Poster: A snowHead
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Hi - quick question for those familar with Chamonix and Argentiere.
If I stay in Argentiere and get the Grand Montents lift up does that provide me with access to skiable pistes in Chamonix etc ? Its not easy to tell from the piste maps but I dont think the 20km of runs in Argentiere will keep me occupied for 4 days ))
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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There are 4 main areas in Chamonix - Grand Montets is the highest and best.
The areas are not linked and you will need to get the bus or train from Argentiere to ski elsewhere.
The pistes on GM are not really the point though ! It's the off piste you go for ! and there should be plenty of that for a few days.
I'd do a day at Brevant/Flegere, a day at Le Tour and 2 days at GM if I were you and were looking to piste ski mainly.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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To my mind, Les Grands Montets is the greatest single lift served mountain in the world! I've spent years skiing it and wasn't aware there is only 20km of pisted runs.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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rooney wrote: |
Hi - quick question for those familar with Chamonix and Argentiere.
If I stay in Argentiere and get the Grand Montents lift up does that provide me with access to skiable pistes in Chamonix etc ? Its not easy to tell from the piste maps but I dont think the 20km of runs in Argentiere will keep me occupied for 4 days )) |
It kept me occupied for 4 months, and there is still tons of stuff I've not done. Plenty of people spend their entire lives skiing there. It is a massive ski area, but it's not really a place for cruising motorways. If that what you want then head for the Tartentaise resorts. That said there is a lot of good piste skiing, and more than enough for a week.
The ski areas are not interlinked (except for Brevent and Flegere), so you'll need to take the bus or drive. Le Tour is up the valley form Les Grands Montets and offers easier skiing. The Brevent and Flegere areas are down the valley near to Chamonix itself and offer some nice skiing with gobsmacking views of the main Mt Blanc massif. Further down the valley is Les Houches with some good tree lined runs. Then if you head down out the Chamonix valley and then back up you can get to St Gervais and Les Contamines, all worth a trip if you have a car, probably not so easy by public transport though.
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We have a car so transport is not a problem.
Do all the villages named above suit a days skiing ? So for four days we could just drive to a different village every day ?
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rooney, you could - as mentioned above, you could spend entire seasons in just one area without exhausting the possibilities - presuming that you are happy skiing off piste.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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rooney wrote: |
We have a car so transport is not a problem.
Do all the villages named above suit a days skiing ? So for four days we could just drive to a different village every day ? |
Yes, there's easily a day's skiing in each area.
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I am happy off-piste but the wife not so much. Also, going in a couple of weeks and looking at the snow I am not sure how good the conditions will be (off-piste).
Thanks for the replies everyone - most helpful so far !
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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The buses that have been mentioned are regular free shuttle buses.
Brevent and Flegere are south facing so the new snow deteriorates quicker. Les Houches is lower but mostly amoung trees so can be a good choice when it is snowing.
Even if you are not an experienced off piste skier it is worth taking a guide to do the basic Vallee Blanche once. It is spectacular but easy skiing.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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rooney wrote: |
I am happy off-piste but the wife not so much. Also, going in a couple of weeks and looking at the snow I am not sure how good the conditions will be (off-piste).
Thanks for the replies everyone - most helpful so far ! |
Unless there is a significant change in the weather the off piste won't be great... and Chamonix is not a place for "dabbling", you need to go with very expereinced skiers, or better yet a guide, to get the most from it. There is a lot of stuff that is easy to find on the Grands Montets, but that just means it gets tracked instantly. And just because it's easy to get to doesn't mean it will be safe.
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rooney We were there last weekend and the off piste between the pistes was pretty much unskiable (like concrete). A couple of our group went off with a guide for the day and skied around the vallee blanche which was a bit better. Some of the off piste terrain off the top of Grands Mantets was also skiable but because it was the only game in town for off pisters without a guide the queue for the lift was huge. You can pay extra to pre book a specific time and jump the queue (which adds to the problem rather than helps IMHO).
However, the piste skiing was fine and fun to practice technique etc as well as to just cover some kms. We had 5 days of sunshine so visibility was fabulous. More like March than January.
Of course, a big snowfall will change things overnight. Here's hoping.
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You know it makes sense.
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rooney, What PBJ, said! If you get the Chamonix Le Pass ticket it covers those other areas which would be fine for four days and the free bus and train links are very good. Although it doesn't cover the top cable car upto the summit of Grands Montets and a couple of very good un-pisted but marked black runs up on the glacier, but you can purchase single trip tickets for 10 euros. If you think you'll be making several trips up to the summit you might want to consider getting the more expensive Mont Blanc Unlimited Pass which also gives you access to Les Houches, Aiguille du Midi etc. but probably not necessary for only 4 days.
Lots of useful information here http://www.chamonet.com including usual warnings about inherent dangers of off-piste and glacier skiing.
All we need now is some snow! Good Luck
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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rooney, if you want to do mainly on-piste, and the snow has not improved much from now (fingers crossed) a drive to Les Contamines would certainly be well worth while for a day. but of a schlep from Argentiere though (and stay above the middle station of the gondola - ride the lift down).
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Poster: A snowHead
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Rooney, I just got back from Chamonix last night having spent 5 days there. It was baking yesterday in the sun with a bit of freeze/thaw likely to be setting in, so keep your fingers crossed temps drop a bit, which I think they are forecast to this week. Piste conditions were better than I feared, just the odd patch of ice but generally holding up well considering the lack of fresh. Grands Montets is deffo the bst spot in the valley right now, with the highest skiing. Off piste, although totally tracked out is still fun if you know where to look. Some of it is still nice and grippy and not at all crusty. We did several runs down from the top of the Herse chair - turning left off the chair traversing straight across towards the rock face, below the the very tempting looking (but probabably dangerous without a guide) main face that comes off the very top. This gives you some nice off piste that's currently very safe, with good snow and some nice bumps if you are into that sort of thing. There was a massive difference in quality of the snow there compared with directly under the Herse chair, where it was a lot harder. Very top off the GM cable car was great too - if you haven't booked it just go early on and you shouldn't have to wait too long. Later the queues get longer.
Also, if you get the Mont Blanc Unlimited pass, this allows you to ski Courmayeur. We went there for one day and snow was superb considering recent weather - better than Chamonix on piste wihtout a doubt. With a MBU lift pass you get 50% discount on tunnel fee - comes in at 23 Euro return. It's well worth the 30 mins drive. Have fun!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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rooney, just go and enjoy the Cham valley. Everyone suggesting St Gervais, Contamines and Courmayeur are great suggestions if it's you 5th trip returning to the valley or long holidays. From Argenterrie your within 15mins of le Tour and Flegere driving (which I think you said you were) and you will find the best of cruisey pistes and off piste (le Tour, the backside is dangerous with several deaths each year) to long steep piste and off piste (GM) ample for a day in each.
One tip, as most home runs will be feeling the thaw try the home run to Vallorcine on the backside of le Tour, north facing and holds out longest (apart from GM which has snow making)!
Have a great time, love it or hate it there is nowhere else like Chamonix!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I was in Chamonix last week. It was truly awful. Coffee stops far too far apart, pistes too few and too hard. I'm an expert skier, I can ski almost every black in Austria but the blacks in Chamonix must be at least 73 degrees steep and are totally impossible, especially when there always seemed to be lots of people skiing extremely dangerously off the pistes. Have they not heard of avalanche danger and that one's insurance is completely invalidated as soon as one ventures outside the piste markers? I fell once on a patch of ice that my ski sunk into (terrible piste preparation) and ended up a foot over the other side of the marker and was so worried as I'd left my car parked at Luton airport (horrible place) and if it had been broken into while I was away I wouldn't have been able to claim because the insurers would know I'd been off piste. Worst of all nowhere served a decent Vin Chaud. Avoid.
Same with Courmayeur. I've never felt so unsafe on the top cable car, ancient rickety thing. I wanted some Italian style, Moschino, Gucci etc but I fear I ventured onto the workers' lift with all these lumberjacks, dressed in these horrible polyester binbags in garish primary colours by names I've never heard of such as Arcteryx, Haglofs and Norrona, carrying these great big axes to chop trees down. They clearly couldn't afford skis either and had to make do with an old snowboard attached to each foot with some strange "low-tech" metal contraption. How ghastly, what sort of decent ski area would force paying clientele to share with these navvies? Avoid too.
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