Mountain Sanctuary
Provide mountain retreats and yoga holidays in chamonix (http://www.mountain-sanct...)
Compagnie des Guides
mountain guides, 190 place de l'ãglise, 74400 chamonix mont blanc, tel. 04 50 53 00 88, (http://www.chamonix-guide...).
Chalet Academy
Run cookery courses specifically tailored to train you as a chalet chef or host. (http://www.chaletacademy.com/)
hiking
Take the telepherique to the top of a nearby peak. Hike down, it's easy!Or try hikes between two telepheriques, for example:
between the Brevent and la Flegere
between the Mer de Glace and the Plan de l'Aiguille
Get a fantastic view on both the Mont-Blanc/Aiguilles de Chamonix range, and the ribbon of the Fiz limestone range:
Take the Brevent telepherique, then walk down the crest to the Bel-Lachat mountain hut, then walk down to the Rocher des Gaillands or if slightly more courageous to the Aiguillette des Houches and down, or
Walk up the steep lane from the Gaillands to Plan-Lachat, then Bel-Lachat, then on, up along the crest to the Brevent about six hours and rather hot in summer: start early, but it is really worth the effort.
Several great glacier hikes exist. Even if you can't get right up to the glaciers and touch them, you can still get close enough to get some amazing views.
Glacier des Bossons - depart either from Les Bossons at the base of the ski jump by foot or by chair lift, or drive up to the entrance of the Mont Blanc Tunnel for a shorter, flatter hike. Warning, do not attempt to "touch" th glacier here, it is possibly the most dangerous place in the valley.
Glacier d'Tour - depart from the town of Montroc, near the ski resort "Le Tour".
Glacier de Trient - depart from the top of the Col de la Forclaz, in Switzerland before descending to Martigny. One hour, flat.
Glacier de Bionnassay- depart from the top of the Bellevue cable car.
The first three could feasibly be done in one day if you are up early and have a car, but Bionnassay will require a half-day.
mountaineering
Mont-Blanc
Skiing
Vallée blanche
white valley, glacier skiing. needs a full day from the aiguille du midi cable car. the easiest route can be skiied by someone who is confident on red runs, although a guide is highly recommended due to the glacier on which you would be skiing.
The Brevent
And la flegere are the easiest ski areas to get to from the center of town. you can walk to the ski lift at le brevent, or take a shuttle from a number of different drop of points. skiing for all levels, but mostly mid- to extreme ski.
Le Tour
Is at the far end of the valley, towards martigny. it has many easier slopes for beginners, but also some out-of-bounds skiing if you are willing to hike up with your skis. the front side of le tour is also a good place to go if you don't like being cold, because most slopes are in the sun although it can still be very windy, especially on the back side down towards vallorcine.
Les Houches
Is the best family resort, and often has the best low-altitude conditions. it is the only ski area with slopes below the treeline, so it is a good place to go when there is a lot of fog.
The Grand Montets
Has the most extreme and highest altitude slopes, and can be accessed from the town of argentiere.