A Weekend in Chamonix, France

Il suffit de descendre du canapé à Chamonix!

(Just get off the couch in Chamonix!)

Chamonix Mont Blanc is a world famous ski resort perfect for the outdoor enthusiast. It has gorgeous snow-capped peaks, incredible skiing and outdoor sports, a charming town, and that French accent! Joie de Vive! What more can a girl ask for?

How about some decent skiing, for starters…

Getting there: Chamonix is about an hour drive from Geneva, Switzerland Airport. It is easiest to rent a car and drive to town rather than take the bus service there. Besides, you will need a car to drive to each ski lift. Hello, Hertz!

Friday: Hit the slopes! As I mentioned, hop in your car and drive over to the closest lift area. Check here for a map of the ski area and which lift is conveniently located to where you are staying.

Wow- if you like skiing- boy have you found your paradise! My Pepper and I went in February- and it happened to be the year they had unprecedented snowfall. Yippee! In Chamonix, the ski runs are called “pistes”, and they have a different grading system then in the U.S. European runs are graded as green, (beginner), blue (easy), red (intermediate), black(expert) and orange (only found in Austria and Switzerland- meaning-hell no! Too hard!)

If you are planing on skiing more than one day, I would recommend getting a Chamonix Valley Ski Pass. Le Pass allows you access to all the lifts with one swipe.

If downhill skiing is not for you- check out the Cross Country Ski Trails in Chamonix. They are so extensive that they are graded as green, blue, red and black also!

Saturday: Are you feeling adventurous! C’mon, just get off the couch and head out for a little ice-climbing! Whaaaat?! Yep, Ice. Climbing. Not skating. Check out what it is all about here. It’s so fun! And scary! And challenging! You will love it! And when you make it to the top of the ice fall, you will be screaming with glee like I did! It is quite empowering.

We found a private guide online and rented equipment at a local shop near our hotel. The guide picked us up and drove us to a 100 ft. ice fall outside of Chamonix in Italy. It was a half day excursion so we still had time to go snow showing that evening! Check out Cloud 9 for a great guided experience! Whatever your pleasure- we chose to do a Moonlit Evening Snow Shoe in the mountains with hot chocolate in an igloo then dinner afterward at a local restaurant. It was such a cool experience to “hike” at night by moonlight! Unforgettable evening!

Sunday: If you are tired from such an active few days or conditions are not perfect for skiing, spend some time walking around Chamonix!

Head to Aiguille du Midi first thing in the morning (8:00am) to be the first in line for this epic gondola ride to the top of High Mountain via Europes highest cable car. Check here for updates on hours, etc. The lift takes you up 3842m. where you will have a clear view of Mont Blanc.

If you have time, get in line to Step Into The Void, a 2.50m glass cage that juts out 1000m. I hope you are not afraid of heights! You can find hours and pricing here.

Feeling hungry? Restaurant Le 3842 serves delicious bites from 12-2pm all year round (except November). A reservation is HIGHLY recommended-there are only 26 seats inside the restaurant!