It’s a rare treat, riding a cable car with one of the world’s most talented extreme skiers, who’s about to shred a super gnarly off-piste line, and then paraglide off a cliff back down to earth like it’s just another day at the office. That’s Chamonix in a nutshell, a place where mortals can rub shoulders with the gods of the sport, and then ski off in another direction to rip their own lines on friendlier terrain.

I randomly met Ross Hewitt, a friendly Scottish expat who’s called Chamonix home for decades, thirty minutes after pulling into the jewel of the French Alps on a bluebird Monday in early March to catch a late afternoon ride on the famed Aiguille du Midi cable car – the mother of all big mountain gondolas. With mucho clouds and snow in the forecast, the window of opportunity to bathe my eyes in the glory of the gargantuan Mont-Blanc massif (Western Europe’s highest point at 4808m or about 15,775 ft) was limited, given I only had 48 hours to ski and sightsee in this iconic French mountain town.

The breathtaking ride up to the Aiguille du Midi (3842m or about 12,600 feet) is an absolute must-do on any trip to Chamonix, so much so that half a million visitors ride up this incredible cable car every year. The first stop on this highwire trek is at Plan de l’Aiguille (2317m) the switching point to the next cable car. Cable car number two is a marvel of extreme engineering, dangling high above the Les Pelerins glacier without any support pillars as it ferries passengers up the north face of the Aiguille to the top station at 3778m. The last leg is an elevator ride that takes you up to Aiguille’s magnificent panoramic terrace with 360-degree views of the Mont-Blanc range, the Chamonix valley, and neighboring Italy and Switzerland. If you hit it on a clear day like I did, you can even see Switzerland’s famed Matterhorn peak. This is also the closest you’ll get to Mont-Blanc without breaking a serious sweat in climbing gear.

While waiting for our midstation ride to the top of the Aiguille du Midi (which means “needle at midday” en Français), Mr. Hewitt was kind enough to give me a quick sketch of the wide assortment of ski terrain available to skiers of all levels in Chamonix, before nonchalantly heading off to ski the legendary main pitch of Rond Glacier which would connect him to Midi’s West Couloir, before switching to paraglider mode and swooping back down into the valley like an eagle.

“Chamonix is well known for its extreme backcountry ski options, but it also hosts a bunch of steep lift access runs from the 3842m Aiguille du Midi cable car like the classic Cosmiques Couloir, Rond, West Couloir, Mallory and Col du Plan. Some are so steep the snow doesn’t stick until the end of May. But it’s not all gnar, and over the years Chamonix has developed and added groomers to provide for everyone. The Brévent – Flégère ski area offers jaw dropping views over Mont-Blanc, and the Chamonix Aiguilles are linked by a cable car. The reinstatement of the Grands Montets cable car in 2026 will provide powder and storm skiing from 3300m that originally made Chamonix a skier’s destination in the 1960s. If you’re not into steeps, at the bottom of the valley lies the Les Houches ski area, with its fir tree lined groomers reminiscent of Colorado resorts, and at the top of the valley the Balme – Le Tour ski area has mellow groomers above the trees, as well as some exciting off-piste down to Vallorcine and Switzerland,” said Hewitt.

Having checked the spine-tingling ride up to Aiguille du Midi off my Chamonix must-do list, I zipped back down into town and settled into my mountain home for the next two days, the luxurious Alpina Eclectic Hotel & Spa. Here’s what my 48 hours in Chamonix looked like…

SKIING IN CHAMONIX

Chamonix is regarded by many as the Mecca of “big mountain” skiing because of the incredible amount of steep, off-piste terrain that is accessible via lifts – but it’s also, quite literally a “big mountain” resort because skiers have the option to explore 110 km of marked downhill trails, spread out over four different ski areas, on four different mountain sides: Les Houches, Les Grands Montets, Brévent-Flégère, and Balme – Le Tour.

High altitude skiing usually means excellent snow conditions, and with 90% of its trails located at or above 2000m (6500 ft) it’s almost a given in Chamonix. On my first day I was fortunate enough to rip around the friendly groomers of the Balme – Le Tour ski area with local instructor and guide Alex Mills from nearby ESF Argentière Ski School. A Chamonix local with roots in the U.K., Alex was the perfect person to ski with on a day when clouds and fog made visibility extremely limited.

Hiring a guide is not a must in Chamonix if you’re staying on piste, but on this day it was a real bonus as Alex always knew exactly where to go, even when we couldn’t see the tips of our skis in the mountain mist. As the day progressed, we did get spurts of sunshine and blue skies, and I quickly discovered that despite its “big mountain” reputation, Chamonix is still chock-full of fabulous groomed runs for people who prefer carving corduroy over dropping cliffs. Snow conditions, it should be noted, were fantastic, especially if buttery hardpack is your cup of tea.

With the prediction of light snow overnight, and the return of sunshine in the forecast I thought my second day on snow in Chamonix would be a great day out with a little bit of fresh sugar on the mountain…but quite unexpectedly it turned into one of the best powder days I’ve ever experienced in my life.

Everyone in Chamonix, it seems, is either one of the best skiers on the planet – or directly connected to one of the titans of the ski world. My day one guide Alex Mills, for example, is a close friend of pink-Mohawked extreme skiing legend Glen Plake, who spends a lot of time in Chamonix.

“I can call Glen to see if he’s free for a beer later today,” Mills said while riding the chairlift reminiscing  days from his childhood when Plake, a close family friend, would babysit him when his parents were out.

My Day 2 ski guide Patrick Devouassoux, it turns out, is the father of Jonas Devouassoux, a World Cup Ski Cross champ and winter olympian. Working out of the ESF Chamonix ski school, Devouassoux, like Mills, was keenly aware of every inch of every couloir, bowl, cliff, piste and lift in Chamonix, which came in very handy when we discovered a huge amount of unexpected snow – we’re talking 30-50 cms here –  had fallen on the upper parts of the Brévent-Flégère ski area overnight.

“It’s great we started early,” Devouassoux told me with a huge smile on his face riding up the mountain. “It’s going to be first tracks for us until noon if we play our cards right,” he added.

Devouassoux was not wrong, we hit first tracks powder jackpot all morning, starting with a dealer’s choice run on the Chavanne piste, with groomed corduroy on one side of the track and untouched, ankle deep pow on the other!

Next, we quickly made our way up toward the summit of the Flégère ski area (2525m) via the Index chairlift, and arrived just as the Floria drag lift was about to open up. Our hustle paid off, as when we reached the top we discovered the Floria and Crochues runs were both blanketed with knee-deep untracked powder!

“This is a real treat, even for me, and I’m here every day! This is Chamonix in its most natural state, and you’re about to enjoy 700m of untracked powder, and the sun is out too!” Devouassoux proclaimed before launching down the mountain in a maelstrom of white gold!

After a morning of powder-charged hoots and hollers on the upper part of Flégère, we ripped our way back down to the valley on a white carpet of hero snow called François Bonlieu, named after the famed French ski racer who won Giant Slalom gold at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria.

Before saying farewell, I asked Devouassoux what his pro-tip was for skiers who have never visited Chamonix before, and this is what he said…

“If you’re skiing Chamonix for two days and want to mix it up, you can spend one day at an area like Brévent-Flégère which has a fantastic assortment of marked trails, and off-piste terrain, and spend a second day exploring the mythical off-piste offerings of Les Grands Montets, or a day of more ‘relaxed’ skiing at Balme-Le Tour or Les Houches, both of which have a great selection of tamer slopes for families and less experienced skiers.”

DINING IN CHAMONIX

For foodies, spending a few days Chamonix is almost like being in Paris. Fresh baguettes, wafer thin crèpes, flaky croissants and pain au chocolats, all the simple, quotidian classics the French capital has to offer are also available, all over this iconic alpine ski town. If you’re partial to French haute cuisine, feel free to visit Albert 1er, a wonderful 1-star Michelin restaurant located right in Chamonix. Atmosphère, Le Matafan, and Akashon are also great places to dine if you’re not looking to venture out of town.

Le Buffet Alpina

As I was only in town for two days, and had a jam-packed itinerary, I thought eating and sleeping in the same establishment might be a good idea, at least for my first night in Chamonix. With this in mind, I selected the Alpina Eclectic Hotel & Spa because I’d heard it had THE MOST fabulous buffet-style restaurant, and a jaw-dropping 180-degree panoramic view of Chamonix and the Mont-Blanc range that I could enjoy during breakfast and dinner.

So, on my first evening in Chamonix, I dropped into Le Buffet Alpina, located on the hotel’s seventh floor around 8:30. Once the hypnotic spell cast by the views of the saffron-hued twinkling lights of Chamonix, and the moonlit, snow-capped peaks towering over the town wore off, I dove into a meat-lover’s smorgasbord, gleefully filling my plate with scrumptious, fall-off-the-bone beef ribs coated with a delicious sweet & tangy sauce, tender pork medallions, and a delicious pan-seared faux-filet sirloin steak made to order right before my very eyes.  The scalloped “Dauphinoise” potatoes on the side of my dish were so sweet and delicious they should have counted as dessert, but I couldn’t resist the homemade Tarte au Myrtille (blueberry pie) and Mousse au Chocolat on the menu that night, so I splurged in the calorie department.

Breakfast during my stay at the Alpina was heavenly. Anything you could imagine for “le petit dejeuner”  in France was readily available. The pastries were incredible, the fresh fruits and juices were luscious, and the omelet station was unbelievable! Ultimately, if high end, footloose and fancy-free buffet style, in-house dining at a very centrally located luxury hotel is your thing, the Alpina Eclectic is an excellent choice when in Chamonix. I can’t wait to go back!

Les Écuries de Charamillon

There is no shortage of excellent on-mountain dining while skiing in Chamonix. As I would only be skiing a half day on my second day in town, I could only pick one ski-in/ski-out lunch location while in the area. In the end a cheeseburger made my choice for me – and before you start shaking your head in disgust about how stereotypical, and gauche it is for a North American to order a cheeseburger in the French Alps – THIS WAS NO ORDINARY CHEESEBURGER!

The dining options at Les Écuries de Charamillon, a charming, rustic former mountain stable transformed into a refuge/restaurant are numerous. You can nibble on a delicious meat and cheese charcuterie board, devour classic Savoyard dishes like Tartiflette, Croûte au Fromage, or Farçon savoyard & diots, or crush a rib steak, a Caesar salad, or a nice Lasagna alla Bolonese. But if you ordered any of these items, you’d be missing out on the Moby Dick of cheeseburgers – Le Savoyard.

So what’s so special about the Savoyard? Why is it the great white whale of cheeseburgers?  Two words – Reblochon cheese. Reblochon, which is a Savoie region, semi-soft, raw milk cheese with roots that go back to the 13th century, is not available in the United States because it’s traditionally aged around 50 days, and the FDA prohibits the import and sale of any unpasteurized raw milk cheese that is aged less than 60 days…so your chances of scarfing down a Reblochon cheeseburger stateside are zero.

The Savoyard, simply put, was AMAZING. The freshly made, locally sourced beef patty was cooked to perfection (medium pour moi), and served on a soft, artisanal bun, topped with super melty Reblochon cheese, bacon, onions, lettuce, and sauce au poivre (black peppercorn sauce). The fresh cut homemade fries on the side were outstanding, and truly made this cheeseburger experience something I won’t soon forget.

Restaurant L’Index

Nestled in a little, pastoral clearing called Le Bois du Bouchet, a five minute walk from the center of Chamonix, is one of the most charming little restaurants you’ll find anywhere in the Alps. Situated facing the Mont-Blanc massif, L’Index bills itself as a place of “Cuisine et Culture” and during the summer months hosts outdoor musical concerts that draw thousands of people to Chamonix every year.

Managed by William Roux and Thibault Collomb, L’Index is sort of a hybrid “living space combining culture and cuisine” where French and Savoyard “bistronomic” classics are re-examined, and sometimes reinvented. The concept of “local” is at the very heart of L’Index, as all the food here is locally sourced, and Chef Xavier Aubel, and his staff bend over backwards to make sure everyone who enters their establishment is treated like a beloved local.

My dinner began with a fabulously fruity aperitif in the form of a peach wine called RinQuinQuin, served with a cube of ice. Super refreshing and crazy delicious if you love peaches. Up next was a devilishly delectable butternut squash “velouté” mini-soup, seasoned with sage, topped with hazelnut oil, and served with a couple of “sablé” savory cheese biscuits that only Beelzebub himself could have baked. No word of a lie, I could have easily consumed 500 of these little devils if I had the opportunity.

For my main, I chose a locally bred lamb chop served with “pomme de terre boulangère” which can only be described as one of the best lamb and roast potato dishes I’ve ever tasted. Pour le dessert, I selected  a classic Pavlova (meringue) aux Oranges Amers de la Brasserie des Voirons – which was absolute melt-in-your mouth orange citrus magic!

SIGHTSEEING AND SHOPPING IN CHAMONIX

As I was only in Chamonix for 48 hours, I didn’t have a ton of time to shop or sightsee when I wasn’t skiing or stuffing my face with delicious French food. However I still managed to check out a few wonderful attractions and shops while in town.

Step into the Void – Aiguille du Midi Skywalk

If you’ve got a fear of heights, or vertigo, this might not be the kind of tourist attraction for you – but if losing your lunch is something that’s NOT gonna happen when you stand on a transparent floor looking into an alpine abyss – then the Step into the Void Skywalk is something you’re gonna love! Free to anyone who has the guts, and a ticket to ride up the Aiguille du Midi cable car, this death defying glass room is located on the top terrace of this amazing cable car station at an altitude of 3842m. It claims to be “the highest attraction in Europe” with all that stands before visitors and the1000m (3280 feet) of free air directly below them, being three glass walls, a glass roof and and a glass floor. Definitely not for the faint of heart…but oh what a place to snap a few selfies!

Église Saint-Michel de Chamonix-Mont-Blanc

France has a lot of magnificent churches and cathedrals, and while Saint-Michel de Chamonix-Mont-Blanc is no Notre-Dame or Chartres Cathedral, it’s still worth a visit, especially if you’re a mountain lover. Just inside the main doors, on the right and left, are two exquisite stained glass windows featuring alpine skiers and mountain climbers in vivid colors. The works of famed French stained glass artist Louis Balmet, the two panels were created in Grenoble, and installed in 1925, and yes, they are gorgeous!

Maison de la Montagne/Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix

It makes perfect sense that the world’s oldest high mountain guide company would be housed in the oldest building in town, but that’s exactly where you’ll find the Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix, which was founded in 1821. The building itself is an architectural treasure. Originally built as a priory for Benedictine monks in the 1200s , it’s now home to the ESF Chamonix ski school, the CGC, and the Office de la Haute Montagne on the top floor where visitors can see a raised relief, topographical 3D map of Chamonix and the Mont-Blanc massif. The Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix is also the perfect place to book a private guide, or a group booking for backcountry skiing, hiking, rock and ice climbing, as well as a few other assorted mountain activities…and they’ve got a fab gift shop with very cool CGC logo merchandise!

Chamonix Office de Tourisme

Located right in the heart of Chamonix, the Office de Tourisme de Chamonix is a fantastic place to obtain information about what’s going on in town, but it also has a very robust assortment of tourist merchandise at very reasonable prices. I managed to pick up a couple of Chamonix logo ball caps, some t-shirts, keychains, and a super soft hoodie for a friend.

Shoukâ Chamonix

If you’re a coffee and chocolate junkie then you’ll luuuuuuuv Shoukâ, a high end, boutique coffee roaster and “bean to chocolate” bespoke chocolatier that’s located right in town. Fortunately for the junkies going to Shoukâ to score, you can buy and consume right on site with no questions asked, as long as you pay for it with legal tender! Coffee, chocolate, baked treats using both, it’s all here and it’s all delicious!

Technique Extreme Chamonix

Chamonix is wall to wall covered with high-end mountaineering brand shops, but the one I got the biggest kick out of was Chamonix Extreme, a mountaineering boutique with hard and soft goods that are “designed in Chamonix Mont Blanc ” that is extremely budget-friendly! Whether you’re looking for climbing gear, camping gear, skis, cold weather clothing, you’ll find most of the top brands here, but you’ll also find some incredible bargains too, like the micro back-packs I found for 5 Euros each that are the perfect size for a day out on skis when all you need to carry is a wallet, a little bottle of water and some sunscreen!

MORE INFO ON CHAMONIX: 

Chamonix is part of the prestigious Best of the Alps group of luxury European ski resorts. To find out more about Chamonix go to www.bestofthealps.com.

Getting to Chamonix is relatively simple as it’s only a 75-minute bus or car ride from Geneva Airport. It’s also accessible by rail, and has its own train line which connects to France’s national SNCF rail system.

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