Chamonix

(part of my guide to skiing the alps)

Visiting Chamonix is invariably a religious experience for extreme skiers and climbers. The history of alpinism in the nearby mountains spans more than two centuries, creating an ethereal mystique that lurks in every crevasse and couloir.


Whether or not you believe the hype, it's hard not to be impressed by the scenery. Ever seen a mountain looming 12,000 feet directly above your head (Mont Blanc)? If you want a closer look, take a quick tram ride up to the Aiguille du Midi (a mere 9,209 vertical feet above town) where you'll find yourself gasping for air and drunk after a beer or two. Or if you prefer, bring your skis and descend the Vallée Blanche, a legendary route back to Chamonix down 13 miles of glaciers... in this case, you might want to skip the beer.

Such legendary off-piste descents are part of the reason for Chamonix's fame: the town is buzzing with mountaineers and expert skiers. It's not unusual to ride the morning tram surrounded by more ice axes than rental skis. The dangers of crevasses and avalanches should not be taken lightly, however, and visitors attempting anything remotely "interesting" should almost certainly hire a guide.


In our first visit, we explored Chamonix's two biggest ski areas: Grands-Montets and Brévent-Flégère.
By alpine standards, neither is particular vast: Arlberg (St. Anton / Lech) and Verbier (4 Vallées) have perhaps ten times as many lifts and marked runs. Like Davos, Chamonix has five separate ski areas, but most visitors either head for the backcountry or stick to the two major areas.

Expert skiers will have no complaints at Grands-Montets: the wide open terrain betwen marked runs is epic. The Argentiere glacier is easily accessible from the summit, which also marks the beginning of the Haute Route, a classic ski tour which ends in Zermatt. On the front side of the mountain, the various bowls near the combe de la Pendant (L4) were full of fresh tracks. For snow quality, head far to the skiers' right of La Herse, below the obvious rocky spine.

Brévent-Flégère has its share of steep terrain, but lacks the glacier access and elevation of Grands-Montets, whose summit is 750m higher. Still, the views of Mont Blanc from the top of Le Brévent are jaw-dropping, and we had plenty of fun doing laps down piste B1 to Planpraz: a fitting, mellow end to our stellar week out in the Western Alps.


More reading: a good article from the Times (registration probably required). Pistehors has a good description of skiing the Vallée Blanche. Impressive backcountry descents, including the north face of the Aiguille du Midi, are documented here by a Cham local named Phil Ingle.