The Chamonix valley lies at the foot of Western Europe's highest and most spectacular peaks. It is a Mecca for skier and mountaineer and a place to extend your craft and test your nerve.
In many ways it is a classical holiday destination with a huge and diverse range of on and off mountain activities throughout the year.
As with many other Alpine areas the early pioneer mountain men and skiers were middle class English Victorians who made use of local guides to explore and develop the classic climbs that were the beginnings of modern alpinism.
Today the whole valley - population 10,000 - resounds throughout the seasons to the sounds and activities of the grateful descendants of those early stalwarts who little knew the impact of their actions a century later.
The winter means ski time. For skiers used to the well prepared blandness of
many French ski stations be ready to have egos challenged .Generally ski-ing is of the big mountain variety where ability and mountain awareness go hand in hand.
The valley has everything the experienced skier could wish for from deep powder on the Grand Montets to the enormity of the Vallee Blanche - at 24Km - Europe's longest lift served run. On the opposite side of the valley La Flagere and Le Brevent provide good intermediate slopes as well as some steep off piste couloirs. Being south facing both are prone to heavy snow conditions by mid-afternoon.
For skiers with limited aspirations or gentler dispositions Les Houches and Le Tour at opposite ends of the valley cater for beginners and intermediates. The opportunities for all manner of adventure ski-ing are boundless. This is also the home of high mountain ski touring including the classic Haute Route from Argentiere to Zermatt.
The penalty for this quality is the convenience factor. Here we have a long valley each with its own distinctive but unconnected ski areas. A car is an asset if variety is required or your group is of varying abilities. With careful planning it is possible to link these sectors using the frequent and free shuttle bus.
The Mont Blanc Massif's proximity to Atlantic depressions deposits large amounts of snow throughout the season and weather conditions can change very quickly and when combined with poor visibility, altitude, and steepness ski-ing becomes a serious proposition. In these situations heed the resort information displays and stay on marked pistes.
Outside of the immediate Chamonix area lie the self contained resorts of St.Gervais, an old spa town with good intermediate terrain, Les. Contamine a snow sure village situated at the end of a spectacular gorge, with limited but interesting ski-ing, and Megeve, a chic cosmopolitan resort where visitors can mingle with the rich and famous. As these resorts are included in the Mont Blanc lift pass they make useful bad weather alternatives when the higher sectors are not in condition.
If ski-ing or boarding the steeps and deeps palls there are many alternatives on offer; including cross-country ski-ing with over 42km of marked tracks, ice-skating, dog-sledding, skidooing, ice-driving, and snowshoeing.
As winter recedes into spring and the last ski tourers depart on the Haute Route the valley slowly comes to life. This can be an especially rewarding time for the rambler and naturalist to walk the many forest and meadow paths photographing the alpine pastures at their very best.
By early July the full summer programme is under way and visitors can share a very different Chamonix experience. During the next two months a frenzy of activities are squeezed into the only season when virtually the whole area is attainable. It becomes a mountain playground. Expect it to be busy but such is the scale that you need never feel crowded.
This is the season for highlevel treks such as the Tour de Mont Blanc, a multi-day trek circumnavigating the Mont Blanc massif, crossing into Italy and Switzerland before returning to Chamonix. Climbers have the choice of numerous sport crags throughout the length of the valley most within a short walk of car parking. For mountaineers, the quality and variety of route is enormous, from the pure rock of the Aiguilles to the snows of Mont Blanc.
Chamonix, however it is not just about mountains. Down in the valley mountainbiking, swimming, tennis and golf are available at a number of locations.
If you are looking for something really different well there is always whitewater rafting or sports parachuting, and if you want the thrills without the spills take a cable car ride to the Aiguille du Midi at 3,824m one of Europe's highest and most spectacular viewpoints.
As September mellows into Autumn discerning visitors can still wring memorable mountain experiences from the tail of the year. This is a tranquil period when the local community take stock and normality returns to the valley. By October the first snows of winter have touched the highest peaks marking the end of the mountaineering season though at lower levels warm sunny days and clear frosty nights make for idyllic walking.
Chamonix town lies at the centre of the valley and though busy and cosmopolitan manages to retain the essential elements of an alpine village. It has all the necessary facilities and a wide range of entertainment's on offer. But Chamonix is more than a provider of creature comforts. It exudes mountaineering tradition, ambience, and has an air of expectancy which declares 'this is where it's at'. In fact the same can be said for the whole valley summed up very aptly by a young American girl on a particularly impressive section of the Tour de Mont Blanc 'Gee Pa this sure beats Disneyworld'.
