Chamonix resort review___www.step-on.co.uk snowboard magazine

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If you're gonna go snowboarding, there's no point pussying around in the foothills, you may as well head for the highest mountain in Europe, Mont Blanc. This means staying in Chamonix is pretty convenient..

Known as the European Alaska, the mountains surrounding the Chamonix valley are not only some of the highest, but also the gnarliest in Europe. Nowhere else in Europe is there such a diversity of peaks, domes, needles, pyramids, mounts, and glaciers. Chamonix is best known for its freeriding but it certainly caters for all types of snowboarder and is one of the worlds hot spots for seasonaires. With good snow conditions, Chamonix is definitely one of the best resorts in Europe for advanced riding, but with bad snow, it can be one of the worst.

The valley comprises about six different skiing areas, all accessed by free buses which run along the valley every few minutes. Basically you're spoilt for choice...

Grand Montets is the largest and most popular resort in Chamonix, and is located directly above the town of Argentiere. It is North-facing so snow conditions stay good off-piste for a few days after snowfall. The problem is that due to it's popularity, all the best runs will be tracked out by lunchtime and are therefore no fun to ride. A day ticket for Grand Montets is also more expensive that any other resort in the area at 240ff a day (About £25!). Our advice, buy a morning pass and just stay up all day cos they don't often get checked. The top station is definitely worth going to at least once but at £3 a time it is also pricey. At busy times you might have to queue for up to 2 hours to get on the cable car! From the summit (3300m) you can check out the amazing views and then access some of the best powder runs in the whole valley, but be sure to know where you're going as there are shit loads of crevasses.

Other powder areas to check out are the Lavanche bowl accessed by the Bochard lift. Follow the Black run from the top and this leads you there. This area offers open powder riding, chutes, and plenty of rock drops, as well as a few nice cornices. If there's plenty of snow you can actully ride all the way to the valley floor coming out at Le Lavancher.

Grand Montets also hosts Chamonix's poor excuse for a halfpipe. Like most of the French resorts the pipe is very poorly made and not maintained enough, but it does see some sick sessions from local pros Douds Charlet, Laurant Gougain and others. However some seasons it doesn't even get built!

For the 2003/04 winter season, Chamonix finally got a snowboard park at Les bossons, south of Chamonix. This is a small privately owned resort comprising one chair lift and 3 pistes, and the snowpark now covers much of the area. The park is shaped by the Zero G and Cham sept crews. Because it is privately owned it is not covered on the normal lift pass and the charge is around 10 euros a session, or 210 euros for the whole season. The main problems with the park are lack of big jumps, and the low altitude means it can often get rained on. Bigger and better things are promised for 2005 though so we'll see! (read chamonix snowpark article here) It is open afternoons and evenings (night sessions can be sick!) However many people would say with the amazing natural terrain in the area you shouldn't waste time in the park!
If freestyle is your media type, head to Le Tour at the end of the valley or La Flegere. Both of these resorts are littered with natural jumps, quarters, and gullies. Towards the end of the season La Flegere is almost like one big snow park. The infamous "Big Tit" jump (apparently the biggest natural kicker in Europe!) always sees the best of the local talent going LARGE. This jump is just off the side of the main red run from the top of the Darth Vader lift (L'Index).

From La Flegere you can get the cable car across to Le Brevent, which is the second largest ski area after Grand Montets, with lots of steep powder runs as well as good on-piste/jib opportunities. The best powder runs are accessed from the top of the Col Cornu chairlift with some sick natural roll-over jumps off-piste to skier's right of the lift, as well as some couloirs which you will see as you go up on the chair. The runs under the Parsa chair offer some good fast on-piste riding and there's usually plenty of hips etc to hit on the way down.

The nightlife in Chamonix is very good compared to most resorts, with lots of lively bars and clubs. The best club is La Cantina, which has different dj's on each night, although it is pretty small and can get over-crowded. DO NOT go to Le Garage, the bouncers have a tendency to beat people up for no good reason - I'm talking from personal experience! Bars: Wild Wallabies for basically getting battered and falling off the stage/bar. Bar du Moulin is a good local bar, as well as the CyBar internet cafe, Queen Vic, Safari Bar, Goophy, or the Jeckl Irish bar or the South Bar in Chamonix-Sud - all popular with seasonaires. L'Arbate is a venue which has live bands throughout the season so check what's on. In Argentiere The Office is the main bar but is more aimed at families and skiers, The Avalanche Bar in Grand Roc is a bit more lively and is a pretty good place to drink - it even has a mini skate ramp inside! The diversity of nationalities in Chamonix makes it a great place to visit or stay for a season, as there are lots of young people doing the same thing. I would recommend it as one of the best places to spend a season, not just for the snowboarding and skiing, but for the liveliness of the town and general fun/party vibe to the place. The only aspect of the resort which lets in down compared to others in Europe is that not being a specific snow resort, accessing the mountains is more difficult and time consuming. I suppose the landscape of the valley dictates this, it is an extreme area.

Chamonix also has plenty of good snowboarder run shops. Check out Otavalo, Zero G, and Sport Extreme, all good boarding shops.

Chamonix's skatepark (yes this place really does have everything!) is located just out of the town centre near the Sports Complex. It is outdoor but by late March it is usually skate-able on dry days. The park comprises a quarter, flat bank, funbox and a few grind boxes, definitely worth checkin out.

Travel to Chamonix is very easy. Get a flight to Geneva then follow the Autoroute Blanche which leads straight into the valley (journey is just over an hour). You can get a transfer to the resort pretty cheap. Staying in Argentiere means you are closer to the best terrain but the nightlife is limited. Otherwise Chamonix-Sud has plenty of cheap apartments (and plenty of horny Scandinavian girls too!)
Check accomodation links below...