Skiing in Chamonix valley

Chamonix valley

This year we went skiing to the Chamonix valley, a French resort we had heard about for years but somehow never managed to get to. I always perceived it to be a very tough resort to ski in, and to be honest the first day felt like that too. But once we got the hang of it, it turned out to be a breeze and we had a fabulous time there. Of course a major reason for our enjoyable trip was the awesome weather we had - sunny and double digits temperature every day! But the gorgeous valley views and diverse mountain slopes definitely added to our experience.

We stayed in Argentiere for about 5 days. It is a small little ski village located somewhere in the middle of the Chamonix valley. The whole valley is made up of multiple ski resorts – Brevent (near Chamonix), Flegere (near the village of Les Praz), Grands Montets (near the village of Argentiere), Domaine de Balme (near the village of Le Tour), Courmayeur (in Italy), Verbier and many more. All the resorts are connected by a convenient bus network and we ended up skiing at Brevent-Flegere, Grands Montets and Le Tour over the 5 days we were there. And each of these resorts had their own unique feel and experience.


The skiing experience

View from airbnb

We took a night flight to Geneva and then a taxi to Argentiere. It took us about 2 hours to reach the village. The views outside our chalet were stunning - snow covered mountains and wooden chalets in front. The location was perfect too as we were staying right by the ski lifts. So the next day, it was a breeze to rent skis, get the passes and off we went.

No snow in villages

This year was a low snow year, there wasn't enough snow even by the end of January as the weather had been extraordinarily warm – temperatures were in double digits for all of December and January. So even when it was to snow, there was rain instead and the snow melted. The slopes of Chamonix are at a relatively higher height, so the snow up the peaks was ok but skiing all the way down to the villages wasn't always possible. And apparently a lot of other resorts are having a shorter skiing season this year. It's definitely not a good sign for the years to come - climate change is real and closer than we think.

To make it easy for us, we went up the nearby Grands Montets slopes on the first day. And in hindsight it wasn't a good move, at all. Of all the resorts in the valley, it had the toughest slopes. One because most of them were narrow and steep. But also because that side of the mountain does not get much of sunlight. So given the warm weather and the recent rains, there was a lot of slush and ice here. I was also skiing only the second time since 2020, so was a bit rusty too.

We started the day with the blues and had a difficult time navigating the slopes. I fell many many times all day, even on blues! We went down the same blue slope 5 times to get some confidence but every time it was tough. All the slopes were too icy and slushy that day, it felt like they were good only for the experts. And once I even fell and skid for a few metres down a slope, when my skis almost fell off the slopes! It was a massive kick to our confidence as we thought we knew how to ski but that day made us feel we had learnt nothing in all our years of skiing 😳.

There weren't a lot of blues up the mountain and we had no confidence to go on the reds. So we felt quite limited too as the only slopes we could go on, we sucked at. The day felt quite brutal to be honest and we were doubting if we had made the right choice to even come to this resort. I also was doubting how we will make it through the next 4 days if each day would be like this. I don't know how we navigated the day but we came back home with a bruised ego. And a very low morale.

Valley views

The positive side was that the views of Argentiere below and the whole valley were absolutely stunning. The sun was out all day. And we had lunch at the Plan Joran restaurant which had a beautiful view around. Every day after that got better though. And our confidence kept getting a boost slowly and slowly.

The next day I took a bus to the neighbouring village of Les Praz from where you can take the gondola up to the slopes. It was just a 10 mins bus ride from Argentiere and quite convenient to get there. The village below didn't have much snow for January given the warm winter but the peaks were full of soft snow.

The slopes of Brevent and Flegere resorts are linked through a gondola and so there are many more slopes here. Also the variety was more than Grands Montets with enough blues and reds. And even some greens! So I started with greens (after years) and only after doing a few of those went on to the blues. Such was the state of our morale😂.

But I did well and got my confidence back too. It actually felt easy that day though we were still treading carefully after the battering from the previous day. I skied there the whole day from one valley to the other. I also went down a slope which is built for speed, and a photo is taken of when you are at your fastest. I was clicked going down at 84 kmph there 😊.

Les 2 Aigles

These slopes were extremely crowded that day with loads of people around, including lot of children. The day was quite sunny till quite late in the day and the day felt perfect. The views of the valley and villages below were again gorgeous. And I had lunch at Les 2 Aigles, with fabulous views again.

I had gone up the Flegere gondola and came back the Brevent one – and it was a big mistake! It took me 1.5 hours to come back to Argentiere from there as I had to change buses and wait for both of them! Chamonix definitely seems to be a bigger resort, with a more complex bus system and less markings than other resorts I have been to. I, along with a few other skiers complained together about all this on our long ride home 😊.

Relaxation spots at the top

On the ride home, I also figured out that apparently Argentiere is the toughest of these resorts, Brevent Flegere less and Le Tour the least. And the third day we decided to go to Le Tour, clearly in the wrong sequence. It was again a 10 mins bus ride to get to the village. And the resort was amazing. It was a breeze to ski there, criss-crossing the wide mountains along the easy blues. We finally got our mojo back and enjoyed skiing the reds there too. They were quite easy and there weren't a lot of people there either. We also stopped at a few relaxation spots on the top, where chairs are kept at spots with panoramic views of the peaks around. They were fun to take a break at, sometimes even at the beginning of the day. Also apparently we were quite close to the Switzerland border while on the slopes.

Le Panoramic

The next two days got a lot more easier after that. We went back to the same resorts as before and spent all day enjoying skiing in the sun, with our confidence and ski level back. So we did mostly reds all day, and enjoyed the scenery around as we were not as scared of being unable to ski. And I think it was now that I fell in love with this resort. Brevent Flagere was brilliant again. We had lunch at Le Panoramic with views of the valley below. And since I knew the bus system better now, we came down from Flagere itself. So the bus back took us just 10 mins today, it all seemed so much more convenient today.

Glacier view from Bochard

The last day we skied in Argentiere itself. And the slopes which had seemed daunting 4 days ago felt like a breeze now. So we went down all the reds and had a great day. We went up the Bochard from where we could see glaciers and villages in the valley far off. And people walking on the glaciers. It was quite an impressive view. And the slopes, even the red ones felt beautiful that day. It was a good way to end our trip, on a high. We even skied all the way back to our chalet. The drive back to Geneva felt quite depressing actually after such a great holiday. It was all green all the way back with rarely any snow. And Geneva was hot - just a reminder of climate change, and how valuable these ski holidays should be for us all.


Eating at Argentiere

We had been hoping for some lively Apres skiing at the end of the day every day but there wasn't much to do at Argentiere. And we planned to go to Chamonix but every day we ended up eating in our village only. So we now know all about the best places in town 😃.

The first evening, a cafe barista suggested to us to go to Fubar, an underground and lively restaurant but we weren’t impressed - it was quite empty and just about ok. So we walked to a small cosy pizza place (whose name I can never find on Google maps) and ate there for two nights. They even had Asian dishes there but without the spices. But being in France, how much could I expect? Another place suggested to us was the Office which had great food but a very senior clientele. Our last dinner was at Aux Dix Vins, a fancy French place. It was fun there too. The favourites for me were definitely on top of the slopes though – with gorgeous views, and a welcome break with sore muscles.


About the ski resort

• In hindsight, the slopes in Chamonix were gorgeous - wide, not too steep and with spectacular views. Grands Montets was a bit tougher but if you go there after a few days, it doesn't seem tough
• All the eating places on the slopes had magnificent views, I loved my lunches at each of those places
• There were a few video locations where you could ski on tough slopes and get yourself video graphed or photographed. I found that quite interesting, especially the extremely steep high speed one
• The maps were shit. There is no other way to describe it. I've been to many other resorts but nowhere else was it so tough to figure out the lifts and slopes to take to get from one place to another. Sometimes the slopes weren't even named in the maps, sometimes they weren't even on the map! It’s something they can definitely improve
• The bus system was also complex as it was a big resort. So if you had a direct bus, it was easy to get somewhere but otherwise not as easy
• Lastly , the ski pass here was quite expensive, more than other resorts I have been to

Trekking in the Alps - Courmayeur to Les Chapieux

Last fall, we went for a 2 day trekking trip to the Alps during which we covered a part of the 'Tour du Mont Blanc' trail. Mont Blanc is the highest peak in the Alps and located between Italy and France. It is very popular among trekkers and the 'Tour du Mont Blanc' is a multi-day trek around the Mont Blanc mountain.

We however, covered only a part of this trek - starting at the Italian town of Courmayeur which is on the south of the Mont Blanc tunnel, doing a day trek till Les Capieux in France and then coming back to Courmayeur the next day. It was a very beautiful and strenuous trail but I must say it also made me realise that I seriously need to do something about my fitness and stamina levels!!

Getting there

We flew in to Geneva, took the French exit, drove through Geneva city center (to avoid the Swiss tolls!), drove through France (touching the town of Chamonix) and then drove through the Mont Blanc tunnel to reach the village of Courmayeur in Italy. It was also my first time through the Mont Blanc tunnel, and I was amazzed! A 10 kilometer tunnel under the mountain is definitely impressive.

It took us about 2+ hours to reach Courmayeur and we missed the whole beauty of the area as we were driving at night. The town of Courmayeur seemed like a cosy little ski town with small wooden houses and mountains all around, though we did not get a chance to spend much time there.

The trek

Our first day of trekking covered approx 17 kms (it was 21 km but we got a lift the last 4 kms of walking on the road to reach the refuse) and we walked up 1250 mts and then came down approx the same. We started the trek from Val Veny, walked for some time next to a stream, and then took a detour up Mount Fortin.

View of green coloured stream

The mountain face that we climbed was full of loose stones and quite a steep hike. The trek up just to reach the Mount was by itself about 1000 mts of going up. It was the toughest part of the trek, which tested our strength and resolve the maximum. And of course it did not help, that the weather was wet and windy and cold!

Once on top of the Mount, we came across a structure built of stones laid out in the form of rooms but completely broken down. You can get a 360 degrees view of the scenery all around - stark hills and icy glaciers with some green vegetation but mostly covered with small rocks.

On top of Mount Fortin

After crossing the Mount, the trek down was also a bit challenging. The face on the other side consisted of walking on loose stones mixed with slate and clayey soil. There was a tinge of blue on the stones too, which might be due to some mineral common in this area.

Down Mount Fortin

The trail then goes over some hills and then into the valley. It passes by a lake, and you also see many streams and waterfalls on the way. We also crossed some refuse huts on the way but all were closed by this time of the year. On the way, we also caught some views of Mont Blanc in between but the weather was rainy and so visibility was limited. We also saw loads of wild flowers, and a red mushroom (!) on the trek. The landscape though green did look a lot like what I had seen in Iceland - a bit bare.

Down Mount Fortin

Once we reached Co De La Seigne (which is on the border of France and Italy), a meeting point of multiple trails, the trail got easier. After that point, there was about 5-6 kms on the trail going down into the Les Chapieux valley.

Right across the mountain we were climbing down, was a grazing ground for cows. There must have been a couple of hundreds of those cows wearing the bells (made famous in DDLJ) and grazing away to glory. The sound that was made by so many bells was very very loud in the valley, and irritating after a point.

View from Co De La Seigne

By the time we were down in the valley, I was almost dead. We had walked for 10 hours straight in wind and rain and over steep mountains. But the views during the trek were worth the effort.

Towards Les Chapieux

We were however able to avoid walking the last 1 hour on the road to our refuse, Auberge De La Nova as the very helpful owners of the refuse gave us a lift for the last 4 kms. Once at the hostel, we had a tasty dinner, and then crashed completely with thoughts of how we would complete the same trail the next day to go back to Courmayeur!

The next day, half of the trek was the same as the previous day but the weather was even worse. We covered about 17 kms in less than 7 hours, trekking from 1800 mts to 2500 mts and then down back to 1700 mts.

From Les Chapieux, we walked up to Co De La Seigne, but did not go up Mount Fortin (thankfully!) but walked directly back into the valley. The weather of course did not help - it was rainy and foggy and very very cold. But the views here were magnificent - of the mountains on either side, with moving glaciers and waterfalls. Here are some photos of the trek back.

Mountain views from valley

Waterfall views from valley

End of trek

Once back from the trek, we drove back to Chamonix, had a quick Mexican dinner at PocoLoco and then were back to take off from Geneva. It turned out to be a very very hectic weekend, but a good introduction to trekking in the Alps. A definite option for future vacations:)

Accommodation

At Courmayeur, we stayed at Camping Green Park, which was basically a camping ground plus with options to stay in a chalet. I wasn’t impressed with the chalet though, it wasn't good value for money. But the view just when you wake up and look out is breathtaking! Its also a good place to camp if you are into camping.

Auberge De La Nova

At Les Chapieux, we stayed at Auberge De La Nova, the last available refuse which was still open in September!! It is located in a green valley, with a beautiful view of the mountains around. The dorms are comfortable, though as expected quite basic. And they have an in-house restaurant which serves very tasty fare (or at least it tastes amazing after a 10 hour walk up and down the mountains!).

The owners are also quite friendly and helpful - they picked us up from the end of the trek and dropped us there the next morning, so that we could save time (and our energy) for the rest of the trek. It charges €50 per person which covers the dinner, breakfast and the dorm bed - very good value for money.

Refuge Mottets and Elisabetta are also located on the trail, in case someone is interested in trekking a smaller part of the trail, but as luck would have it, they had all closed down in September!

Map



(Google maps only shows the driving option from Courmayeur to Les Chapieux. What we did was walk right across the mountains in between:) )

Tips

Don’t rent a car from Europcar in France - we had a very very bad experience with them. Our flight landed at 1040 and we were at their booth by 11:10. The attendant had left the Europcar booth at 11 without waiting for passengers (us) who were on the last flight. And so we had to get a last minute expensive rental from the neighbouring booth at Avis.

However, the shocking part of the story is when we reached back and talked to the manager, she refused to accept that her attendant had left at 11!! She stuck to her guns that she had left only at 11:30 after waiting for us (even though we had a booking at their neighbouring Avis booth at 11:20!!). And on top of that, the manager also blamed us for not having called to confirm that we were on the flight and will be picking up the car we had booked!!

I am still very shocked with this whole experience, that in today’s day of great customer service, Europcar can get away with something like this. And I am guessing the relaxed labour laws in France surely have something to do with it...