I love just about everything about Chamonix although it frightens me a little because it can be so broodingly overpowering. The scenery is sensational, especially if you ski the Vallee Blanche, whether you do the tourist route (so easy it gives you more time to look up and marvel at the collection of jagged needles, teeth, spires etc) or the more challenging "vraie" Vallee Blanche or Envers du Plan routes where you need to watch where you're going until you get to the massive mer de glace. The cable-car ride to the Aiguille du Midi alone is quite stunning and well-worth the ride even if you don't ski when you get to the top.

But Chamonix is not just a place for swashbuckling skiing. I took my 10-year-old grandson there recently, and he learned to ski on the easy slopes at the bottom of Brevent. But almost everywhere you look, there's the opportunity of challenging skiing. Everyone knows how wonderful the off-piste is on the celebrated Grands Montets in Argenti�re - said by aficionados to be the best resort in the Alps. But have you checked out the off-piste at Le Tour and the Col de Balme? And what about the exciting runs down to Toula, above Courmayeur on the Italian side of Mont Blanc?

The town of Chamonix is delightful, if a touch claustrophobic, with real character and wonderful restaurants, some perched on the banks of the fast-flowing river.. And just looking up at Mont Blanc and the glacier which looks as though it might come tumbling down and engulf the town at the drop of a hat is a pretty awe-inspiring experience. It's quite a place. Not for the faint-hearted, perhaps. But Bevan, aged 10, seemed to like it!

Chamonix is not so much a resort as a collection of ski areas, all of them dominated by the deceptively smooth dome of Mont Blanc and the serried peaks of the Aiguille du Midi.. Taken as a whole, it caters for skiers and boarders of all standards, but not in one place, which makes it difficult for families and mixed ability groups to meet up during the day. For example, Le Tour, at the head of the valley, has encouraging nursery slopes, while Les Houches, at the other end, is excellent for intermediates.

Every season, thousands of people receive an intoxicating introduction to high mountain adventure in the Vall�e Blanche, a gentle glacier descent from the shoulder of Western Europe�s highest mountain. More ambitious powderhounds head up the valley to Argenti�re, where the Grands Montets cable car accesses huge areas of shifting ice. Either way, visitors are advised to call on Chamonix�s deservedly famous guides to lead them through the treacherous web of the seracs and crevasses, rather than risk going it alone.

Choosing where to stay is a question of priorities. Chamonix is large and bustling, with a pedestrian zone on the banks of the river and a range of late night bars and clubs. Experts in pursuit of first tracks prefer Argenti�re, a straggling Savoyard village with several informal in-crowd bars designed to appeal to the macho market, while tranquil Les Houches is recommended for families. The smartest hotel in Chamonix is the Albert 1er, owned by the Carrier family since the early 20th century. Even those who don�t stay there should enjoy the �d�gustation� menu in its Michelin rosette restaurant.

Chamonix is unique, and everybody should see it and ski it at least once. Mountaineering started here, as the gravestones of 18th century British climbers testify. And the needles and chimneys of the Mont Blanc massif still stretch the necks of gawping tourists, who can rub shoulders with climbers carrying ices axes and crampons in the city streets, even if they themselves never put a foot on snow.

But any intermediate skier, with a guide, can and should ride up to 3,842m-for the view from the Aiguille du Midi platform and for the longest, most scenic ski descent in the world, the Vall�e Blanche.

What I like most about �Cham� is that it is a working town, not just a resort. That means bars and bistros, not to mention boulangeries and supermarkets, with real local atmosphere and realistic prices. There are charmingly seedy one-star hotels, a bigger choice of chalets than almost anywhere else, and even Parisian style villas to choose from. Chamonix is the best weekend choice too, an hour's drive from Geneva airport by motorway, and there's even a scenic, if slow, train connection to Verbier. A car or tour operator's van beats waiting for buses to the Chamonix Valley's far flung skiing areas. By car, Italy's Aosta Valley resorts [Cervinia, Courmayeur, La Thuile] are all within less than an hour's drive [when the Mont Blanc tunnel is open], as are M�g�ve, La Clusaz and several smaller French resorts.

The Boarders View
Snowboarders have dubbed Chamonix the �Freeride Capital of the World� and it�s not hard to see why. Within spitting distance of Mont Blanc, these are some of the most spectacular mountains you�ll ever see. Forget petty differences between skiers and boarders, everyone who comes here is united by a common love and respect of the mountains. There are too many good places to go into detail, and you could live here for years and still not do it all, but a great adventure for the advanced rider is the descent of the Vall�e Blanche.

Hire a guide. Take the cable car to the top of the famous Aiguille du Midi. Take in the amazing view and the thin air. Follow your guide down through the amazing Mer du Glace (Sea of Ice), a vast frozen lake that is seven kilometres deep in places, before returning to Chamonix by train. Make sure you go on a good day, and with a seasoned guide, this is crevasse central and not to be taken lightly.

Chamonix is unlike many French resorts insofar that it is a real town with great character rather than an ugly bunch of hotels, and instead of having one massive linked ski area, Cham consists of several unconnected stations along the valley. For big mountains and steep descents, head for the Grand Montets, while for drops, gullies and an excellent bowl, head to La Tour. Freestyle? Forget it, this is Chamonix, and the token halfpipe sucks.

Come the evening, the town rocks. Chamonix is packed full of British and Swedish seasoners out for a good time so there�s plenty of great bars, restaurants and clubs to choose from. La Cantina has great music and atmosphere from 4pm till 4am, while The Pub is a good, well, Pub. Wild Wallabies is probably the hardest partying bar in town. Everyone should come to Chamonix once in their life � at least.