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Ski/Snow hols

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SailorSteve Dec 2024 5:21pm, 17 Dec 2024 2,765 posts	0 SailorSteve Long post but might be of interest. Larkim said: “Having been there in the summer, I'm really intrigued by what Chamonix is like in the winter. Presumably any skiing is well outside of the town, as we didn't see much evidence of skiable stuff low down. The running, OTOH, was adored by my off-road loving tribe. First thing my son did was the vertical km under the cable car!!” Just my opinion but, here goes…. Chamonix is a ‘year round’ town rather than ‘just’ a ski resort. Summers pursuits are as popular and busy as winter. UTMB season is particularly crowded. Most people use the free bus services to access the lifts up to the various local ski areas throughout the Chamonix valley (Brévent, Flégère, Le Tour, Les Houches) although depending on where one stays and skiing ability this isn’t a necessity. All areas have nursery slopes and beginner runs, but I would suggest that there are many better resorts in which to learn or improve. The quantity of piste skiing is pretty limited imho. Unless you relish ski touring and/or off piste, Chamonix wouldn’t be my choice. The multiple half-term weeks are grim. Plenty of folk ski the pistes, but the real treasures of each ski area are the off-piste/itinerary routes. If that’s your thing you really need local knowledge with you. If you don’t know any locals, then an approved guide is a must. In either case your peers will expect you to be equipped with the means and skills to self-rescue and help others. When the snow is “in” there are routes back to resort level in town from the Brévent couloirs and the Vallée Blanche “James Bond” route (or to Les Praz from Flegère). When it’s good it is out of this world. Some routes through the Vallée Blanche are as close as you can get to experiencing heli-skiing without using a helicopter. Trouble is, those days have become increasingly rare over the last 10 years during which we’ve spent the winters there. Runs to the bottom of Le Tour and Les Houches are normally reliable but even these were brown for long spells last year. Hence my growing preference for the sublime trails and running options available throughout the valley in any conditions😎
larkim Dec 2024 9:40pm, 17 Dec 2024 26,319 posts	0 larkim Really interesting, thanks for the long post @SailorSteve
SailorSteve Dec 2024 10:16pm, 17 Dec 2024 2,766 posts	0 SailorSteve 👍
xt350 🇳🇿 19 Jan 9:56am, 19 Jan 2025 1,885 posts	0 xt350 🇳🇿 anyone watching the skiing on youtube at the moment.. I wish i could be there