Is it possible to go from Chamonix to Courmayeur on snow?

A snowHead

Hi
just looking into booking our 2009 snow fun and its a toss up between Chamonix and Tignes. Am a bit worried about how connected the ski areas are in Chamonix compared to Tignes/Val.
So is it possible to slide from Chamonix to Courmayeur on a groomed run? Is it possible to come back to Chamonix from Courmayeur the same way ? The piste maps on the website dont make it very clear if it can be done or not.
In searching for this I keep coming up with the run Vallee Blanche but is this off piste track the only way to do it ?( and Im guessing we need a guide for that )

If off piste is the only way is there public buses that go back and forth, if so any ideas how much a return trip costs?
Ive read that a car is something like 45 euro return through the tunnel, its mighty expensive just to get to the other side for a days fun, is going by public bus much cheaper ?

Any help much appreciated

A snowHead

RATM, welcome to Snowheads. I'm no Chamonix expert but as I'm the only idiot around at this time in the morning (got an early run to Geneva and couldn't sleep!) I'll give you a preliminary answer. There is no, absolutely no, comparison between "how connected the ski areas are in Chamonix compared to Tignes/Val". If that is your main criterion, much better go to Tignes. I'm also not too clear why you are specifically focussed on Courmayeur (no, you can't ski from Chamonix to Courmayeur on groomed runs). There are buses up and down the Chamonix valley between the different areas from Les Houches up to Le Tour, but they are a bit of a pain. There are also buses to Courmayeur though I don't know how frequent or how expensive. If you've only got a week you won't want to spend too much of it in buses. A car is best, if you want to do the different areas in Chamonix. If you are a mainly piste skier looking for a big connected area, Tignes/Val is probably the answer. But Chamonix is a more interesting town (obviously!) with more spectacular scenery.

Someone with more local knowledge will be along after breakfast...... snowHead

Now I'm off down to the garage to have a look at whether I need to get the snowchains on. Very annoying if I do, as they'll be off again in 4 miles.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

THere are 3 buses a day between Chamonix and Courmayeur (do a search for posts by me mentioning them previously), but no runs. There's some pretty serious off piste from the top of the Aiguille du Midi down to Courmayeur, but you can also go up from the courmayeur side to do an alternative run down the Vallée Blanche.

Courmayeur is definitely worth a day trip if you;re in Chamonix, when we were there in January it had by far the better conditions - in fact it appeared to have had trhe best snow in the world

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you can ski from courmayer in to the vallee blanch with guide. As Pam says Chamonix is not a linked resort. There are approx 175km pisted runs in chamonix across 5 non-linked ski areas. Chamonix is renomwned for its expert off piste terrain. The pisted areas have interesting and challenging skiing with some more gentle skiing in les houches and le tour. If you have to piste skiing, I think there are probably better places to visit, albeit I had a great time in chamonix as a relative newbie 14/15 years ago.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

dan100 has hit it on the nail head.

Chamonix is a collection of several unlinked skiing resorts.

There is abolutely no possibility to slide a groomed piste from Chamonix to Courmayeur!

The only place to do it on groomed piste is between La Rosiere (France) and La Thuile (Italy) or between Montgenevre (French side Milky Way) and Claviere (Italian Milky Way).

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Thanks Pam, NBT and Dan for your replies. Our prob is that we've been to Tignes 2 years back, loved the place ( especially as it is so well connected, huge bonus ! ) but would now also like to see somewhere different and having come across somewhere cheap to stay in Chamonix ( Vagabond ) we are thinking of trying it out.
Looking at the piste maps I see none of the areas are connected ( apart from the cable car going from Brevent to Flegres ) which is a bit of a bummer and Im reading that the bus services are erratic and a waste of time, are they really bad or just bearable? We dont want to be stuck at the side of a road for an hour after a long day on the snow.....but I guess by staying in Vagabond we are not too far to walk to a couple of the lifts...
But still I reckon we might go just to try something new.
As regards the Valle Blanche, we are all intermediate boarders - i was thinking maybe we would get a guide for the first attempt to show us the route- do you guys reckon its a good/bad idea to do this then go do it the following time without a guide -i.e., just folllow the crowd and the tracks already made? Its just a guide seems to cost at least 70 euro per person which isnt exactly something we could afford to pay every day.
Also at the top of the Aguille du Midi cable car there is another gondola ( Panoramic )that goes to a place on the Italian border called Helbronner- the stats shows this only takes 150 people per hour - is this just a sightseeing trip over the glacier or does it take skiers/boarders in the winter - if so what is the run from Helbronner into Courmayer like ( all off piste? difficult? )

Again any help is mucho appreciated

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RATM,

You can't get to Courmayuer from Chamonix on ski unless you skin to the top of Helbronner........ likely from the Aguille du Midi accesed from Chamonix... which is a serious undertaking over glaciated terrain.

The lift from the Midi to Helbronner is summer only.

You can get the 3 stage ift upto Helbronner and do the VB into Chamonix..this is popular as it cuts out the infamous arette on the Midi..but again, this is high alpine terrain and you need a guide.

I would suggest from this question that you shouldn't look to ski down the Helbronner face on the Italain side as, again, it is glaciated.
I have not seem any marked terrain fron Helbronner..you'd need very good vis... be equipped and know the route...

Without a guide these aren't options for you, I'd say.

The VB is basically an area from 3843mtrs..... and the classic VB route is little more than a path.... so no fun on a board, I'd think...also, the run out...over several hundred mtrs is flat and again a killer on boards. You'd need poles or a great deal of speed...and you will not find speed on a board there. There are option to the classic, but they are very fraught with danger and you will certainly need a guide here. You will still have the long pole out tho'. And no, it will not be enough to use the guide for route finding on day one and then retrace his tracks on day two... Only on the path can you do that...which if done once, you will not want to do again..and even then, the path should not be taken lightly...
Any mishaps and you have to get yourself down...and even if fit it can be a 3 hour walk out...!!!!!!!!!!!!

The best thing I think you should do, is visit the guides office, tell him you are boarders, give them your skill level and let them suggest something as an alternative to the classic path. Maybe the route down from Helbronner to Chamonix has more angle but there are still bottle necks and side-slips across and through the glacial debri.
If this is your first time in real high alpine terrain, the views and scenery will be spectacular and well worth it for that alone, the sliding may not.

After all it is free

I wouldn't ski / board the VB without a guide unless a) I'd lived there for several years or b) had a death wish. Too many people think they can do it and don't come back including one British boarder recently...and he was with a guide.

RATM, GO to tignes. You can't have skiied it all in a week. We'r back there for our third stay in a couple of weeks

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All rights guys and gals , thanks very much for the solid advice. It seems undertaking the VB without a guide ( even having done it once) is an insane proposition and one I wont contemplate if others have already lost lives.
It seems Chamonix is nowhere near as connected a ski area as Tignes which is a disadvantage but I reckon we'll still go to Chamonix. We didnt come anywhere near completing Tignes/Val's 300+ runs 2 years ago but nonetheless would like to try somewhere different. I know in my heart that I will get back there someday- it still ranks as my overall favourite and that includes a week spent in Lake Tahoe as well as a season in New Zealand. Tignes is just awesome, has great snow and is hard to beat for lift connectivity.
So now Im thinking we will spend 4 days in the Chamonix areas, one in Courmayeur ( theres a public bus we found running between the 2- its 11 euro one way and 18 return ) and one doing the VB with a guide ( I believe they have routes that are suited more to boarders than the classic route ).
Also one of the group mentioned that Cervina/Zermatt is only 2 hours away by car so we might even spend a 7th day there, would be nice to have a day trip to a Swiss resort without the expense of staying overnight.

Anyway once again many thanks for the advice, it will be well heeded.
Happy sliding,
RATM

You know it makes sense.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

RATM, hi!

Chamonix wins every time for me over Tignes/VDI. That said I keep going back to all 3 resorts.

But Chamonix is Chamonix- it is the mountain destination in the world- whatever you want to do- pootle about by car , walk in the valley or ski the most amazing pistes (ther eis nothing to compare to Pointe de Vue) or anything else

Go to Chamonix- be happy

A snowHead

Go to Tignes! I wouldn't recommend Chamonix to an intermediate (as one myself who's been there) unless you're looking for somewhere really close to Geneva for a quick trip. If you do go then hire a car, because the faffing about is bad enough with a car nevermind without one. IMO Chamonix is best for advanced/expert skiers. There are some cracking reds esp. at Flegere/Brevent but they're all pretty steep & hard on the legs. If you fancy something a bit calmer for the afternoon then you need to go to La Tour or Les Houches but no one area has everything you want for a whole day. If you like doing lunch options are severely limited too - mostly self-service. Chamonix's a great town though for après.
If you like big lift linked resorts then have you considered the 3 Valleys? Les Menuires is a good option if you don't want to pay Meribel/Courchevel prices & is brilliantly located to ski Val Thorens & Meribel as well as having some great skiing of its own. The downside is the lack of après-ski.

A snowHead

If you have a car, use that to go through the tunnel rather than the bus. the bus goes from the middle of chamonix, to the middle of courmayeur. Once in Coumayeur, you then have a 15 minute walk (in ski boots, half that in regular shoes) through to the main cable car. Bear in mind the bus doesn;t arrive till 10am (or maybe later?) and it'll be closer to 11 before you get skis on snow.

if you drive through you can park and get the cable car at the Val Veny end, its just out of the tunnel and is much better for easy access. If you want to have a second day trip, La Thuile is 20 minutes past courmayeur and you can ski through to La Rosiere in the Tarentaise - it's well worth a day trip. Alternatively, Verbier is also relatively easily accessed from Chamonix I hear - around an hour? Not too sure on this one, a friend was telling me but I didn;t get all the detail

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Just done 3 days in Cham on my board and it is great, excellent safe off piste accessed from the pistes or lifts, serious off piste too if you want it. Did a day in Argentierre (spelling?) and the buses were every 20 minutes around 5 pm and I think they put extra ones on. It is good for boarders generally but I never checked out the parks. Give it a go. Just paid Euro 4.5 for a pint btw

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Seems like both Chamonix and Tignes have their advantages. I know that Chamonix has different areas for different things and probably doesn't have the 'All Mountain' feel that Tignes and Val give but I reckon we will give it a go. I was there in the summer when trekking the Tour Du Mont Blanc and felt it to be a cool little place so hopefully it will live up to expectations in the winter as well.

At 5-6 euro for a pint though its far from cheap- I know the Vagabond does a Happy Hour from 4-6 with Amstel at 3 euro which isnt bad. I remember when I did a season in Queenstown all the seasonnaires had the Happy Hours of the town worked down to a fine art. If one was willing to move pub 5 times and every hour it was possible to drink cheap pints from 6-11pm which wasn't bad. I dont suppose this is possible in Chamonix - or has some little beer rascal come up with an itinerary:-)

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

RATM,

If you're at the intermediate level then there's going to be some flat at some point on the VB route. Probably quite a lot of flat. Collapsible poles are a good idea if you decide to do it.

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RATM,

After all it is free

hanks T Bar, I just had a look at Verbier from Chamonix on Googlel Maps and you're right, its far closer than Zermatt without the need/expense of a return trip through the tunnel. It would have been nice to spend a day sliding underneath the Matterhorn but access from Cervina isnt guaranteed, especially if it is windy. At least Verbier is only an hour and 15 mins up the road so quite easy to get to and it also has the advantage of being linked by rail from Chamonix.. I reckon we will well consider it for our 7th ( maybe even 8th ) day.

gorilla, as a useless snowboarder, who certainly wouldn't even think about the VB, I think I'd find it easier to carry my board and walk in my comfortable boots than push myself along several kms of flat with collapsible poles!

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Remember that the long flat stretch..after the Requiem Hut in still on a glacier...and there are still plenty of snow brigdes to navigate...
Treating it as a walking path might not be a good idea.

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"gorilla, as a useless snowboarder, who certainly wouldn't even think about the VB, I think I'd find it easier to carry my board and walk in my comfortable boots than push myself along several kms of flat with collapsible poles!"

Without wishing to be a safety fascist, it isn't somewhere you want to be taking a board or skis off and walking around unroped.

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neigehead,

not sure about the comments re lunch- I love lunch - really- there are several great places for lunch on the mountain at Grand Montets; the proper restaurant at Plan Joran which gives you proper waiter service, very good food and fantastic views,- Chalet le Refuge- which gives a fantastic atmosphere- but to get their you need to ski Point de Vue (a hard and long black) and to get out you need to ski variente Hotel (an unpisted red which is usually closed and by far the hardest red run I have ever done- but it is a challenge), there is also the Cremerie des Glaciers (look for the tiny sign on the right near the end of Pioerre a Ric- head through the trees)- very very French.

At le Tour theer is the Refuge de Balme- which is a slog to get to but worth it for the atmosphere.

Hi, not really read all of the above, but from what i gathered from scanning the first bit of posts u wanted a linked area with lots of groomed pistes to get on.
You should maybe look at trying morzine/avoriaz les gets in the portes du soleil, i did the past two seasons there and loved the place its linked to switzerland aswell and there is a huge skiing area you get on the one pass something like 12 different resorts and two countries linked.
Maybe worth checking out?
Sorry if i got the wrong end of stick and you only wanted to go to cham or tignes, i couldnt read all of the above!

You know it makes sense.

No not at all Flibdong, Ive had a look at Morzine's piste maps and it is indeed a sizeable area with good connectivity. Ive emailed Chamonix, Tignes, 3 Valleys and Morzine to ask them to send me out piste maps and then I'll sit down with the group and weigh up what everyone wants to do. Chamonix looks like it is in the lead though purely because of the existance of Vagabond- its gonna be hard to get cheap accomodation in the Alps and at £25 a night half board Vagabond is hard to beat. If I could find a similiar place to Vagabond in Meribel or Les Menuires I think we would seriously consider it and the same goes for Morzine but alas all chalets see to cost at least £300 pp per week in Feburuary ( we have to go then as one of the group is a teacher and on half term ).
Anyway the search continues, if anyone has any tips for cheapies in Morzine or 3 Valleys then let it flow......

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

No not at all Flibdong, Ive had a look at Morzine's piste maps and it is indeed a sizeable area with good connectivity. Ive emailed Chamonix, Tignes, 3 Valleys and Morzine to ask them to send me out piste maps and then I'll sit down with the group and weigh up what everyone wants to do. Chamonix looks like it is in the lead though purely because of the existance of Vagabond- its gonna be hard to get cheap accomodation in the Alps and at £25 a night half board Vagabond is hard to beat. If I could find a similiar place to Vagabond in Meribel or Les Menuires I think we would seriously consider it and the same goes for Morzine but alas all chalets see to cost at least £300 pp per week in Feburuary ( we have to go then as one of the group is a teacher and on half term ).
Anyway the search continues, if anyone has any tips for cheapies in Morzine or 3 Valleys then let it flow......

A snowHead

if you are looking for v cheap hostels etc then there is also the Belvedere in Argentiere (the top bit of Chamonix where the best lifts/pistes/off piste is). I last stayed there about 20yrs ago climbing in the summer- when staying in doors was luxury beyond measure compared with camping down at Pierre D'Orthaz.

It's still going strong and is still very cheap.

Another cheap place to stay in the Chamonix valley is La Boerne up at Trelechamp- but this is quite out of the way and many people wouldn't like it- but I do.

A snowHead

http://www.la-boerne.fr/home.htm can't find prices but it will be very good value- small but perfectly formed

http://www.gitebelvedere.com/bv_uk.html bed only €14 per night or €32 half board

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We provide Shared and Private Transfers to Courmayeur from Chamonix

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Hi ChamonixFirst, welcome to Snowheads. But I do hope your transfers come more on time than your reply to this thread: after 3 years I think I would have given up and made alternative arrangements long ago. Toofy Grin

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

RobW, Lol! Laughing

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RobW,

ChamonixFirst, Welcome to SnowHeads, although you might want to add some useful comments or suggestions to the site to avoid becoming a one-post wonder

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

ChamonixFirst, fantastic buissness model

get minibus.

go to Chamonix

Get up in morning, put on ski stuff put skis in back of minibus

pick up happy campers- drive to Courmayeur

Spend day skiing in Courmayeur

drive back with happy campers

Drink €20 worth of beer keep €130

repeat

what a fantastic life

Help!!

Is it possible to go from Chamonix to Courmayeur on snow?

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