General questions about Chamonix...

Sorry if I'm echoing what others have asked her, but I used the search function and nothing really answered my questions.

I just need some insider information on Chamonix, as myself, the other half and 3 friends are staying self catered for a week at the end of January through to start of February.

Although not exactly experienced, I'm quite competent on skis, having been to Breckenridge, Vail, Keystone and Arapahoe (very spoilt for my first skiing experience!!!). Unfortunately everyone else will be beginners, with at most about 6 hours tuition on dry slopes back here in the UK.

What areas are best for the bulk of our skiing, bearing in mind I'll be with beginners? From what I can gather Brevent/Flegere will be a good bet for most of the days, as they're close by (we're staying a 10-15 minute walk west of chamonix centre).

Is paying for the Mont Blanc unlimited pass overkill? I'm unsure whether we'll get the best out of it, and costs are a factor for some of my group.

What are prices like in Chamonix? Beer, food etc. I'm expecting it to be expensive, and for this to be compounded by the weak pound against the euro. Would we be best off buying drinks and food in for the apartment and heading into town a bit later on in the evening?

Does anybody have any recommendations for other worthwhile experiences other than the skiing? I'd be quite keen on taking the Tramway Du Mont Blanc up to the top, but this is made less attractive by the prospect of Les Houches being closed for the season (any updates on this?).

How about recommendations for bars/restaurants etc for a night out?

Sorry for the 1st post essay. I got a bit carried away.

Cheers in advance!!!

Welcome to J2ski Hoop :D

Chamonix is a great destination and has enough skiing for all standards. The nicest (IMHO) area with easy skiing is Le Tour/Vormaine. You can get there on the free ski bus, or drive up if you have a car. It's a very friendly area with some tree lined skiing for poor vis days.

Food prices in Chamonix are not terribly eye watering, compared to other resorts. There is a decent supermarket right in the centre of town, it's easy to miss, it only looks small, but it's a bit like the Tardis inside. There are also a number of mini markets, with a good range of fresh veg and meal bases.
Eating out prices are whatever you want. If you are watching the pennies, there is even a McDo. Some of the smart restaurants are clearly geared to fleecing the tourists, so do some window shopping on the 1st couple of nights.

The Mont Blanc pass is pricey, you might want to buy the Chamonix pass, and see if you can buy an upgrade on the day if you feel inclined.

Take your whole party up to the Aguille du Midi, you can go right up to the needle, and see who gets the altitude headache 1st :mrgreen:

Thanks for the welcome and info, bandit. We've got a car for the week, so we're pretty flexible.

We'll be arriving lunchtime/evening on 28 Jan, so we'll be skiing from the next day. Our plan was to do a quick scout round the town on the first night, so it sounds like we should find places that suit our tastes and budget.

I know peak periods can be pretty bad for lift queues, but what about the week we're going (28 jan to 4 feb)?

Am I right in assuming that we can expect good snow? I know there's no guarantees, but from what I've read, the chances seem good.

Also, are there free detailed piste maps available at all of the ski areas?
The maps we had in Breckenridge et al in America were fantastically detailed, making the pistes easy to navigate.

As you will have a car to drive up to Chamonix, may I suggest doing your party's big shop in Sallanches, which is the last valley town before you start the climb up.
For rather large and tasty burgers, decent music and a good vibe, try the Poco Loco in the main Chamonix shopping street. It's only tiny, but has more space upstairs.

With a car, you can dodge the queues, as the week progresses folks start to feel more confident, leading to a big crowd at Argentiere on a Friday )
I have always had good snow in Chamonix, here's some in April 2007...


You can ask for a map with your lift tickets, as the areas are quite separate, it's hard to get lost.

Cheers bud...all good stuff there!

Anybody else got any general tips/info to share?

Le Tour is a great place for beginners. It's also the least expensive for a day pass. Good snow and easy - open slopes. Probably much less crowded than Grands Montets area which would be quite busy and intimidating for a complete beginner, though fine for early/intermediate.

Have fun!

steverandomno wrote:Le Tour is a great place for beginners. It's also the least expensive for a day pass. Good snow and easy - open slopes. Probably much less crowded than Grands Montets area which would be quite busy and intimidating for a complete beginner, though fine for early/intermediate.

Have fun!

AFAIR the prices for all the hills are now the same, as one company runs the entire system. Agree with all the other points tho :D

In fact my picture here was taken late December 2007 at Le Tour, which is where I recommend you head, due to the tree cover if it gets a bit windy. On this particular day, we were just over the crest (which had all the snow blown off by 1pm) and heading towards the tree line on the other side which was pure joy (condition wise and emptiness wise as no-one else was willing to make the initial effort)
If it does start windy-ing up, then most of the other pisted areas become uncomfortable ski-ing.

Please bear in mind that moving between the different areas is a time consuming process. Plan to ski in one area, for the whole of one day. We tended to stay in Le Tour for most of the week due to the exceptional high winds. I would have loved to experience more areas but the snow had all blown away.

If you go to Flegere, check the return of the last cable car. It does tend to leave early-ish, (15.30). SO to make the most of your day there, it's essential to be on the first car up the hill (the other annoying thing is that it's 20 mins between each car)

On more practical notes, if you are hire-ing ski stuff, then I suggest you head to one of the 'Sport 2000' franchises- same choice, but cheaper than that other company recommended on here.

If you or any of your party have even in the slightest inkling of ever considering buying a pair of ski boots, then please hold off until you have a proper professional boot fitting by Jules at Sanglard Sports (you'll need to book but well worth it)

Check my entry from early in 2008 and you'll see why I'm so enthused by his work.

There are more suggestions I will divulge when I recall them. Most of them involve dancing all night to house music, if you like that kind of pre-ski warm-up excercise !

If you are an expert off piste ski-ier then all the above will be minor niggles.

I hope you have an awesome trip, and I hope you have an opportunity to dance.