The Chamonix area has 5 main ski areas forming 176km of pistes the 5 areas are: Les Grands Montets, Brévent/ Flégère, Les Houches, Balme (Le Tour and Vallorcine) and Aiguille du Midi. If you purchase the Mont Blanc Unlimited pass, your pass will also include Verbier and Courmayeur allowing access to 700km of pistes. All of the areas with the Chamonix Valley are serviced by an efficient free bus service. Chamonix also offers some of the best off-piste in the world, in particular the Vallée Blanche, the most famous skiing run in the world.
Although Chamonix is not known to be the best beginner ski resort there are still some good parts in which to learn to ski. The best areas are Savoy, at the bottom of Brévent and Les Planards on the opposite side. Les Houches also has good parts for beginners.
The best areas for intermediates are the Balme and above Le Tour. These are great for cruising and usually not that crowded. Here there are also excellent tree-lined slopes on the Northside of the Tête de Balme and a lovely blue run that goes down to Vallorcine. However, there are plenty of red runs and off piste skiing for intermediate skiers to practice on.
Chamonix has a reputation for its serious skiing and the Grand Montets area is a major player for upholding its reputation. With the highest lift at 3275m this area provides 2075m of vertical decent. The world record for the greatest vertical descent was set here by Canadian, Mark Jones, with 51 descents and a vertical of 64,000m. Would you like to try and beat that?
All of the ski areas in Chamonix have fantastic off-piste, but Chamonix is home to the most famous off-piste run in the world; the Vallée Blanche. The Vallée Blanche run starts at the Aiguille du Midi at 3842m, the highest ski lift in Europe. The Vallée Blanche is a 24km off-piste run down a glacier offering spectacular views and amazing skiing, however, a guide is highly recommended.
The main snow park called the Snow Bowl Park is in Les Grands Montets and is sponsored by Salomon. It features kickers, rails and a boardercross, and is a must do for any snowboarder. At Brévent there is also a selection of rails and often an air bag to practice on.