to most other French resorts I find the shonkyness charming. If you want motorway pistes, fast lifts - better look elsewhere. The mix of customers is also a plus - I must have heard 10 different languages the first day. I will remember charging down the ( bottomless ) Bochard black run in the sunshine, looking uphill to see massive rooster tail contrast against the blue sky and majestic peaks. Those days don't happen often !!
March 27, 2008
Ski lover from
United Kingdom
Ski lover from
United Kingdom
Negatives:
Weather conditions are permanently awful - zero sun and lots of mist and fog (proof is if you go over to Courmayeur it's immediately much better!)
Lift system antiquated, slow and dirty - well behind most decent resorts - every cable car I went on belonged in a museum.
Runs are completely ungroomed & horrible - again, well behind most decent resorts - poor mountain infrastructure and signing etc, make the mountain feel dangerous and unpatrolled with the result that the entire resort may as well be designated off-piste.
You can hardly ever ski down anywhere with resulting enormous queues caused by small antiquated cable cars and second cars often not being used - arrogant lift staff don't seem to care and the concept of customer service is clearly a complete mystery to them.
Mountain restaurants are awful - often far worse than low-end motorway service stations.
Public transport and availability of taxis in town is dreadful meaning you are forced to drink/drive all the time.
Decent nightlife is zero - one grotty club, two moderately upmarket bars where you can't even get table service (or have any ventilation...) and can't even buy a bottle of vodka. Rest of the nightlife is 100% tatty pubs full of drunk, unshaven blokes on lads trips to the mountains or chavvy kids "doing a season".
Town itself is full of horrendous concrete blocks out of a communist country and full of mid to low-class English blokes and French families on a tight budget i.e. zero style or class whatsoever.
Shops are all low class and seem to cater only to "outdoor types" with no style and on a very limited budget.
You have to drive everywhere, the car parks at the ski areas are always full and the ski areas are disjointed and limited.
At €30 a day, the lift pass is almost as much as Courchevel for a resort with runs and lifts in 10x less good condition and 10x less terrain.
Useless place to take family or beginners unlike many other challenging resorts which offer something for everyone.
Positives:
Some good scenery which you can enjoy on the rare occasions when the entire mountain isn't shrouded in mist and fog.
Some good access to off-piste terrain.
Stunning Aigle du Midi and Vallee Blanche which the town trades on yet you hear of fatalities on it all the time, again reinforcing the impression that this is a dangerous and poorly managed place to ski.
Proximity to Geneva airport is a real bonus.
March 24, 2008
Paul from
United Kingdom
Paul from
United Kingdom
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.
March 20, 2008
Dan from
France
Dan from
France
Just got back form a week in Chamonix – we stayed in the village of Le Houche.
I do have mixed feelings about this area. I think you must choose very carefully about coming here – you need to think about what you want from a holiday. I frequently hear that Chamonix is one of the best places in the world but it certainly wasn't for me!
However, I can see that if you are a very confident expert boarder/skier you will get the most out of this resort. As a decent intermediate boarder and average skier there are dozens of resorts I would have rather spent my money in.
Good points;
- There is a lot of challenging terrain, off piste/ski and climbing opportunities for the very extreme people!!!
- Very impressive, dramatic scenery
- A choice of resorts to explore
- The town of Chamonix itself, although not a bustling hub of excitement, was far and away the best out of the 5 in the valley.
- Regular bus system to connect you to villages.
Bad points;
- Very expensive
- If snow is not perfect – you are left with lots and lots of ice on some quite steep runs – not for beginners.
- Very few runs down to the villages were open
- Which leads to very, very long queues ….
- ….on a slow old antique, rusty, lift system.
- If you are not in Chamonix itself there is literally no nightlife in the other villages.
- Despite a decent bus service – it is still an inconvenience and means it adds more time between you and the slopes.
- Long queues up and down in Chamonix, La Praz and Argentinere owing to old slow lifts.
- The pistes are un-kept which means little opportunities to let rip with some high speed carving – a lot of time was spent navigating your way through lumps and bumps. If it wasn't for the poles you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between off and on piste.
- Poor selection of mountain restaurants – all very expensive with long queues again!
- The walk up to the gondola
Overall – if you know what you are going for (i.e some extreme off-piste skiing) and the rewards of your holiday outweigh the bad points, then I suppose it could be brilliant – it's definitely best to stay in Chamonix itself as the others offer very little to do – we stayed in a self catering chalet in Les Houches – only to find the supermarket was 2 miles away and we didn't have a car!!! It seemed like a holiday full of inconveniences – we had a mixed ability group and certainly would not recommend it for this purpose.
To get the most out of Chamonix you have to ensure you are going for the right reasons and have the ability to make the positives outweigh the negatives. I can imagine that Chamonix, in the right conditions for the right person, offers a very good holiday. But definitely not for us – we won't be heading there again soon.
March 18, 2008
sandra from
United Kingdom
sandra from
United Kingdom
Had to respond to the pretty negative comments about Chamonix.
As beginner skiers, we found Chamonix a really good place to ski. The ESF ski school and the beginner slopes were fantastic (le Tours, Les Planards etc). We did not queue very long for any of the lifts, but I do agree with the comment that the European children do not have any manners on the slopes (whizz past at high speed with no consideration for the beginners) or when queuing for the lifts - they just queue jump all of the time!
The ski buses were regular (albeit packed) and took people to a variety of slopes, depending of your level and where you wanted to ski. This was a free service for all guests staying in the town.
Our weather was superb - snowing some days, or gorgeous sunshine up on the mountains. The pistes were in good condition throughout out stay.
I did not find the prices extortionate - in fact, I thought it was going to be more expensive. We had a good lunch, with drinks for approximately £10 - £15 for 2 in the mountain cafe/bar.
The town is larger than I expected, but this meant there was a good variety of restaurants, bars and shops - I liked & preferred this to a small limited village.
Overall, we were very happy here, so much so, we have booked another ski holiday here in January, and will try another resort in March 09.
I may not have had years of experience skiing, trying different slopes or countries, but the initial impression of Chamonix was that it created a perfect ski holiday for 2 beginners.
March 18, 2008
orshi from
United Kingdom
orshi from
United Kingdom
We went to Chamonix for 2 weeks from 1st March 08. Residence La Ginabelle had a tiny wee room for 4 grown people, no bath, towels changed only once a week, never had a mop, only afternoon sauna and steam room use, and a massive tax on the last day, but workers were friendly.
The weather was crap, first and last day sunny. Sometimes huge white outs on slopes so you can't see a thing, like 2nd day in Flegere.
Nightlife is zero but liked La Teracce, lost 40EUR in 20mins in casino, got drunk for a fortune in La Garage night club and once spent 90Eur in a Thai restaurant. Most of the nights we stayed in feeling like high school. Although we took £2500, no money is enough here, so you better play poker with your friends.
My boyfriend (after swapping boards with his pal) and three others went up to do Aiguille De Midi. After walk of death, he got separated, got lost, nearly fell in a crevasse, where he just lost his board and water. Then he walked for 2-3hours on Mer De Glace and "slept" in an ice cave all night. We were looking for him with the help of brilliant French rescue guys who went out in the dark risking their own lives, then in the morning with helicopters. I hope you enjoyed the wines! The best thing in my life was the phone call at 11am from the hotel that my luckiest boy in the world is there without a scratch.
Chamonix, never again!
March 17, 2008
Wendy Doyle from
United Kingdom
Wendy Doyle from
United Kingdom
Visited Chamonix March 2008, and I really don't know what all the fuss is about. Horrible, dull looking town, have to drive to all the lift stations, queues everywhere, no fun apres-ski, no chocolate box atmosphere or lovely looking hotels like in Austria, and hardly any mountain restaurants, but a good view of Mont Blanc, naturally. Weather was crap, no snow to ski back to the town, let alone have the luxury of skiing back to your hotel. Lift system: diabolical, 2 hour queues just to get back DOWN the mountain at the end of the day at Brevent/Flegere and at £195 for a weeks lift pass that is disgusting value. Only saving grace was my fabulous luxury hotel, the Hameau Albert 1er - wonderful and would go back just to spend a weekend there. Have to say.... did the Valle Blanche - a wonderful experience, but the skiing, ambiance, service, facilities and level of friendliness is not a patch on the many many years I have skied in Austria and loved it. Sorry Chamonix lovers - but this place is HUGELY over-rated and run down me thinks.... and I certainly wouldn't take my children.
March 09, 2008
Mike from
United Kingdom
Mike from
United Kingdom
Just returned from Chamonix after my first visit to this resort. I have skied many resorts over the last 25 years of skiing, in most Alps countries and North America so can hopefully offer a balanced view.
As a ski resort, Chamonix is not beginner friendly as the ski areas for beginners are very small in comparison to the main slopes. There is a big transition between the beginner slopes and the easiest of the main mountain slopes. The cable car lifts are fantastic - but not for the faint hearted!!.
The positives - for decent intermediates and above the skiing is excellent. Varied terrains of pisted runs and an abundance of off-piste. Steeps, moguls, powder, it can all be found easily as it is easy to pick your chosen areas as you ride the lifts up!! There is a variety of ranges, offering a good scope of gradings.
The negatives - organisation and customer service is not good. Be prepared to queue - seemingly all the time!! for cable cars, lifts, buses. If you have skied North America this will be a real shock to you and if you are polite and let people through (as we British tend to do) you will never get on. Also that very European thing of queue jumping is all too common. It would be a very simple thing to sort out but would take some investment - something which is sadly lacking. Be prepared to pay over the odds for pretty much everything. Chamonix is an expensive resort to stay in. On the mountain a coffee can be £3 in a paper cup and a beer at the end of the day? The most expensive we found was £10.00 for a pint!! In the town, generally it is about £5.00 a pint.
Health & Safety is a very secondary consideration. The ski buses with 30 seats can have up to 80 people on them - most of whom stand up as the driver hurtles along.
Valle Blanche is an excellent run, again not for the faint hearted and is a real endurance test.
All-in-all, Chamonix is not a place I will be rushing back to.
Nearest