Snowboarders! One of those mind-numbing choices that you have to face in Chamonix
(apart from arguing where the best beer in town is or which club
has the best atmosphere) - where to ride?
If the snow is thin in Chamonix, Aiguille du Midior Grands Montets
have enough altitude to always get snow. This is serious snowboarding off piste riding.
If you're into tricks, check out some of the natural kickers at
Le Brevent and La Flégère.
To learn, the pistes of
Le Tour and Les Houches are most accommodating. There's a halfpipe
built at the Grands Montets and a natural one at Le Tour. Check out our Snowboarding Parks & Pipes page for more information.
These are just guide lines. Each area has the potential for serious
action as well as being a useful learning environment. The Chamonix Bus will take you for free to any of these areas.
Chamonix rates high on the competition/freeride circuit and hosts
a number of events each winter. Check out our events page to see what's on.
Brévent Snowboarding
Brévent and Flégère have been linked by a horizontal cable-car allowing skiers and boarders to jump from one ski area to the other. On the sunny side of the Chamonix Valley, with stunning views of the Mont-Blanc range, this is a great all-around area. There are some good green, blue and easy red runs for the less experienced boarder. At the other end of the scale, the off piste is excellent with some of the steepest gulleys (couloirs) in the Valley. Most of these are in easy hiking distance (10-15 minutes) from the top of a lift.
With all it's natural hits, Flégère is a snowboarder's dream! The cat tracks make for some good take off points and have many great obstacles and kickers. The off piste is excellent and Flégère is often bathed in sunlight till the end of the day. The Combe Lachenal is hard to beat for powder, with a good vertical drop through the trees. Check with the ski patrol before venturing out as this area is prone to avalanches.
The index lift has a 6-man chair lift that opened in 2006 giving much faster access to the slopes. Index is the highest lift in Flégère and offers some steep reds, blues and some fun off piste riding with a great natural hip
This is glacier terrain (crevassed) so experience and mountain awareness are essential. For newcomers to this area, we recommend following the marked trails. To venture off the piste, hire a guide or at least take an avalanche awareness and glacier travel course.
The Pas de Chevre is an excellent run, for expert boarders. It runs south west from the top station, has three variants and descends to the Mer de Glace at the end of the Vallée Blanche. Beware this is a high risk avalanche zone. Grands Montets has recently created a park great for all levels and for perfecting your tricks.
This is probably the best area in the valley for beginners and intermediates. At the bottom, three drag lifts make up the Vormaine area, ideal for complete novices or children with its green and blue runs. For confirmed riders, there are some interesting kickers scattered around the area slightly off of the main slopes - keep your eyes open. A natural half pipe exists, but is often dependent on snow conditions.
On big snow-dump days, take idyllic off-piste runs off the back, down through the trees, then get the Esserts chair lift back up and start all over again. Alternatively, continue right down to Vallorcine via the track. At the bottom there is the Vallorcine train station and Arête Bougnette bar restaurant.
Les Houches is a resort in its own right, just inside the south entrance to the Chamonix Valley.
Like Le Tour, this is a good place for beginners and intermediates. Much more sheltered than the other ski areas, it' s a good place to go when the weather's bad. Lots of fun piste runs through the trees.
