A FAIRLY GOOD CHOICE, BUT NOT RECOMMENDED EARLY SEASON

Chamonix is a decent-sized town with plenty of shops, bars, restaurants and so on to entertain non-skiers. There are also opportunities for ice-skating, curling and indoor tennis and squash. Non-skiers prepared to drive can also make excursions to pretty nearby villages such as Megeve. It is also possible for them to take cable cars and gondolas up the mountain for lunchtime rendezvous with skiers or simply to admire the amazing alpine panoramas. However it is important to remember that the town remains in the shadow of the mountains for most of the day during the first part of winter and so can feel cold, depressing and even claustrophobic until around the beginning of February.