This past weekend, we were thrilled to visit Chamonix, France, a historic ski town just over an hour outside Geneva. Chamonix was the host of the first ever Winter Olympics in 1924 and is an international hub for snow enthusiasts- we heard languages and accents from all over the globe! (for some reason – mostly British and Australian!)  and was crazy charming. The village  is at the base of Mont Blanc (White Mountain in French) which is the highest mountain in the Alps and the highest in Western Europe so there were views.for.days.

The Friday evening drive was a challenge (it felt like East Coast gridlock driving to the beach in the summer!) but we made it safe and sound to the Le Cristal de Jade in 2ish hours. We had a great two bedroom suite with two full bathrooms and an excellent kitchen and living room and were close-by to enjoy savory crepes just down the street at Restaurant La Ferme. We found this beer to wash it down and enjoyed it all weekend!

Since we arrived at night, we didn’t have the opportunity to see our wonderful views until the next morning – standout!

Our helmets/poles/boots/skis are still in our US shipment (allegedly arriving next week 🤞) but we were able to rent at a really reasonable rate from the great people at SkiSet. We took a short bus to the bottom of the Brévent ski area to kick off the day armed with lots and lots of this always. 

The snow was really coming down hard in the morning so the visibility was tough…

but the sun started coming out by the afternoon and it was STELLAR. By far, the best conditions we have ever skied – just endless powder, wide open spaces, fast lift lines, and stunning views all around. Felt so dreamlike!

Saturday afternoon, one of our friends kindly went out to grab some beer/wine/chocolate/cheese for a little aperitif …

…and then we headed out for burgers at the perfect apre-ski spot – Monkey’s. Their motto is “burgers, tacos, tequila” so we knew we were in the right place.

Sunday morning, a bit sore and not too worse for the wear, we ventured into town to walk around and enjoy the charming streets before very serious omelets at Omeletterie La Poële.

Unfortunately, the mountain cable car was closed on Sunday morning because of the wind and in the afternoon, it was so cloudy the operators told us it wasn’t worth going up – which means we just need to make a return trip very soon! We visited such a small part of the area in Brévent, so we know we have a lot to ski next time!

Much like our trip to Mont Saleve, our visiting friends and family should anticipate us begging to take them to Chamonix – we are planning on spending this Christmas there with our families and cannot wait.

If you have recommendations for our future trips or suggestions for other ski places you love near Geneva, contact me here!  And as always, don’t forget to follow on Instagram for updates!

Coming up later this week – our own spin on house hunters international… our Swiss apartment search!