The Chamonix Valley was originally a rural farming community known as Chamouny before being visited by two intrepid Englishmen in 1741. The wonderfully named William Windham and Richard Pococke werethe first to explore the area and report on the extraordinary mountain range and local glaciers. Their discovery was reported in the journals of the day and so began the growth of arguably France’s most famous winter sports destination.
Skiing began in Chamonix near the end of the 19th century and this culminated in the resort hosting the inaugural 1924 Winter Olympics. Since then both the town and its surrounding ski areas have grown both in size and popularity and now rank one of the world’s most popular ski destinations.
Whether Chamonix is more popular as a mountaineering and extreme sports destination or as a ski resort is a bit of a moot point given the local mountain ranges, dominated by Mont Blanc, are perfect for both. Skiers used to a purpose built French resort offering doorstep skiing might take a while to get their bearings in Chamonix. This is essentially a town with the ski areas on the outskirts or nearby and there’s much more of a feel of Chamonix being an adventure sports destination than simply a ski resort.
There are two ski areas accessed from Chamonix itself. Le Brevent is the main area suitable for all standards but there’s also the Aguille du Midi cable car which is off-piste for experts only and accesses the Vallee Blanche and the infamous La Poubelle (translation: The Dustbin). Neither of these is recommended without a guide.
Argentiere is few kilometers from the main town and is at the foot of Les Grand Montets which is accessed by cable car and offers skiing for every standard. Keep going at this end of the valley and you’ll come to the pretty little hamlet of Vallorcine where a gondola accesses the slopes of the La Balme ski area. In the other direction from Chamonix and back towards Geneva is Les Houches which is a charming traditionally styled ski resort in its own right perfect for every ability and budget.
There’s a massive range of Chamonix accommodation for skiers to choose from. Lots of ex pats have bought houses in the valley and run them as small chalet operations, principally as a lifestyle business. There are Chamonix hotels to suite very taste and budget including the popular Mercure Chamonix Centre which is centrally located and offers flexible stays. Families or skiers on a budget have a wide range of self-catering Chamonix apartments which offer extra space and the flexibility of being able to prepare your own meals.
Chamonix also benefits from being a short transfer or drive of around an hour from Geneva airport making it incredibly easy to get to. If you can’t spare a week out of the office Chamonix is the perfect destination for a ski weekend or short ski break.