Chamonix - slopes

Chamonix is made up of 5 main ski areas. Le Brevent has south-facing runs above the tree line and connects with La Flégère. Both offer breathtaking views of Mont Blanc.

A 20-minute bus ride from town is Argentière and Les Grands Montets, one of the best areas for experts. Further up the valley is the delightful family area of Balme, with a lovely remote feel. Ski off the back down tree-lined pistes to Vallorcine, near the Swiss border, and you can take a scenic train ride back to Chamonix.

Les Houches, on the Geneva side of Chamonix, has some delightful wooded runs and can be the place to go in bad weather. The lifts are not covered by the ordinary valley pass.

Ski highlights for all levels

Beginners: Chamonix is not the ideal choice for beginners, but there are adequate nursery slopes and if there was ever a place to get bitten by the bug, this is it.

Intermediates: the Balme area is wonderful, and Les Houches has masses of cruising. There are plenty of suitable runs at all of the other areas.

Experts: steep, deep, wild. It's all here – and lots of ski touring possibilities, too. And of course there is the Vallée Blanche, a classic 20km run down a spectacular glacier (for which you must hire a guide).

Ski schools and guides

The main Ecole du Ski Français (00 33 450 53 22 57) and Compagnie des guides (00 33 450 53 00 88) base is at the Maison de la Montagne in the centre of town.

There are a number of excellent rival schools, including Evolution 2 (00 33 450 55 90 22) and All Mountain Performance (00 33 679 63 05 73). Ecorider (0033 6 36 66 48 10) is the first school to carry out a carbon-impact assessment and it offers free ski testing with Dynastar skis. All schools now offer specialist courses, such as off-piste, glacier, carving and ski touring.

Lift system

La Flégère cable car can get busy – with queues to come down at the end of the day. Argentière has queues at peak times. But each season brings improvements and you can miss the lines if you get up early – or have a long lie-in.

Snow reliability and snowmaking

The season starts early and ends late. The top runs at Les Grands Montets can be fabulous well into spring. Balme has a good snow record and many of the low-lying beginner areas have very efficient snowmaking. 

Terrain park

The terrain park has only recently been designed and installed at Grands Montets – but it's a good one. There are plenty of jumps and rails. And there is a fun zone for budding freestylers. A new snowpark with rails and giant jumps opened at Les Houches in 2009.