Brevent & Flegere Steep and Long Descents

Skiing Areas in Chamonix

The Chamonix lift system consists of several distinct and very different ski areas high above a steep-sided valley where the town and its villages are located. Chamonix is often criticized for being 'disjointed' however this is perhaps a little unfair as it is the physical geography of the valley that largely dictates this situation whilst also giving each of the ski areas - Brevent & Flegere, Les Grands Montets, Le Tour & Vallorcine (Domaine de Balme), L'Aiguille du Midi / La Vallee Blanche and Les Houches - their unique character.

Brevent & Flegere Steep and Long Vertical Descents

In good snow conditions at Le Brevent it�s possible to combine the Charles Bozon run with the Nants run back down to the valley to clock up nearly 1500m of vertical descent. At the start of the Charles Bozon run there are two variants of this run; one that offers very, very steep moguls for those on a mission to prove their skiing credentials, or a one that�s slightly more sedate and zig-zags down the cat tracks for the more cautious skier amongst us.

Both of the variants lead to the Planpraz sking area where skiers can then select from a host of easy blue runs that lead to the bottom of the Parsa chairlift, where the Nants black coloured piste starts. Of all these blue runs our favourite is the leftmost, Blanchots as it�s the least travelled, is slightly shadier and often therefore has the best snow.

In La Flegere you can combine the Lanchenal piste with the Praz piste to have a descent of 1300m. Again it�s only possible to do the lower section when snow conditions allow; late in the season it won�t be covered. Lachenal is a superb piste with a really steep upper section; this run is often very well groomed so you�ll be unlucky to find moguls on it, you�ll generally find it smooth and fast. The lower section flattens out as it approaches the tree line where it joins Evettes; follow this blue run towards the Evettes chair then take a right onto Praz just before the chairlift. Again this is a zigzagging black cat track through the trees, but half way down it opens out into a wide chute where you can head straight down to Les Praz and the cable car at the bottom of the valley. Again it�s good to do when the snow is good and in the morning before the crowds start to make the return journey home at the end of the day.

last updated 3-Mar-2008