Chamonix is to freeskiing what Maui’s North Shore is to surfing. It’s the motherland. The place where the sport developed into what it is today. Known by many monikers – ‘The Birthplace of extreme skiing’, and the rather menacing ‘death sport capital of the world’, it is here in the 1980’s that big mountain riders pioneered big mountain skiing.

Want to test yourself against some of the steepest terrain and biggest mountains in the world? Click into your fat sticks and push this way. Want lively nightlife and a picturesque village in the shadow of the indomitable Mont Blanc? Oui Oui. Want an all round resort that caters to a range of abilities and demographics? Look elsewhere Monsiour. There is nowhere to hide on these slopes. This resort is for the hard charging, advanced skiers and boarders. Those more concerned with the skiing than the pretensions that go with it. If that sounds like you, grab your helmet and come this way…

Photo: Chamonix, David Ravanel.