Chamonix, France
Resort life
One of the plus sides of Chamonix being a real town is the fact that theres no attitude. The locals are used to visitors all year round and they know where the cash comes from. Youll see people skateboarding to work, which is something youd never see in the more stuck up French resorts. There are also plenty of things to do in Chamonix with a large sports centre, swimming pool, climbing wall, arcades and a bowling alley. Argentiere at the head of the valley has a good choice of bars and restaurants and is a great place to stay as its close to the two best boarding areas. Le Praz is very quiet with little on offer, if you are going to walk into Chamonix town take a torch as the French drive like white van man.Eating
Food choice is good here - theres the French norm of pizzas and melted cheese, but theres also a wide variety of pub food and cellar restaurants. In the main pedestrian area there is a great hole-in-the-wall fast food joint which always has a fast-moving queue outside. Try their Americana sandwich.
Nightlife
It can be a real party town with lots of bars having happy hours and cheep jugs of beer. The centre of town has a bar for most and a few late-night clubs like Dicks Tea Bar (set to reopen after a fire in 2005/6) and the Jeckyl and Hyde. Theres lots of English bars, some popular with the Swedes, theres even a Queen Vic and a good night can be had at the Cantina. The Office bar in Argentiere is good for a beer and has a tex-mex menu which is reasonably priced. There are also a few French bars which are a little cheaper. Le Praz has a couple of very local bars.
Accomodation
Accommodation is varied. You can get a bed in a bunk house for £10 or get yourself a nice hotel room. The tourist office are really helpful if you arrive needing a bed. Go to www.chamonix.net for a good range of accommodation. Theres lots of self-catering apartments, particularly in Chamonix sud. For an all-inclusive snowboard-centred chalet holiday and also training weeks, go to www.mcnab.co.uk. If youve got a car theres a great bunk house at the head of the valley near Le Tour, on the road towards Italy.
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Resort Statistics
Resort Type:
Alpine
Winter: Dec to April
Summer: None
Lifts
Total Lifts: 47
Cable cars: 7
Gondolas: 6
Chair lifts: 16
Drag lifts: 11
Other lifts: 1 train, 1 magic carpet
Max people per hour: 52,660
Board Leashes required: No
Mountain
Total pistes/trails: 74
Total ride area: 87miles (140km)
Longest run: 13miles (21km)
Top lift: 3840m
Vertical drop: 2808m
First lift: 1032m
Piste suitability
Green runs: 54%
Red runs: 32%
Black runs: 14%
Lift Passes
Lift Passes:
1 Day pass - 40 euros
6-day pass - 176 euros
Lift times:8.30am to 4.30pm
Snowfall
Average annual snowfall: 9.6m
Artificial snowmaking coverage: 47 cannons%
Facilities
Snowboard Schools:
Group Lessons 3 x 3 hr 100 euro
Group Freeride Freestyle 5 x 3 hr 135 euros
Private 2hr 80 euro
Full day 230 euro
Snowboard Hire:
Beginners 1 day 20 euros, 6 days 105 euros
Pro 1 day 23 euros, 6 days 150 euros
Night Riding: :
No
Other activities
Heliboarding: :
Will be taken over border into Italy, around 200 euros pp (min of 6 people)
Snowmobiles:
Not available
Further information
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Summary
Chamonix offers some truly excellent freeriding and great natural freestyle terrain. It's not great for beginners and can suffer if there's not much snow. It's rough round the edges - but therein lies its charm. If you can, wait until there's fresh snow then jump in your car.
ON THE SLOPES: Fantastic
OFF THE SLOPES: Shoddy
MONEY WISE: A little dear (as is most of France), but can be budget boarder-friendly.
Terrain & parks
HALFPIPE:
Yes - 1
TERRAIN PARK:
Yes - 2
BACKCOUNTRY/OFF-PISTE:Mega
TREE RUNS:Yes
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Piste Map
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