CHAMONIX Reviews

I think this is a great resort with a god mix of slopes for people of all abilities. Besides the ski there is ample shopping to be done here with free buses (when you show your liftpass) to neighbouring resorts. I went for a days skiing at "Le Tours", just past Argentiere.. Wow. Deep snow, fantastic slopes sweeping through the trees, I really enjoyed it. Half way up the mountain, they have a large wooden type chalet serving hot food and drinks. Would recommend to anyone

Visited Resort February 2006

Chamonix is a beautiful Alpine village and very traditional in style. The ski-ing is good and varied, and we were lucky with the weather as the sun shone and the snow was plentiful. There is a variety of restaurants and bars on offer in the village and the atmosphere is fun and friendly with a mixture of clientele - from young families, to proffessional couples, groups of guys and girls of all ages and a mixture of nationalities. I strongly recommend trying the local dishes this region of France is well known for - Pierre Chaud (my particular favourite!) where you cook your own meat on a hot stone, and Brasserade which is similar but with a mini barbque on your table. Another delicious dish is Tartiflette, roblouchon cheese, potatoes, cream, lardons and onions served with a green salad. Not good for the wasitline though. A key thing to remember is that the ski equipment shop closes between 1230 and 1530 so if like me, you got an extremely early flight from Blighty to make sure you maximised your time on the slopes, be sure to get to the ski shop before 1230 otherwise you'll end up having an extra long lunch and missing an entire afternoon ski-ing!It was a very good lunch though. Prebooking your equipment and lift passes with Ski extras is well recommended. As long as you make the ski shop in time, it proves to be a quick, hassle free service and a good saving. The shop is not the easiest to find so print off the map and directions before you go. The only negative about Chamonix is the faffing with bus rides to the slopes. The maps are not very clear so when you finally work out where you want to ski, its not the easiest resort to navigate although the buses can be very regular. If you're not keen on being squashed with all your ski gear standing up on a swerving bus for 20 mins, avoid prime time between 9 and 10 am! The ski-ing is fantastic and I loved the wide blues at Les Tours but restaurants in all resorts tend to be self service and not of the 'long, comfortable, relaxed lunch with plenty of vin Rose' I often favour. There was one wooden chalet a la carte style, but it was very pricey and that was all I found. However the views are stunning and the chairlift ques moves swiftly, so once you are up there, the skiing is easy and caters mostly for intermediates to advanced. I also notifed there were far fewer boarders then you would find in other resorts. A bonus for any skier.

Visited Resort March 2008