Les Houches and Chamonix 2012

Thanks for the report Dids.
Its somewhere I glance at each season, and then turn the page for the exact reasons you've stated, mainly that its disjointed according to most reviews I have read.
I do intend to ski the valley blanche sometime though, in the near future, but wouldnt plan to go to Cham for one of my holiday weeks.

Tony H, if you just go for a weekend and do classic VB you might be dissapointed. Make sure you do Gros or Petit Rognon version. To make most of Chamonix, I would suggest getting a guide for 5 days (can suggest few good ones). A VB, Toula Glacier, Balme run to Trion, pas de chevre and Flegere down to Bouet and you will be a changed man, guaranteed no more high level convenience resorts. You start doing a few 9000ft vertical runs and there is no turning back to motorway skiing which many of the new resorts offer. The classics remain for the very reason they have the best skiing in the world.

Planning Pas des Chevre might be a bit pushing it:) Start with skiing Argentier for a day or two, just marked black runs from the top of GM where you don't need the guide. This will give you a general idea what to expect and also understanding where you are skill-wise, which is normal as no-one born an expert skier. Pas de Chevre will be harder and - IMO - scarier (though apparently next three couloirs are even steeper, but I had my "are you kidding me?" moment despite the lessons and good build-up), classic VB will be much easier than Argentier but still breathtaking and you must be able to ski in someone's tracks, plus it's long and you can't stop where you want, only where your guide tells you can stop. If classic route works fine do another route the next day. If you hire a guide for a few days, after classic VB he'll also be able to access you and take you where he thinks you will cope fine and you will be able to work your way up from there. And save yourself for future visits - there are definitely enough tours in the area. I don't think being disjoined is an issue in Chamonix. The runs in Argentier are hard enough to occupy most skiers for a week - if they really want to improve. Brevent/Flegere are somewhat easier but the area is also bigger. Chamonix is definitely not the place where you can get bored and need hundreds miles of interlinked runs. I've never had this feeling that I wished the area was bigger. Looping miles of endless red runs will never get you far despite the apparent variety. You don't want Le Tour to be linked to Argentier if it's Argentier where you need to improve. It can be very unflattering in the beginning (I guess it's part of the reason people dislike it sometimes) but very beneficial in the end. Ranchero is right and Chamonix may change your perception of resorts and skiing. And bars, restaurants and nightclubs in town are great.