Le Tour

About two miles up the Chamonix valley from Argentiere lies the small village of Le Tour. Previously known for its gentle slopes and lack of crowds, many regular visitors to Chamonix have still not heard that a new chair has linked it with Vallorcine. This has opened up a major chunk of terrain, including the best tree skiing in the valley. Le Tour has its own lift pass,and is also on the Chamonix Valley pass and the Evasion Mont Blanc Pass.

To get to Le Tour, drive out of Argentiere along the road which leads to Switzerland. After about 300 yards, there is a turn-off to the right, signposted Le Tour and Montroc. Montroc is, of course the location of the tragic avalanche in 1999 which swept down through a number of chalets and killed 13 people. On the way up to Le Tour, you'll pass a patch of land conspicuously free of buildings, with a plain granite memorial cross.

Le Tour itself is a sleepy village, with very little accommodation. Parking is never a problem, even when nearby Argentiere is packed. Most of the skiing is accessed from the Charamillon chairlift, which serves a variety of rolling red runs. There are also a number of gentle drag lifts. Most of the big skiing all happens off the new Tete de Balme chairlift, which allows the skier or boarder to drop off the back of the pass towards Vallorcine. A seemingly endless run through the trees makes this the place to head when weather is bad, though watch for the moderate cliffs if you leave the marked slopes. The quad chair takes you back up to the summit after each run. The only mountain restaurant is at the top of the first gondola, so if you are skiing the Tete de Balme, pack sandwiches and fill your Platipus! At the end of the day you can either drop back down to Le Tour or get adventurous and head all the way to Vallorcine. Just be aware that you may need to hitchhike back as the train doesn't run too frequently.

Plus points? Great tree skiing; no crowds; views down the valley towards the Grand Montets and the Mont Blanc.

Minus points? A bit of a drive from Argentiere, even further from Chamonix; no lift linkage to other Chamonix Valley ski areas.