Skiing has been described as a sport that combines outdoor activity and knocking down trees with your face. Chamonix has been a mecca for this “conquest of the useless” ever since the sport began, as it combines dreamlike terrain with higher than average snowfalls and a very liberal local attitude to danger. As the sport progressed so has Chamonix creating a resort that remains at the cutting edge whilst catering to skiers of all levels, with it’s many diverse ski Areas described below:

Le Tour (Domiane de Balme) is a great for beginners and intermediate skiers but attracts many expert skiers to practice high speed carving on the wide open well groomed pistes and huge open powder fields, while the back side chair lift offers access to amazing off piste descents into Switzerland.

The brilliant and vast mountain of Les Grands Montets tops out at 3407m. This ski area is a mecca for hardcore skiers with ski movies such as the legendary “Blizzard of ahhs” shot here. The mountain is vast and generally steeper than the other Chamonix ski areas offering Glacier skiing at the very top and open bowls and gullys running into the treeline where some great tree skiing can be found.

The highest lift in the Chamonix valley at 3842m is the Aiguille du Midi. This lift is used to ski the world famous “Vallee Blanche” and many other fantastic off piste descents . This is all completely off piste and on a glacier making it a serious high mountain itinerary. A guide is recommended but not compulsory.

Opposite the Mont Blanc massif is the smaller but, no less impressive aiguille rouge hosting Le Brevent and La Flegere. These ski areas are more local to Chamonix town both are south facing and linked together offering amazing on piste and off piste skiing for all levels. Watch out if you are skiing off piste here in the afternoons as avalanches are frequent when the warm sun hits the slopes.

Finally there is Les Houches, often underrated this area boasts 95 km of pistes, its own snow park for freestyle skiing and the fearsome “Kandahar” mens downhill competition ski run.

With days of skiing in Courmayeur (Italy) and Verbier (Switzerland) also included on the unlimited pass there really has never been a better time to come to the Chamonix valley and find out why it is such a cornerstone in the history of skiing.

The normal Chamonix lift ticket, called Chamonix Le Pass, gives access to Brévent-Flégère area, Domaine de Balme, Les Grands Montets area (cable car from Lognan to Grands-Montes NOT included), Les Planards, le Savoy, les Chosalets and la Vormaine.

The Mont-Blanc Unlimited Pass gives access to Chamonix Le Pass areas plus the Aiguille du Midi and Helbronner cable car, the Montenvers train, the Lognan-Grands Montets cable car, the Les Houches ski area and one day of skiing at Courmayeur.

Chamonix now uses an electronic ski-pass system. The Hands Free Badge costs €3, which will be refunded to you when you return the badge.

For the latest information and special offers, please visit the Companie Du Mont Blanc's website: www.compagniedumontblanc.fr

Located Just 300m From Town Centre!