STYLISH

If the scenery doesn't do it, the climb will. Chamonix is a charming resort which, one way or another will take your breath away. Each winter, thousands flock here to flex their calves, sharpen their snow ploughs and gawp at the towering Mont Blanc.

With more than ninety miles of ski slopes and masses more off-piste skiing, Chamonix is a resort that has le tout ensemble - including six key beginner-to-intermediary ski areas, a set-piece snowboarding park, and glacier skiing over the highest vertical descent in the world. Beyond that, there are paragliding and helicopter trips and a nightlife that keeps going strong until dawn. There are also a variety of indoor leisure sports activities from swimming to bowling and, should you feel lucky, risking your cash in a casino.

Chamonix's snowfall proper begins in December and lasts through to May, though the resort is also base camp for year-round Alpine walking trips, rafting, ice climbing and mountain-biking.

Stroll along the pulsating Rue des Moulins on a Friday evening and it's hard to imagine how Chamonix might have looked when it was just a farming community where a set of skis was primarily a piece of working equipment. Thanks in part to Mary Shelley, whose novel Frankenstein featured a number of scenes set around 'Chamounix', and the arrival of the Victorians, who came to 'take the air', Chamonix was soon printed bold on Europe's tourism map.