Snowboarding Chamonix

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A Snowboard pioneer.

Chamonix was one of snowboarding’s earliest pioneers which, given the areas willingness to embrace most forms of mountain activities, is hardly surprising. There are probably more films, stories and legends about Chamonix and it’s adventurers, athletes and mountains than anywhere else!

The areas.

Spread across three main areas Brevent/Flegere, Grands Montets and Balme, Chamonix is acknowledged as one of the best freeriding snowboard resorts in the world, it’s terrain could have been designed with snowboarders and freeskiers in mind. The gullies, couloir, hips, chutes, outcrops and so many other natural creations  will keep you entertained for years. This variety, and extent, is why so many professional snowboarders base themselves in Chamonix semi-permanently.
One of the best routes is from the top of the Grands Montets cable car. The Point de Vue and Pylones blacks are the way to go, this allows you to head off-piste and along the edge of the Argentiere glacier. Next up is the Combe de la Pendant area, a natural bowl, which offers up a kilometer of powder and off-piste.

The Parks.

If you are new to getting airborne then, the Fun Zone park is a good place to begin. There are a number of gentle Table tops and woops, as well as boxes and railslides to get you into the mood. The Snow Bowl is for Intermediates and Advanced riders, with more and bigger of the same. There is a halfpipe on Grands Montets, although it has usually only been well maintained around the time of any ‘pipe comps.

The access.

The ‘Chamonix le Pass’ liftpass allows access to all three of the main areas. The ‘Unlimited’ pass is required to use the Grands Montets top cable car, but it also gets you onto Courmayeur and Monte Bianco areas, as well as the Aiguille du Midi, Mont Blanc tramway and Montenvers train. The lift system around Chamonix can appear rather disjointed at times, probably due to it being developed over such a long time. Queues during the peak periods can be an issue for some, but the wait os usually more than worth it! Those who drive out will certainly be able to make great use of their car by getting easier access to some of the interesting, but outlying areas. There is a bus service, though this to can be rather variable at times. Although Chamonix has more glaciers than other resorts, it does not have summer snowboarding. The season runs from December through to May each year.