If it's Monday it Must be Chamonix
A European Winter Experience
by Ed Kane

In February of this year I joined a group of Ski Journalists from the Western US on a trip to the Chamonix area for a week plus of skiing and exposure to the winter season in European Alps. It was my first ski trip to Europe after hearing from many of my friends and skiing acquaintances that such a trip was a “must do.” This last winter was a moderate snow year in the Alps and, in addition, the week we were to go coincided with the European winter holiday. Bad timing? Possibly, but that’s not the way it turned out.

We stayed in the Chamonix valley and managed to ski in 3 countries: France, Italy and Switzerland. Not bad for a week on the snow. The first night, we met in the hotel to get acquainted with the area, the guides and the skiing possibilities. Our group had 2 guides that stayed with us for all but 1 day on the snow. Our itinerary was dependent in part on the weather and the preferences of the group. The hilight for some of the group was a planned trip in the back country down the fabled Vallee Blanc. That trip was scheduled for Wednesday and is best done in good visibility and stable weather since it is mainly an open glacier run around crevassed areas. We were told that we would ski three of the areas in the Chamonix valley before going to Italy and Switzerland.

The first day on the snow was at an area named La Tour. While being exceptionally picturesque, it was generally an intermediate area. It became apparent later in the week that this area was preferred by the guides to give them an opportunity to size up the skiing ability of the individuals in the group. This attention to individual capabilities was not totally motivated by considerations of safety. It was primarily motivated by a desire to make sure that everyone in the group would thoroughly enjoy the skiing experience. It seems that the “service model” is a universally accepted concept. A highlight of the development of this particular area, in my mind, was the integration of environmental needs with those of the ski area. This area was host to two large reservoirs that supplied both water and power for the local needs. In addition, it was our first exposure to the typical European ski day which included a formal lunch stop with time to relax before hitting the slope again. Needless to say, the food made the stop worthwhile. Each lodge on the mountain was amply equipped with a large open outdoor area where the lunch crowd could enjoy the scenery and the sun.

The next day was spent at an area called Les Grands Montets, a more challenging area with runs alongside and through glaciated areas. The first run of the morning was down a steep open slope that provided a dream run on the packed powder slope. We could only imagine what it would be like after a fresh snowfall. The backdrop of this area was absolutely spectacular and we were able to look up the route of the Vallee Blanc. Those who had elected to take this trip on the next  day drooled with anticipation. It was large expanses of open slopes with very little in the way of obstacles other than an occasional crevasse here and there. On this day we skied over 15,000 ft. before lunch and still had several hours of fun left after lunch.

On the third day, we accompanied the group who were going to make the run down the Vallee Blanc to the staging area at the top of the Auille Du Midi via cable car. The top of the gondola is at about 14,000 ft. and is somewhat below the top of Mont Blanc which dominates the skyline. From there one could walk up several flights of stairs to the observation platform. This walk made it obvious that we had come up 11.000 ft from the valley floor (after charging up to the first landing, I had to rest step the rest of the way to the observation platform). The view was phenomenal and we could see into Italy, France and Switzerland from the spot where we stood. One of the guides took 8 of our group on the tour. The first 300 to 400 feet was worth the price of admission. The team was roped together so that they could negotiate the steep, icy walkway, with their skis & poles in hand, down a knife ridge to the bench where they would start skiing to the bottom of the glacier. Midway to their destination they stopped for lunch at a mid-mountain hut. This trip was obviously designed to cater to all the senses. Once this group started down the walkway, the rest of us went back down the cable car, crossed to the other side of the valley and spent the rest of the day skiing the LeBrevent and LeFlegere areas. The slopes here were advanced to intermediate and again offered fantastic views including a large number of folks paragliding from the restaurant where we had lunch.

Thursday we boarded a bus, left the fogged-in Chamonix valley and traveled through the Mont Blanc tunnel to sunny Italy and the Courmayeur ski area. The crowd here was typical of what we experienced in France. Shoulder to shoulder at the tram from the valley floor and no lines to speak of once we were on the mountain. Each of these areas has a huge amount of area over which to disperse the guests during the day. We spent the morning sampling the terrain offered by the area under the watchful eye of our guide who made sure that we rarely skied the same run more than once. The more adventurous of the group chose to take a guided run down the back country to the bottom. When we met at lunch we found out that those of us who chose the groomed slopes made the better choice. Lunch was a real treat, hosted by the proprietor of the midmountain restaurant. It was served with a great dose of Italian hospitality and flair.

Friday was the day to travel to Verbier in Switzerland. That night there was a reasonably heavy snowfall so that when we left in the morning the roads were snow covered. We could look forward to at least a dusting of new snow over the packed powder base. After crossing the pass into Switzerland, it was apparent that we had moved into wine country. The hill sides were terraced and were covered with grape vine stalks poking up through the snow. We stopped for a break along the way at what was a Swiss version of a Subway/Mini- Mart. Interesting to see how much influence the American way of doing business is copied across the world. We had to climb quite a distance from the valley on a very windy road to reach the base of the ski area at Verbier. (Some of the members of the group chose to ride the gondola down to the valley floor when we left rather than ride the bus.) Here again we boarded the gondola up to the area of the main runs where we met our new Swiss guide for a day of Swiss skiing. This area is absolutely huge and we were only able to cover about 20% of it in a day of vagarious downhill sliding. Off hand one should expect to spend several days here if the ambition was to sample all that it had to offer. Again, the weather broke just before we arrived and we were forced to ski in good visibility on the new snow that they had gotten overnight. Sigh!!! Lunch at Verbier surpassed all that we had before. It was really hard to go back out on the slopes despite the great conditions and well dispersed crowds.

Saturday was spent in Chamonix where we participated in a guided tour of the town learning much of its history and charm. It seems that the development of this area as a mountain climbing and skiing center was due in large part to British tourists that came into the area in the 19th century looking for adventure. The day was capped by a farewell banquet in the true French fashion consisting of a number of elegantly prepared courses. The experience left me with a strong respect for the value of the Service Model and how it affects guests at our ski areas. During the entire time, I felt as if we were valued guests and all of the people with whom we had contact made us feel at home. They were all engaged in making our visit one that we would pleasantly remember. I could readily understand why my skiing associates had kept recommending that I take the time to share in their previous experience. This impression was due in large part to the guides with whom we spent so much time, the hotel personnel, the lift operators and the food service people all of whom acted as if they cared about leaving us with a positive experience.