Resort Overview

An independent review from Marie d'Oysonville

General Information

“Mont Blanc and the valley of Chamonix, and the sea of Ice, and all the wonders of the most wonderful place are above and beyond one's wildest expectation. I cannot imagine anything in nature more stupendous or sublime.”

This is not one of the many advertisements for the resort, but Charles Dickens's advice in 1846 - advice that has been shared by all mountain lovers came in Chamonix since.

At the foot of the Mont Blanc, the loftier peak of the Alps (4807 meters/15,770 feet), Chamonix offers one of the best high-mountain cocktails of the world. The mighty mount is a huge attraction in and of itself; its spectacular sceneries, some of the most extreme sites ever viewed, and last but never least, its challenging ski areas. Altogether, the resort of Chamonix is a great place to get away for an intensive ski trip, especially for off-piste and expert skiers. No wonder it so graciously welcomed the Winter Olympic Games of 1924.

Chamonix is a village on the center of a 16kilometers valley from the small resort of Les Houches to the authentic village of Argentière. The whole region is composed of 13 resorts linked together, with slopes almost careening right into the hamlets. Most impressive of the runs are the famous 22-kilometer/13-mile Vallée Blanche and the excellent Grands-Montets.

Chamonix has the distinct honor of being one of the first ski resorts with already 200 years of history, bringing with it a very French and traditional high-mountain atmosphere, full of charm. As such a worldly and well-known resort, Chamonix attracts no specific type of crowd: from the French families to the sportive Americans or British, all types of mountain-lovers meet and make the town bustling during all the winter season. Foreigners are numerous, especially English speaking ones, discovering the joy of the fondue savoyarde (melted cheese with bread), and meeting at the Wild Wallabies bar when they feel homesick.

With such a natural frame, ski possibilities and atmosphere in town, you can't go wrong here…

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