Chamonix: Rhymes With Ski

The first tour we booked after arriving in Switzerland was a day trip into, uh -- France? Yes, indeed. It was off to Chamonix (pronounced Cha-mo-nee), site of the first Winter Olympics of 1924 and ski town extraordinaire located at the base of Mont Blanc, highest mountain in Europe and a mecca of mountaineering and other winter sports.

Chamonix features one the highest cable cars in the world, connecting the town to the summit of Aiguille du Midi north of the glaciers dominating Mont Blanc (above). The jagged needle of Aiguille du Midi provides one of the town’s most distinctive landmarks, with sweeping views of the French, Swiss and Italian Alps.

After riding the cable car to the top, we lunched at the Chambre Neuf, one of the many delightful restaurants in Chamonix, followed by a ride on a rack-and-pinion railway line to the Mer de Glace, France’s largest glacier. The glistening river of ice snakes its way through rock spires and turrets and is a popular attraction.

Chamonix has much in common with Aspen, Colorado; it’s a pricey wintertime playground that entices hard-core skiers to the slopes of numerous peaks in the area. In the summer, hang gliders flutter to earth from surrounding high points looming above the valley. Like Aspen, if you go, bring plenty of money. You’ll need it.