I think its safe to assume that you've all heard of Chamonix?   No?   Don't believe you!

The famous resort sits in the shadow of old Europe's highest peak: Mont Blanc. Despite the recent claims of “a new highest mountain in Europe”, the French still consider their mountain to hold the title. Why don't you get a t-shirt which says, “I've climbed Mt Elbrus- Europe's highest peak”. That would go down well in the pub!

Driving into the Chamonix valley is a cool experience as the sheer scale of the mountains will take your breath away. Its easy to see why this place has been considered a mecca for extreme mountain sports for over a hundred years. There are several separate areas to ski at Chamonix and each have quite a different character to their terrain.

The Grand Montets section covers the high ground above the village of Argentiere and holds some great, long, on piste runs on North facing slopes which are often a good bet when snow is getting thin on the ground. The runs up here are good and steep and are definitely for the faint hearted. There is also a decent park by the mid station of the Lognan lift- it wasn't great when I visited a couple of years ago, but apparently it has got a lot better since then. Surely you're here for the freeriding though?

The trip up the famous Plan de l'Aguille cable car isn't just another lift ride. Its either a fantastic scenic jaunt or an incredibly intense psyche up journey before the run of your life. A memorable ride whichever way you take it! If you are going for a run down the “Mer de Glace”, watch out for cravasses and make sure you look before you leap...

The De Balme slopes are a little more friendly for beginners and intermediate skiers as they are generally a lot less steep and more open than those of the other areas. The lift system takes you to the very brink of Switzerland and offers stunning panoramic views in all directions. Suffice to say that I would seriously recommend a journey up the Plan des Reines Lift. From here you'll not only enjoy the views, but some of the coolest wide open skiing on mellow slopes that you could possible hope for.

The villages of Les Praz and Chamonix are definitely not of the “purpose built” variety as they were here long before skiing holidays had been invented. The architecture is of the buildings is super cool and you get a real feeling that there are a lot of people here who have done, and are doing, some very very extreme things on those massive mountains.

To sum up: Cham is definitely not the place for beginners, but if you want to get serious then this place is for you. Whether you are a hardened extreme skier/snowboarder or even just a good old fashioned mountaineer, you will struggle not to challenge and scare yourself here. It won't be hard to find some good stories in the bar of epic days and amazing deeds. This is a place to generate your own stories of the extreme.