Meet Me in Chamonix

If you want to experience big mountain snowboarding/skiing with an international flair, Chamonix is the place to visit. Located in the French Alps near the border of Switzerland, Italy, and France, Chamonix provides an excellent base for day trips to a number of European resorts. That's not to say that there isn't enough terrain in the Chamonix valley alone to keep even the most ambitious rider satisfied. The trip to France was my first visit to Europe, and my wife's second. It was a truly memorable experience, with a totally different feel than my previous snowboarding and skiing forrays to Colorado and California. My wife speaks a little French, and I speak even less, so the language barrier was a bit of a challenge at times. However, as you will find in most countries, if you make an attempt to speak their language, most people are willing to converse in English. I did get quite adept at using the phrase "Je nes comprend pas, parlez vous Anglais?"

Quick Tips:

We booked our vacation through SwissAir and got a great package deal. The total cost for airfare, hotel, half board, lift tickets, and ground transportation from Geneva to Chamonix was approximately the same price you might pay for a similar trip to Colorado from the East Coast.

Best Way To Get Around:

SwissAir is a great airline to fly. This was my first experience with them, and I was very impressed. Even economy class got steak and champagne, not to mention a hot steaming towel in the morning. If you fly into Geneva, Switzerland, it is about a two-hour bus ride to Chamonix. This was included in our package, so I'm not sure what the cost would be to book it separately. Taxis are fairly abundant in Chamonix, although we walked just about everywhere. There is a free shuttle from most of the hotels (we stayed at Le Prieure) to all the ski areas in the valley.

Although it is not as quaint as other hotels in the area, Le Prieure is a good value and conveniently located. The rates are around US$80 per day with half board. The restuarant in the hotel was top notch, and the service was exceptional. A large buffet breakfast is served in the morning, and in the evening a five course price-fixe dinner is served. An added plus was the spectacular view of Mount Blanc from our balcony.

Chamonix is definitely geared towards the expert and advanced intermediate rider, and beginners may want to look elsewhere. There are six different ski areas located along the ten-mile long Chamonix valley, which include Le Brevent, Les Houches, Le Grant Montets, Le Tour, Le Pratz, and the Valle Blanche run. (See my journal entry on the Augille du Midi for more information on the Valle Blanche run.) If this isn't enough action for you, Verbier, Switzerland is within a two hour ride, and Courmayeur, Italy is just a short drive away through the Mount Blanc tunnel.

The best ski areas by far were Le Brevent and Les Grand Montets. Being less liability-conscious than their American counterparts, the resorts in Europe have a very liberal out-of-bounds policy. Translation: there is none. You are basically free to go wherever you feel is within your ability. My most amusing (and slightly harrowing) experience came at Le Brevent when I met up with a fellow American and decided to try out some of the chutes. We shared a chairlift ride where we were able to see a number of chutes on our way to the top. We picked one out which was fairly steep, but appeared to be wide enough to at least carve some decent turns. The terrain looked much different from the top, however, and we ended up entering the wrong one. The chute narrowed down to about three meters wide, and was extremely steep with rock outcroppings on both sides. After a little praying and alot of sideslipping, however, we made it to the bottom relatively unscathed.

The Augille du Midi is the highest lift-served peak in the Alps, and getting to the top is an interesting process. A two stage cable car takes you from the valley floor to an elevation of 3842 meters. After the second stage of cable car ride, you can get to an observation platform by crossing a foot bridge over a deep chasm, riding an elevator inside the mountain, and finally climbing several flights of stairs (which can be the worst part at that elevation.) The view from the top is worth the effort, however. On a clear day you are rewarded with a 360 degree view of the French, Italian, and Swiss Alps. It is also a good location to view Mount Blanc, Europe's highest overall peak. A round trip ticket for the ride is about US$30. If you are up for an adventure (or only want to pay for a one-way ticket), you can take the famed Valle Blanche run to the bottom. You start out being roped together with other individuals for a hike along a steep ridge to the glacier. Once you reach the glacier, the rest of the trip is not that difficult, as it is limited to intermediate terrain. Hiring a guide is a must, however, since there can be hidden crevasses and other potential dangers.