Instructors

If you'd like to learn or to improve your skiing or boarding you can hire a personal instructor for a 1:1 or more, or you can join in with one of the ski schools. There are several different ski schools in the valley and we would be happy to arrange ski lessons in groups or privately on your behalf. If you'd like to book a private instructor we are able to recommend several good instructors whom we have got to know personally over the last 7 years and who come highly recommended. Please contact us for further information. email

Guides

If you'd like to go off piste then we strongly recommend you hire a guide. You can hire a guide by the day. The ratio of clients to guide depends on what you would like to do. Normally a guide can take up to 6 clients for example on the Vallee Blanche. If you wanted to do something more extreme he would reduce the number of clients at his descretion. We have been working with guides from the Chamonix valley for the last 7 years and also offer backcountry courses on our specialist backcountry site Chamonix backcountry. If you would like to hire a guide or would like to organise a week with a guide and would like further information, please send us an email and let us know what you'd like to do.

Heli skiing/snowboarding

As you may be aware heli-skiing and boarding is not allowed in France, but Chamonix is perfectly positioned only half an hour from Italy and Switzerland therefore benefits from many excellent heli-drops in both countries. The price for a heli-drop will vary. In Switzerland the price is the same per person regardless of the group size, where as in Italy the price is for the helicopter which seats 4. A good ratio would therefore be 3 to a guide, or 6/7 and a guide. Prices are usually between 80-120 GBP or 120-170 euros per person. email us.

Tailor Made holidays

A mountain safety course, a week walking in the alps, backcountry skiing/snowboarding, the Vallee Blanche. Whatever you would like to do, let us know and we'll help you organise it. email us .

Ice Climbing

We're running two ice climbing courses from the chalet in January. There will be four days ice climbing with two days available to ski/board. The guide to client ratio is 1:2. Please contact us for further info.

Relaxing and site seeing

There are lots of other things to do in the Winter in Chamonix if you fancy a break from the mountains for a day. In the town itself there's a swimming pool, ice rink, bowling alley and lots of shops, bars and restaurants.
If you'd like to do a bit of site seeing then you could take Europes highest cable car, the Aiguille du Midi, (3842m) which has fantastic views of Mont Blanc and the surrounding mountains. Or you could take the Montenvers train which takes you to the spectacular and famous glacier, the Mer de Glace.

Around Chamonix; Geneva, Lausanne, Annecy and Courmayeur

If you've got transport then you could visit the lovely French city of Annecy. Only an hour and 15 minutes and situated on the the lake, the town makes a very nice and enjoyable day out for both scenery lovers and shoppers. If you wanted to venture further a field you could head over the border to Switzerland and the spa baths at Saillon, or for more shops, Lausanne and Geneva are lovely cities to visit and both within easy distance. In the other direction you could pass through the Mont Blanc tunnel into Italy and visit the beautiful and interesting town of Courmeyeur.

The ski resorts of Chamonix

The Chamonix valley is famous for its high mountains, breathtaking scenery and its skiing and snowboarding. With 5 separate resorts in one valley, 87 miles of rideable piste, an incredible 2850 meters of vertical descent and some of the most breathtaking views the alps have to offer, it is no wonder so many people return year after year and those of us that live here never feel the need to go elsewhere.

Grand Montets

Directly opposite the chalet and just five minutes walk away the Grand Montets ski resort is one of the best known in the valley. Famous for its extreme skiing, it is most revered by the extreme skier who can enjoy one of the many long black runs or easily head off piste into some of the bowls. The Grand Montets also has many blue and red runs and a great home run and can be as easily enjoyed by an intermediate skier.

Chosalets

Two minutes from the bottom of the Grand Montets is Chosalets. Chosalets has two pummels, one small for complete beginners and one longer for intermediates. It's a great place for children, begginers or advanced. The more advanced can take advantage of the great hidden ski paths through the woods that have been made by local children and send you over jumps and in between the trees.

Le Tour

Five minutes drive up the road from the chalet and at the very end of the valley, Le Tour is a great resort for all levels of riders. At the top of the Gondola you can take the 4 man chair which gives you the option of two blue/red runs or a cat track which takes you over the otherside of the mountain. A lovely long run through the forests takes you down to a lift on the other side of the mountain, where you have the option to head on back to the top of the mountain or thanks to a new lift installed last year you can now carry on and ride all the way down to Vallorcine near the Swiss boarder.

La Vormaine

At the foot of Le Tour La Vormainne is another great place for beginners or intermediates. With three pummels, one short and two long, you can start from scratch or work on perfecting your skills before heading up the Gondola to the rest of Le Tour. Vormainne also has a run through the woods (though this time pisted) which is great for children.

La Flegere

La Flegere is half way between Chamonix and Argentiere. It has a huge expanse of pistes, the majority of them being blue/red with some black and one green which is a nice run but it starts of slightly steep. Flegere is the first resort to get the sun so it is a great place to start in the mornings. Flegere is good for both intermediate and advanced and is a favourite for snowboarders who wish to make the most of its natural kickers.
Not quite as much extreme or easily reached off piste (although the start of some great backcountry hiking and riding if with a Guide) as the Grand Montets but with as many runs and more due to its link to Brevent.

Brevent

Brevent lies directly above the town of Chamonix, and is linked to Flegere. With beginner slopes at the base of the mountain, the resort itself is a mixture of intermediate and advanced. South facing like Flegere it gets a lot of sun during the day and has a spectacular cable car that links one side of the mountain to the other.

L'Aiguille du Midi

L'Aiguille du Midi is world famous for being the gateway to the extremes. It hosts the highest cable car in Western Europe that rises to a staggering 3842m. It is also the start of the Vallee Blanche, an unforgettable 20km guided trip down fro the top of the midi to Chmonix town some 3000 vertical metres below.

Piste Info

There are 62 lifts in the Chamonix valley, of which:
Cable cars: 7
Chair lifts: 16
Drage lifts: 33
Gondolas: 6

Levels of Runs (%)

Beginner (green) 35% Intermediate (red) 45% Advanced (black) 20%

Ski Hire

We use a local ski shop not far from the chalet. They offer the best equipment, take pre-bookings and will deliver to the chalet for your arrival.
If you would like us to order any equipment for you, please just send us details of what you'd like and we'll arrange to have it at the Chalet prior to your arrival. Equipment can be changed during the week and can be paid for at the end of your stay.

Ski Hire Winter 2008
Adult		1 Day	6 Days
Ski Black		22.50&euro	125.00&euro
Ski Red/Snowboard black		19.50&euro	104.00&euro
Ski Blue/Snowboard red		15.50&euro	82.00&euro
Ski Green		12.50&euro	65.00&euro
Boots		8.70&euro	47.50&euro
Children		1 Day	6 Days
Kids Ski Black		6.70&euro	37.00&euro
Kids Ski Red		5.70&euro	30.00&euro
Kids Snowboard Red		10.50&euro	56.50&euro
Boots 30/36		5.70&euro	30.00&euro
Boots 25/29		4.70&euro	23.00&euro
Helmet		3.00&euro	18.00&euro

Lift passes

Chamonix offers a variety of lift passes, with discounts for Seniors 60 plus, Families and Children/Junior passes (4-15 years, under 4 children are free). They also offer two types of passes, the first is The Chamonix Le Pass which covers all of the resorts in the Chamonix valley but does not include the Aiguille du Midi lift. The second pass is the The Chamonix Unlimited which includes all the resorts in the valley, the Aiguille du Midi lift (departure point for the Vallee Blanche) and Courmayeur.
To give you an idea of the prices, the Chamonix Le Pass is 185.00euros for a 6 day adult pass and the Chamonix Unlimited is 225.00. The price for a trip up the Aiguille du Midi is 38.00euros for an adult and 29.60 for a child (4-15yrs).

Family Passes
Family passes are a very good deal as you pay for two adults, (6 day Chamonix Le Pass is 185.00euros) and only 50% for the first child (92.5euros compared to 148.00euros for children aged 4-15) and the other children are free.

Seniors 60 plus 60 to 70 year olds have the same rate as the Children (148.00euros for a 6 day Chamonix Le Pass), and those over 70 can get the same pass for 92.50euros.

For further information about the difference in passes and prices have a look at the Company du Mont Blanc website.

Now that photographs are no longer required, getting lift passes is easy. If you to pay in advance for your lift passes we can get them for you and have them waiting for you on arrival therefore saving you the hassle of wasting time in a queue the first day of your holiday.