The traditional French resort of Chamonix is the crème de la crème of European skiing. Situated right in the foothills of Mont Blanc, the elegant town has lively (if expensive) après ski and the slopes offer some of the best skiing in the country. The pistes are especially good for advanced skiers, with plenty of challenging black runs as well as truly excellent off-piste. Beginners and intermediates are also well catered for. Plenty of long red and blue runs snake through the mountains and the scenery on view is particularly impressive.
Because of the excellent skiing, snow record and host of activities on offer in the pretty town, the resort is often busy, especially during the school holidays, and cheap flights to Chamonix can be hard to find. And, along with most of the traditional French resorts, this is not a cheap place to ski. There are, however, plenty of good hotels and chalets and the nightlife is booming.
Chamonix flights arrive in Geneva Airport, which is just an hour away by bus transfer. For this reason, Chamonix is also popular with those skiing just for the weekend.
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Peak season:
The season in Chamonix is long, running from the second week of December through to the second week of May. The resort is most popular around holiday times, especially Christmas and February half term, when families stream off flights to Chamonix to enjoy the charms of the resort.
Off season:
The summer is off season for skiing, though there is still much to do in the stunning mountains. Green meadows emerge from beneath the melting snow and there is a host of outside activities to take part in from hiking to fishing.
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The ski resort is 88km from Geneva Airport. Direct bus transfers take about 90 minutes. To travel by train from the airport you will need to change at Geneva Cornavin and St Gervais les Bains. Numerous car hire companies also operate from the airport.
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- Hire a mountain guide and go down the famous Valle Blanche unpisted route. Seventeen kilometres and a 3,000m drop means some of the most wonderful skiing in the world. Courageous intermediates and above.
- Get up to Auguille de Midi and the glacier to be as close as you can to the top of Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in Western Europe. Chamonix was the first ever site of the Winter Olympics and has 250 years of mountaineering history.
- Enjoy the town. This is a real town and not just a resort which means that non-skiers have a good time too. Try husky dog sledding, visit the sports centre, the casino or the many bars and restaurants.
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