LOCALadk Magazine
Issue link: https://localadkmagazine.uberflip.com/i/212613
bakery for a one-Euro baguette. Make a sandwich the night before and throw it in your backpack on your way out to the hill, and you're all set. HIRE A GUIDE TO SKI OFF-PISTE If you are planning to go to Chamonix to experience truly world class ski touring, you should ski beyond the boundaries of a patrolled resort. This is called off-piste or backcountry skiing, and you should plan on spending some money for a guide. The guides in Chamonix are some of the best in the business. These men and women will keep you safe and know where to find the powder. We hired our guide Yannick Graziani on two separate trips, and our experiences were unforgettable both times. He always knows where to find the good snow even on the busiest weekend of the season, and I swear he has a sixth sense for detecting crevasses. He may forget his own food, water, goggles, or hat, but his skills in the mountains are of the highest caliber. His vast knowledge of the area alone is worth his fee for the day; not to mention he is just a super cool guy to go skiing with. THINGS NOT TO MISS Pastries: Don't be shy; they're cheap, they taste amazing, and you work your butt off skiing all day. Eat them. Eat a lot of them. There's nothing else like it on the planet. Après ski at Chambre Neouf: This is a bar right near the train Four Adirondackers standing atop the Fenetre Du Tour station in Chamonix. On the right day at around 6:30 p.m. the scene there becomes intense. The place is packed with young international tourists, partying hard and dancing on top of tables in ski boots to a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Born To Run." It's truly remarkable, it happens all the time, and it's not even Matt Young dark out yet. I'm not recommending dancing Josh Wilson soaks up the sun as on top of a table with he seeks out the all-important your ski boots on, but "Apres-beer" in the town of it certainly is fun to watch. It's part of the Vallorcene Chamonix culture and no trip would be complete without at least a glimpse. A stay in a hut: Skiing to a mountain hut and staying the night is a huge part of the skiing culture in the Alps. There are tons of huts: they are stunning structures, and they can help you access some amazing terrain. However, they can be a little pricey. Plan to bring plenty of water, and maybe some booze for the evening. Yannick Graziana