The area of Domaine de Balme is a great mixture of 22 easy and intermediate runs and is a popular destination for the ski schools. The gentle terrain and beginners area at La Vormaine is perfect for getting those out of practice ski legs back into action before taking on the tougher runs elsewhere in the valley. Generally this area is the quietest of the Chamonix Valley as everyone tends to rush to Les Grands Montets when they first arrive or to an area closer to their accommodation.
The Autannes Chair at the front gives access to some good intermediate runs on the front, Ecuries being the most obvious as it runs below the lift. The Autannes chairlift is the best option to get up the mountain as it avoids having to use any draglifts. Additionally, as your confidence grows there are numerous small jumps and gullies that you can get your first air on! Because the geology of Le Tour is different to that of the other areas, the front of Le Tour is littered with gullies, which during the winter fill in with snow and form themselves into natural halfpipes. From the Autannes chairlift you’ll notice one right next to the Ecuries piste.
A five-minute walk to the Col de Balme from the top of the Autannes chair will take you to the border with Switzerland where there’s a restaurant hut that is sometimes open for a refreshing cup of chocolat chaud.
The Tete de Balme chair on the back offers fast access to some steeper runs and excellent off piste through trees. If the snow is good there’s always the possibility of skiing right down to the village of Vallorcine and riding back up on the high speed gondola which was only opened at the start of the 2004/05 winter. With some great access to powder even a few days after a dump the backside of Le Tour is one of our favourite areas in Chamonix. Unfortunately though there is a fairly long flattish Cat track to get there, but once there has some good steep sections, though nothing too difficult.
Don’t forget the Aiguilette des Possettes draglift as it gives access to some great open powder fields skiers left down towards the Esserts piste. Make sure you don’t take the skiers right though, although it may look tempting, this area is highly prone to avalanches!
There is also a fabulous little mountain restaurant located at the base of this drag lift – the Alpages des Balmes – which serves one of the best vin chaud’s in the valley! |
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