Chamonix Events - Winter

Wondering what to do this Christmas and New Year?  The festive season in the snowy Alps is always magical and every year there is some sort of celebration in resort to mark the occasion.  Christmas is a far less commercial event in France than in the UK and so you won’t find things publicised for months in advance - but you can always be sure of a glass of vin chaud (mulled wine), a few carols and perhaps the odd firework or two!  Many of the restaurants will put on a special festive menu with champagne and traditional French dishes, so book in advance if you want to treat yourself to a meal out.

Likewise, planning ahead is advised if you have your heart set on ringing in the New Year in a particular bar or club – many of them are ticket-only, so enquire in advance to avoid disappointment!

Christmas in Chamonix officially starts at the very beginning of December (occasionally the last weekend in November) when the Christmas lights are switched on.  The night is marked with vin chaud, hot chocolate and music.  From then on you can enjoy Christmas concerts, festive markets and live music throughout town as the resort gears up for Christmas and New Year.

Christmas Eve is usually marked with street parades, a carol concert outside the Tourist Office and a rather theatrical visit from Father Christmas.  Christmas Masses are held all evening at the Catholic Church in the centre of town (Eglise de Saint Michel).

There doesn’t really tend to be any specific New Year’s Eve celebrations in Chamonix – all the bars hold their own parties, restaurants often lay on a special menu and perhaps some entertainment.  Come midnight the hoards of tipsy revellers head down to the clock tower in the centre of town for the big countdown – not an official event as such, more of a long-held tradition.  On the stroke of midnight you are advised to duck as champagne corks and fireworks are unleashed in celebration!

To find out exactly what Chamonix has in store this year have a look at our What’s On Calendar.  You can read about the revelries of years gone by in our Après Ski Report, just use the drop-down box called ‘Archived Reports’ to go back to the date you are looking for.  To get a feel for what Chamonix nightlife is all about, take a look at our Dining & Going Out Guide.

**NOT TAKING PLACE IN 2010**

Salomon and Chamonix join forces for a weekend series of events geared entirely towards women. There are a host of great activities organised both on and off the mountain - and it is all FREE OF CHARGE, including access to skiing at Les Grands Montets and ski lessons for all standards throughout the valley.

(Sorry guys, no concessions for blokes in tights and Freddie Mercury house-wife outfits as far as we know, although you could always give it a go - send us your pictures if it pays off!)

Highlights include:

• Salomon Fashion Show Live Concert - ladies be sure to download your invitation
• Free entry to Chamonix's museums and exhibition centres
• Wintersports activities accompanied by mountain professionals, including snow-shoeing and ice-climbing (equipment and instruction courtesy of Talents Aiguilles and their local partners

Kandahar Ski Racer

Les Houches in the Chamonix valley is home to the Kandahar World Downhill Ski Championships. This race has become one of the main sporting events in the Chamonix valley and represents the excellent skiing reputation Chamonix possesses.

Created in 1928, the Kandahar was the first international alpine competition to combine downhill and slalom events. This combination still exists in the Olympic Games and the World Championships. Both are spectacular and very difficult and, the race remains a measure of excellence, even if over the past few years, skiers are increasingly less suited to such events.

The downhill race takes place every two years on La Verte piste in Les Houches during early February and over the years has attracted many big downhill competitors including: James Couttet, Karl Schranz, Emile Allais, Ingemar Stenmark, André Aamodt, Alberto Tomba and Bode Miller.

Boss des Bosses seasonnaire competition

The Boss des Bosses is the longest running season worker’s comp in the Alps. Its roots go back to a gauntlet - doubtless luminous - flung at a Val d’Isere fop who impudently suggested that Val’s skiers were better than Chamonix’s. A team bumps competition settled the matter in Chamonix’s favour and now, twenty year’s later on, the comp is still moving from strength to strength. Most of those original competitors - once hard drinking, powder skiing, all-in-one wearing, bums for life - are likely living in suburbia, worrying about the implications of the new one way system to house prices and saving money for their off-springs’ university fees. Still at the helm is the man who rose to the challenge so many years ago: Mr Tom Banfield; sporting, as always, his trademark battered tan ski suit and a beard to make Gandalf feel inadequately whiskered. Along the way the Boss des Bosses – ‘bosses’ being French for bumps – has snowballed. First Verbier and Zermatt joined the contest, then Meribel, Courchevel and finally Val Thorens. In previous years Chamonix and Zermatt have dominated, at least since the departure of Verbier, who haven’t entered since 1997. For several years it formed the core event of the Chamjam music and snowsports festival, before that was unfortunately ended by excessive Chamonix regulations.

Get yourself down to the ice-rink and support the local team, usually on a weekly basis there is a match. The Chamonix Hockey Team actually do quite well and the matches can get quite riotous... As an alternative evening out maybe have dinner in the nearby Micro Brewery de Chamonix (aka 'The MBC') and then head over to the rink with a group of friends. There is a bar so you can get a few beers in whilst you watch the game. Remember to take some warm clothes and shoes, hats and gloves - you are going to be sitting in a large freezer in a ski resort, believe us - it's doubly cold!