- The trip
- Escape to the Alps
- Where
- Chamonix valley, France
- When
- Who
- A father and a son. Any level.
- Price
- Places left
- 14
Why
So that one day you do not discover the moment has passed.
The window in which your son wants to ride the slopes with you, and not with his friends, is very short.
Three days to live through together what ordinary life does not offer: to get tired on the same slope, to laugh at each other's mistakes, to hold each other up, to watch him grow more certain, more independent, and in some things already stronger than you.
Shared experience of that kind outlasts the journey by years.
What happens there
On the mountain the usual roles come apart.
A son begins to see his father not only as the parent who sets the rules and hands out advice, but as a man — with a character, a history, strengths and weaknesses of his own.
And a father gets to see, instead of a child to be raised, a separate person who is growing up, forming his own character, and becoming a man.
The programme
Three days. You and your son on one slope.
The day belongs to the mountain, the evening to everything else. There is a schedule, and following it is optional.
Morning and day
Long runs, fresh corduroy, lunch somewhere high.
Routes for every level, and a mountain restaurant between descents. The day begins with Action This Day — ten minutes, standing, coffee in hand: weather, groups, plan.
Evening
A proper club. Fondue, cards, and conversation.
- Savoy Night — alpine fondue in the village. Fixed menu, nothing to decide.
- Finest Hour — the poker tournament, played in pairs. No money. Points and a cup.
- Soirée Trappeur — snowshoes and headlamps up a dark mountain, dinner in a hut at the top.
- Jaw-Jaw — an evening with no programme at all. Talking is permitted.
How you ski
Any level. Three ways down.
Two people travel with the group, and you choose freely — every morning, not once and for all.
The Master
For those who came to get better. He will tell you what is wrong with your skiing on the first morning and again on the last. Small group, filmed on the hill.
The Pathfinder
For those who came to ski, not to be corrected. He knows where the sun is at eleven and where the good snow lasts until four. No drills, no video, no opinions.
On your own
Take your son and disappear for the day. Nobody will look for you before dinner. This is the whole point of the trip, and it is allowed.
The mountain
Grands Montets. The one under the windows.
- 2,765 mtop of the Grands Montets area
- 5separate ski areas in the valley
- 3,842 mAiguille du Midi, the excursion
- Dec 2026the new gondola opens
- A new lift, weeks old
- A ten-person gondola from Argentière up to Lognan opens for the Christmas holidays of 2026 — lifts by Doppelmayr, stations by Renzo Piano, with a new hall and places to eat at the bottom of the pistes. We arrive a few weeks after it starts running, and the hotel stands at its foot.
- The neighbours
- Balme above Le Tour and Vallorcine reaches 2,270 m, Flégère 2,396 m, Brévent 2,525 m, Les Houches 1,900 m. Different aspects and different weather — on a bad day in one, the valley usually has a good day in another.
- The summit, honestly
- The top of the Grands Montets, above 3,000 m, has not been served by a lift since the fire of 2018 — it is reached on touring skis only. The second stage of the new lift is promised for the winter of 2027–28. We say so in advance so that nobody arrives expecting what is not there yet.
Where you sleep
A chalet at the foot of the lift.
Hôtel & Spa Les Grands Montets ★★★★ in Argentière — a village up the valley from Chamonix, quiet by ten in the evening. A twin room with two separate beds and a balcony. In the evening the jacuzzi is outdoors, and it is January.
- The lift
- The hotel stands at the edge of the Grands Montets car park. You walk out after breakfast and you are at the cable car — a minute, with your skis on your shoulder.
- The valley
- Chamonix is not one giant linked domain but several separate areas: Grands Montets under our windows, Balme — Le Tour and Vallorcine — one village further up, Brévent and Flégère above Chamonix town, Les Houches at the far end.
- Getting between them
- Not by lift — by the valley train and the ski bus, both free with your pass. Argentière station is ten minutes on foot and the ski bus stops at the hotel.
- The car
- Geneva is 110 km, an hour and a quarter. After that the car stays in the free car park with the charger, and you do not touch it again.
Photographs: Hôtel & Spa Les Grands Montets, used with their permission.
The package
One place is a father and a son. A father with two sons takes the duplex.
Included
- The hotel, breakfasts, a twin room with a balcony
- The Master and the Pathfinder, every day on the hill
- Lift passes for both of you
- Savoy Night — the fondue dinner in the village
- Soirée Trappeur — the night walk, dinner in the mountain hut, transfers
- Finest Hour — the tournament, the dealer, the cup
- The spa: pool, sauna, hammam and the outdoor jacuzzi
Not included
- Getting to Argentière — Geneva is 1 h 15 by road
- Lunches on the mountain
- Rental skis — we arrange them on request, fitted at the hotel
- Insurance — mandatory for both of you
Details
Before you ask
What level do we need?
Any. That is what the Pathfinder is for — he takes the people who came to ski rather than to be corrected, and the Master takes the ones who came to get better. You can also take your son and ski off on your own. You choose each morning.
How old does he have to be?
Twelve. Grown sons are welcome too — a thirty-year-old son is still a son, and the pair plays the same cards.
How does paying work?
The request is free and commits you to nothing. The Chairman telephones. When the group is formed we send confirmation and an invoice: 50% to hold the place, the balance by 1 December.
Cancellation?
Before 1 December: a full refund less a €90 fee. Between 1 and 20 December: half. After that, we move you to the next trip if there is room.
Do we have to share a room?
You share with your son — a twin, two separate beds, balcony, private bathroom. A father with two sons gets the duplex with a mezzanine. Nobody shares with a stranger.
Insurance?
Mandatory for both of you. The simplest route is Carré Neige bought with the lift pass; a bank card with proper ski cover also works. Bring the number.
Poker with a child?
For points and a cup. No money changes hands at any table, at any point in the trip.
How do we get there?
Fly to Geneva — Argentière is 1 h 15 by road, with scheduled shuttles or a hire car. From Luxembourg it is around 5 h 30 by road. Parking and EV charging at the hotel are free. After that you need nothing: the lift is a minute's walk, and the valley trains and ski buses are free with your pass.
Can I come without a son?
Write to the Chairman. There are sometimes places, and they are not advertised.
Enrolment
Request a place
No payment at this stage, and no card. Three lines is all we need — the rest we settle on the telephone.