CHAMONIX REVIEW
By Susan Greenwood

'I love Cham-on-ix!' he screamed as he plummeted face down into the
slush/slurry that was running through the gutter outside Dicks T Bar much to
the glee of all his mates. I couldn't hold back a smirk as I and Alain - a
local mountain guide - stepped over him and continued our journey up the Rue
de Moulins. Aaaah Chamonix, a place of extremes and contrasts, of drunken
louts and skilled mountaineers, of expensive beer but great bars, of
fantastic natural terrain but crap pistes and no snowpark. A place of myth
and legend that over the last five years has become the mecca for any self
respecting snowboarder and despite my personal love of the place, I can't
help wondering whether it has become slightly over-hyped.

Lets start with the important stuff. Chamonix has the most awe-inspiring
scenery in the Alps - in no other ski resort in France will your riding
surroundings leave you so stunned. The area available to ride is huge -
probably in ten seasons here you'll still be finding new places to ride, but
it can be lethal so a lot of the time if you are venturing off piste you
will need to hire a guide and this for any money saving snowboarder will
prove to be a bit of a hindrance. Even without a guide transceivers and
shovels are indispensible pieces of equipment and can be hired daily from
most of the equipment hire places for between £8-£15. For a powder day head
to La Tour or Flegere - the Grands Montets gets tracked out by the top-lift
geeks within a couple of hours although it's definitely the place to be when
visibility is poor as it has some great tree runs. Flegere has some great
natural kickers and a load of terrain accessible by lift. If you're lazy go
for Brevent as you can also ride Flegere by crossing the valley on a cable
car. The bus system linking the different ski areas is poor - I cannot
stress this enough - so unless you've got a car you may well find yourself
in one place for the whole day. The big downside to Chamonix is that it has
no park. No park at all. Niente, nothing, rien. How crap is that? If you're
a park fiend don't go to Chamonix.

The great thing about Chamonix is that it is a town not a ski resort and so
is a vibrant place to hang out with a life and history of its own. Having
said that most of the people who come here to ride are 'extreme' dude. Be
prepared to listen to people talking about backflipping off the North Face
of the Aiguille or doing the Hotel face blind folded. If you get stoked by
landing the odd 180 or by hanging out with your mates in a non-competitive
environment then perhaps head to a resort where the egos aren't quite so
big. To be honest though, you can't really fault the nightlife in Chamonix.
Restaurants are everywhere - our personal favourites are The Bumblebee (see
restaurant review later) and Munchies in Chamonix town and the Hotel Eden in
La Praz. For bars check out the darkness of Bar du Moulins, the irishness of
The Jeckyll, the sheer bad shotness of Las Choucas and the extreme funkiness
of a late night session in La Cantina grooving to the sounds of the guys
from Cham 7 on the Rue du Moulins - without a doubt the coolest shop in
town.

As it gets more and more fashionable/ popular it has become increasingly
important to book accommodation well in advance especially in the town
centre. For the main three ski weeks of the year - Christmas, New Year and
Easter - you won't have a hope of getting a place if you just turn up. The
Chamonix website has every hotel listed so that should really be your first
stop (www.chamonix.com) but if you're in a budget your best bet for Chamonix
centre will be the Gite Vagabond, Hotel Richmond - which is just like the
place out of psycho, major freaky, or the Hotel Coin. The Mont Blanc Lodge
is fantastic value for money (www.montblanclodge.com) - you get free art
man! If you have a car though it may be an idea to stay up in La Tour,
Argentiere or La Praz where rates are cheaper, there are less hordes and you
can be the first up the hill on a powder day. My personal out-of-town
recommendation is the Hotel Eden in La Praz as the food is amazing and the
owners are excellent! Ahem.

If you are staying in Chamonix for more than a week I would definitely
recommend taking day trips to some of the excellent surrounding resorts.
Verbier, Tignes, Saas Fee to name three are all near by and worth checking
out for a park fix if nothing else. If there's time or the weather is crap
get yourself over to the spa in Sion just past Martigny and watch fat, naked
swiss men jump into freezing plunge pools. Oh how we laugh.
At some stage in your snowboarding life you are going to have to get your
arse over to the Chamonix valley. If you leave it until the spring your
likelihood of being able to ride snow as opposed to rocks is much higher
(last year despite naff snowfalls all season there were major dumps in March
and April.) It is a wicked place and you'll probably end up going back again
and again and again but as with all things it's best not to believe too
greatly in the hype. Most people in Chamonix do but then I guess that's what
makes it such a brilliant, escapist place. It's life but not quite as we
know it......

MORE resort reviews here >>
www.step-on.co.uk

archicad 8.1crack

Grand Montets/MontBlanc Lodge

Chamonix Station/MontBlanc Lodge

Backcountry/unknown

Karl Frederick/MontBlanc Lodge

Argentiere Glacier/Unknown