Chamonix: Upscale Downhill Run

For aficionados of skiing such as I, when the sun is bright and the snow is kind, skiing off- piste (off the trail) can be so beautiful and so exhilarating that you feel you are skiing on clouds, above the run of ordinary mortals.

A lightness of heart seems momentarily translated into a similar feeling in the body. You are almost in touch with your own subconscious, yet closer to the elements than you have ever been. It is true euphoria; nothing can equal it.

It’s so great that when you return to your hotel, or wherever, at the end of the day, you may very well resolve to give up piste -skiing forever. That is, until you change your mind.

You know you’re going to start all over again the next morning. You get the fever, such as race-track gamblers. It’s comparable.

Exhilaration is my principal memory from an early-in-the-year vacation in Chamonix. Thanks to the fine weather, I was able to concentrate on the really exceptional skiing, mostly off- piste , the specialty in this region.

A Famous Run

The most famous run in the area, and quite probably the longest and most beautiful off- piste run in Europe, is Vallee Blanche, a glacier that stretches more than 12 miles from the Aiguille du Midi, at 3,842 meters, almost to the edge of the town at 1,035 meters. Although a really good skier could do it twice in one day, most of us prefer to take it at a leisurely pace, indulging in a good picnic about halfway down the slope.

Also, most skiers do not find it a difficult run, although there is an awkward walk from the top of the cable-car lift along a ridge. This involves holding onto a rope with one hand while holding your skis in the other, unless your guide or instructor, or anyone, is kind enough to realize that you are unfamiliar with the terrain and offer to take them for you.

You will not enjoy this part at all if you suffer from vertigo. It is the only drawback to otherwise great skiing.

Vallee Blanche is only skiable in fine winter weather, so March is a better bet than January. It is always advisable to take a guide with you because of the danger of crevasses and its remoteness. This is unfamiliar terrain that needs some study.

Here you have an option. If you want to go one better than Vallee Blanche, which is a well-worn route, you might prefer to go skiing by helicopter. For this you must cross the border into Italy, because pressure from conservationists has persuaded the French government to ban helicopters except for military or emergency purposes use.

Fly by Helicopter

You can reach Courmayeur from Chamonix via the Mont-Blanc tunnel in half an hour, and from there it is just a few miles to Valgrisanche, one of several French-sounding villages on the Italian side of the Mont Blanc range, where I did fly by helicopter, and a very fine ride it was.

The helicopters can take only four skiers at a time and that very short ride costs about $200. When you have to pay for a guide as well, it does become an expensive undertaking, but in the right conditions I think it’s worth the money.

It’s a thrill in itself to be plunked down on top of a mountain by helicopter. To ski down through virgin snow, feeling the consistency alter from powder to crust, to spring snow lower down is really exciting.

Adding spice to this adventure is the possibility, even probability, of finding something unexpected over the next ridge, real serendipity.

This was memorably illustrated when I was at the head of our small group, skiing down with carefree abandon when I was suddenly confronted by a stream several yards wide. For a moment I toyed with the idea of jumping it, but just in time managed to bring myself to a stop, as anyone no longer young should do.

A Brave Attempt

I turned to shout a warning to my companions behind me, but my nearest pursuer shot past, saw the stream at the very last moment and tried to jump. Alas, it was a very brave attempt and deserves much credit, but his ski tips bit into the far bank and he was catapulted out of his bindings to land nose-first in the soft snow beyond.

He was unhurt, but his inelegant stunt was laughed at uproariously by the rest of us, as people always do find something amusing about the mishaps of someone else.

Although it was a marvelous run, it was accomplished in less than half the time it took to go down Vallee Blanche, which must be considered an outstanding value by comparison. Both expeditions can be arranged through the local tourist office, or tour company representatives who are easy to find.

I found that the best skiing in the Chamonix area is at Argentiere, where a two-stage cable car takes you to the top of Grand Montets at 3,275 meters. The north-facing slopes invariably provide superb snow, and the long black-and-red runs from the top have been supplemented during the past few years by a growing network of telecabine and chairlifts at the mid-station. They offer a wide variety of easier skiing for those who prefer it that way.

If you take along a guide or instructor, or someone, it is also possible to explore numerous off- piste runs. The skiing area is so wide that you can keep choosing a different way down. A really good skier could stick to the Grand Montets for at least a week and never be bored by the same runs.

Several other skiing areas are around Chamonix, where I stayed. Le Brevent, nearest to the town, has a back run with quite a steep beginning, and Les Houches, a pretty village to the southwest, has a lovely tree run.

From Les Houches you can also ski to Les Contamine and St. Gervais. The skiing at La Flegere and Le Tour is relatively humdrum, unless of course you go off- piste , my favorite way to go.

A Life of Its Own

I found Chamonix much to my liking and stayed a week at Club Mediterranee for about $250. The town has a life of its own, quite apart from the usual features of a ski resort with nearly 100 hotels, good restaurants, cinemas, a casino and all the sorts of shops you expect to find in a French provincial town. Plus a great deal of the junk invariably displayed for tourists.

A town like this makes life very pleasant for any non-skier. There’s a lot of exploring to be done and it takes a while to do it properly. If you do enough foot-slogging and compare prices to what they are at home, you can find plenty of good bargains, and food that is outrageously tempting, nothing to lose weight on, alas.

Bargains include jewelry, something that really frightens me at home. It may be the effect of all that crowded glitter and the bright lighting in the windows, but here I find them soothing; amethyst or pearl necklaces are not exorbitant. A large and attractive market is open in all weather for the real bargain hunters.

No matter where you stay in Chamonix it is quite a walk, even to Le Brevent. Every other ski area requires a bus ride, and while I found the bus network efficient once I got familiar with it, the best way is to bring or hire your own car, which I did not. It would have made things easier, although nothing was all that difficult.

However, for those who do not have a car and still want to cram as much skiing as possible into a vacation, Courmayeur over the border is more efficiently organized. There you leave your boots and skis at the top of the main cable car from the village, thus avoiding clumping around with your skis biting into your shoulder, an occupational hazard, or nuisance.

Something for Everyone

The skiing in that immediate area has something for everyone and is more extensive than Chamonix’s nearest ski area, Le Brevent. From the bottom of the cable car you can easily walk to most chalets and hotels.

Courmayeur has a lot in its favor. If I mention that there is a pub called the Red Lion, one may get the impression that the place is an Alpine tourist trap to be avoided, which would be grossly untrue. Courmayeur is a compact and stylish Italian resort where we invaders are outnumbered by natives, which I find all to the good.

And the Red Lion is one of the classiest bars in town. When I went in with an American acquaintance we were the only Americans in the place, although there were plenty of people from other countries, all speaking English, of sorts.

For my money, however, I would advise anyone who has the time and the inclination to explore one of the finest skiing areas in the Alps to stay in Chamonix. Not because it is a bigger place, with better shops and more action, etc., but I think you get better value, too.