Chamonix next season.

Billiards.

Billiards.

Active member
I have some questions for anyone who knows the area at all. I will be there for january and february of next season. I know they have sick off piste and I will be mainly skiing that. But! do they have a park, if so is it dope???? and are there urbans in the city?!! thanks to anyone with legit answers.
 
Lucky bastard. I'm sure they have some form of a park, but please, please do not neglect the off-piste stuff. It's legendary.
 
Chamonix is the big mountain mecca of the world 69 skiers and snowboarders die on average every year the mountains are soo big and so gnar you will shit your pants, The parks in Chamonix sucks if your a park rat goes somewhere else casue this place will kill even the best big mountain skiers inteh world, some of the most famous skiers,snowboarders and mountain guides have died in this valley. Trevor Peterson included (kyes dad.) Make sure you take avi gear , ice axes harness everyuthing. There are a few good urban rails that really dope double kink ledge that pep , boyd and Anthony hit in 1242 is out the front of the chamonix libary, Chamonix is so good for partying, mad hot swedeish chicks, amazing skiins and soo many resorts anyways if you want more info message me I live in Verbier 2 valleys over in Switzerland most seasons.
 
I was in chamonix over christmas, no park that i could see, but that may have being due to the lack of snow, it was all artifical and mostly just ice, hmm? Let me look one second
 
im pretty sure they built a park for the first time ever this year...i was booked for a week there but we are going to serre chevalier instead
 
a word of advice: king's crown isn't the best training ground for the off-piste at chamonix. go climb superior kid. ski down backwards, blindfolded, drunk.
 
make sure to go up the aguille de midi in remembrance of when glen plake skiid out of the tunnel it goes into at the top
 
I'm spending this season in Chamonix and will be coming back next season as well. The mountains make any ski resort in North America look small and weak. There are absolutely no rules, you can go where ever you want, including closed runs. Google the Mallory off the Aiguille du Midi for easily the gnarlist lift accessed line in the world. You can blatantly endanger the lives of thousands of people by skiing a huge avalanche prone bowl right above the rest of the area and there is nothing they can or will do to stop you. Its absolutely the best ski area i've ever been to (It's actually 7 small areas connected by busses but whatever) and I've done the best powder skiing in my life here, and I lived at Alta/Snowbird for 5 years. As far as parks go, well Les Grands Montets has one, it's nothing special. You can build booters of any size anywhere in the areas however as their are absolutely no rules.

Make sure you have avalanche gear (beacon, shovel, probe etc) because anytime you leave a groomed trail you might as well be in the backcountry here.

Your also going to want to have a harness, and bellay device for the Aiguille du Midi. Crampons are nice, but not necessary, I've yet to use them getting off the Aiguille, regardless of what the british tourists will tell you. The same goes for an ice ax, ice screws and a good 30 meter glacier rope. You can get by without all of these but you may well pay for it.

none of this shit is required, they aren't dicks like Baker, Sunshine, Bridger etc. all the North American resorts that insist on holding your hand, but you will want it anyway as you are on your own here.

Where are you going to be living? Are you planning on working in town?
 
I just saw you were only 15 and claim you won't be doing any gnarly off piste? Get that idea out of your head, take advantage of being in Cham to go crazy, you'll return to N.A. and just laugh at the terrain. Plus it's the best place to learn, get your confindence deailing with glaciers and avalanches up when your young.
 
i was in cham this year between march 2nd and march 11th. they do have a park, mostly jumps and the few rails they had were really skettchy. but you don't go to cham to ride park! the off trail is incrdible. i did the valee blanche and i really recomend it. or if one day you ride argentierre just take the cab to the top and go off trail from the begining but don't go to far out without a guide. the view from there is incredible you can see crevase and the blue color of the glaciers. so if your in cham, i d recomend to really go and ride off piste and just maybe chill one afternoon in the park. by the way the park is located in the grand montets and is pretty easy to spot. and don't say you won't do any crazy off piste because your only 15, im 13 and had the time of my life and you should have seen the look on my guide's face when i was carving in powder sincronised with him.. anyway take care! enjoy your trip.
 
oh and for urbans there is a few but the best is a ledge beside the library i can't remember who hit that one in a movie but it was sick.
 
yar. the only sketchy thing is the crevasses...you gotta have bare knowledge to know where they all are and in my experience seasonairres are a bit cavalier about it. Furthermore I wouldn't actually recommend Cham for a season (unless you have a car with you) because it is so split up - fucking big mission to get from one section of the resort to the other.

Also if you are there on a big pow day its like 2hrs to get to another section of the mtn by the time youve gone to the bottom then got a bus to the next lift etc, by then its all skied out. I would say come to Verbier but dont because there are already too many people there.

Maybe you should reassess if Cham is the best place for you to go, esp. considering you're 15 as Im not in total agreement with the dude I quoted that you are old or can be experienced enough (especially given you are from america, and you say you have limited BC experience). Not trying to be a dick about it but basically all Cham has to offer is big backcountry gnarliness...
 
wooord... not my decision at all though. My parents are already super stoked on chilling in chamonix. I cant change that. I have done some BC skiing here in Utah although I know shit out there is way more intense. This season we havnt gootten too much pow, and I have spent way to much time inthe Park. SO I am realllly looking forward to ski some well reall skiing. Anywho this trip should be baller. ITs not for another year though. So I will be a bit older. 
 
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