[This post is sponsored by Le Grand Adventure Tours]
Chamonix, France is the birthplace of modern skiing. It’s the birthplace of extreme skiing. Chamonix is the most legendary place in skiing. If you love skiing you have to ski Chamonix. Chamonix is skiing’s heartbeat.
If you haven’t been to Chamonix yet – if you haven’t seen the terrain of the Chamonix valley yet – it’s time to go. Le Grand Adventure Tours is taking skiers and riders to Chamonix this winter. Le Grand Adventure Tours has all the details worked out for you so all you have to do is show up, ski mind-blowing terrain, eat great food, and get blown away by true mountain culture.
“It’s the place. You’re not a big-mountain skier unless you’ve skied Chamonix.” – Tim Petrick
Chamonix itself is an intoxicating mixture of incredible mountain scenery, picturesque villages, wild nightlife, unbeatable aprés ski, powerful mountain culture, exquisite cuisine, and world class skiing. The climbing and skiing history in Chamonix surrounds you as you stroll through town reading plaques and bumping into great museums.
In Cham, you can ski intense terrain or gently cruise around at the great ski resorts of Le Brevant and Le Grand Montet. Grab a guide and go for a 14-mile run down the Valle Blanche from the 12,600-foot Aiguille du Midi. Grab a guide and ski some of the most incredible zones of your life all over the valley and beyond.
“From the summit of Le Grant Montet there are vast powder fields in every direction with secret off-piste powder stashes and couloirs everywhere.” – Greg Stump in “The Blizzard of Aahhh’s”
It’s the terrain of Chamonix that blows skier’s minds and makes Cham the most legendary place to ski on Earth. Step off a tram and ski over 9,000-vertical-feet back to the valley floor and be done for the day – or not. One of these monster runs is more than enough to qualify as a day of skiing for most anyone.
One of the most vivid features of skiing Chamonix is that you can ski Switzerland, Italy, and France all in the same day. You can drive through the Mont Blanc tunnel to Italy in only 13kms or simply ski to Italy from the top of the Aiguille du Midi. In the off-piste of the La Tour ski resort, there’s a great couloir that you can ski from France to Switzerland within. Skiing from one country to another is a truly unique experience.
It is highly recommended that you have a great guide in Chamonix. Glacier travel, avalanche danger, and extremely complex terrain make hiring a guide a no brainer.
There’s not much to think about on this one. If you’d like to ski the most legendary ski terrain on Earth, it’s time to drop in. Le Grand Adventure Tours has got you covered with an epic trip lined up this winter:
Le Grand Adventure Tours’ Chamonix guided ski trip: March 22nd – March 29th, 2015.
CHAMONIX, FRANCE BY THE NUMBERS:
- Basics:
- 13 ski resorts and 9 villages
- Average annual snowfall = 429 inches
- Longest Run = 13-miles long Valle Blanche
- Chamonix has 14 bars, 80 restaurants, and 7 nightclubs
- Skiing/ Mountain Resort Stats:
- Top Elevation/Lift: 3,842m/ 12,678′
- Base Elevation: 1035m/ 3415′
- Vertical Drop: 2807m/ 9263′
- Longest Run: 21km/ 13 miles
- Total Runs: 170km/ 106 miles
- Total Trails: 145
- Beginner: 23%
- Intermediate:31%
- Advanced: 33%
- Expert: 13%
- Cross Country: 42 km
- Ski Lifts:
- Total Lifts: 49 (Cham’ski pass)
- Gondolas/cable cars: 13
- Chair Lifts: 16
- Surface Lifts: 19
- Uplift capacity: 52,660 per/hour
- Travel Info:
- Main Airport: Geneva (GVA), Switzerland
- Distance Geneva: 62 miles (1hr 15min);
- Main Train Station: Lyon, France
- Distance Lyon: 130 miles (2 hours)
- Easy access to Italy and Switzerland.
