Les Houches

The skiing above Les Houches has something of a split personality. Hardened experts often dismiss the local terrain as being too tame, yet there are some long (and quite steep) runs here, including the world-famous black-graded ‘Verte’.

What Les Houches doesn’t have, though, are the kind of nasty surprises (and conservative piste grading) which can catch out less-confident skiers further up the valley in less-than-ideal conditions.

After the lively buzz of Chamonix, Les Houches feels pretty calm and relaxed. It’s visibly on the up, however, so is clearly just what plenty of people are looking for, since remaining building plots seem to be snapped up by chalet-builders as soon as they become available. In the heart of the village you’ll find a helpful Tourist Office, Mairie, etc., plus a mini-market which these days is no longer quite so mini. It stocks most of what you’ll require for self-catering stays. Not that you'll be quite self-sufficient here; if you decide to dine out then chances are you’ll still end up heading up to Chamonix, where the choice is impressive, if predictably pricey.

A welcome, but slightly less obvious feature of a stay here (particularly if you come in summer) is easy access to a choice of walks. You can begin with a relaxing perimeter stroll around the Lac des Chavants and work your way up to something more demanding in the form of a hike through near-silent forest on the benign-sounding Allée des Diligences, which will bring you to the rail halt at Vaudagne.

Talking of which, if you’re staying locally, your accommodation supplier should provide you with a Carte d’Hôte giving free, unlimited travel on train and shuttle-bus services in the Chamonix valley. This brings areas as distant as Argentière and Vallorcine within reach of anyone based in Les Houches (and vice versa, of course).

Novices should feel comfortable here, while intermediates can explore a surprising variety of long, varied runs down through the forest to the village. Advanced skiers will also enjoy the challenge of ‘La Verte’, a relentless, black-graded descent made world famous by the annual Kandahar World Cup Downhill Skiing events. There’s also a snow park.

One unexpected retro feature is the Mont Blanc Tramway, which climbs from St Gervais to Belleview, at almost 1800m altitude.

Les Houches is a solid choice for those looking for relaxing skiing amid glorious mountain scenery or non-downhill activities like Nordic skiing, walking or snow-shoeing.

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