Town Centre

Chamonix | Ski Full Time Instruction

I was impressed with the organisation accommodation and staff at UCPA Chamonix , the food was well done and the evening entertainment varied and enjoyable especially the cool jazz-funk band , there was a good atmosphere about the place and it is situated in the centre of Chamonix.

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Chamonix | Ski Full Time

After flying into Geneva, I found the desk for my transfer and waited for the mini bus driver and the rest of the transfer passengers. I was a bit nervous as I was travelling solo and I had never been on a solo skiing holiday before; I was unsure what to expect. The transfer company were very friendly and the rep chatted to me as the other passengers started to arrive. I noticed that some of them were also travelling solo and this made me feel more at ease.

We dropped a couple of people off  at Hotels and Chalets in Chamonix and then we arrived at my Hostel, which was the UCPA. My driver commented that I was lucky to be staying here as it was very central.

I found my room key in reception and headed up to my room. It was late at night and the other girls I was sharing with had already arrived and were in bed. I went into to room quietly and found the sheets were all ready on the bed for me.

In the morning we all introduced ourselves and found that we were all of a similar age and were also all young professionals, so we had a few things in common. I think the allocation of rooming was very good as they must have considered this when placing people.

The breakfast in the hostel was excellent and I found that as they were a 'non for profit' organisation the food would continue to be generous through out the week. It was a self service buffet, but the food did not run out and there was lots of choice. You also made your own baguette and packed lunch at breakfast to take up the mountain with you, there was a choice of lots of different cuts of meat and cheese, salads, crisps and fruit.

After breakfast I went down to the boot room, which was also the ski fit room to be fitted with a board and boots. I was asked my level so that they could put me into a group for instruction the next day. After fitting, I decided to head up the mountain and met a couple of other boarders in the boot room who went with me, it seemed really easy to make friends and everyone was very friendly.

The main lift was a bit of a walk from the Hostel and there is a bus stop which goes to the mountain about a 5 minute walk from the UCPA, which we later found out! For the rest of the week, we got the bus to the mountain with our instructor and went to several different resorts in the Chamonix valley including Grands Montets, Brevent and Flegere. Our instructor was very good and catered for all the levels in the group. The instructors were also aware of peoples different abilities and moved a few people around during the first couple of days. Our instructor took time to instruct each member of the group individually during the day and to give tips on technique.

In the evenings there was lots of Apres  in the Hostel, something different every night. Activities started off with a free stretching class every evening before dinner in the Hostel. This was a bit like yoga and was optional, but helped if you felt a bit stiff after a day on the slopes!

After dinner, there was a different activity every evening. These included, Poker, Karaoke, Quiz night and some outings like wine tasting and bar crawl. Again , these were optional so you could take part in as much or as little as you liked.

Many people opted to stay in the bar in the Hostel after dinner for a few beers and to socialise. This was very relaxed and everyone made an effort to talk to one another. There were people for all over the world staying in the Hostel and I enjoyed the cosmopolitan feel of the place.

Chamonix is quite a large town for a ski resort and is bigger than many places I had been before, so I would advise making sure you find out where the bus stations are and to get a map of the town on the first day. There are lots of bars to choose from in town if you do want to venture out for Apres ski in the evening and there are also a few clubs which are open late.

On the last day as I handed in my equipment and had a late flight,so  I took the train up the mountain to the glacier with some friends I had made at the UCPA. I  would advise that this trip is worth doing and was very inexpensive for the fare. The views were amazing from the top!

I would definitely stay in a UCPA Hostel again as I thought it was extremely good value for money, friendly and there was lots of Apres to choose from. The food was excellent especially if you like cheese as they had an amazing cheese board every night!

The only one thing I would change is that I would like to share a twin room next time as I am getting a bit old for bunk beds, which is a little more expensive but still very reasonable. However, if you don't mind bunk beds then the shared dorm is good. I made lots of new friends on this trip many of which I am still in touch with.  Thank you UCPA!

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Chamonix | Ski Full Time Beginner

Chamonix… The atmosphere was sparkling! Being there I got the best weather as well. So two most important factors were on top level.

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Chamonix | Ski Full Time

Well, I didn't know what to expect when booking my Action Outdoors holiday. I had been debating a ski trip for a while, weighing up the pro's and con's, should I shouldn't I? However, I took the plunge and booked my holiday and left that evening - somewhat last minute! However, the help that Chris in the office gave when booking set the tone for what was a great trip and I wasn't disappointed.

It had been a while sine I'd been on a solo holiday, was I too old? What would the others be like? I boarded the snow express at Folkstone a little bit apprehensive, but I need not have been, from that point on it there was never a dull moment and it was easy to get chatting to people in exactly the same position, so although the coach is not the most luxurious way to travel and doesn't suit everyone, it is a good way to get to meet people if a solo traveller.

Chamonix is a great resort, and the UCPA accommodation is fine, yes, you are in a shared room, but for the amount of time you are in your room, it hardly really matters, and after all you are all there for the same type of holiday, so are going to be like minded and all get up early for lessons in the morning. You never go hungry in Chamonix UCPA, the food was excellent, Eric the chef is wonderful and meal times are very sociable, an opportunity to chat with others from your dorm, your lessons, that you met on the coach, so lots of laughter and conversation. Steak night was a real highlight. The opportunity to make packed lunches was great and the items on offer were a real surprise and more than I had expected.

As well as all this great stuff, the skiing was brilliant too! The fact that your equipment hire, lessons and lift passes are all included makes this a really attractive option. The lessons were my far the best I have had. I've not had lessons for a couple of years, so thought I'd struggle to keep up the pace. The instructors were brilliant in sorting out the abilities on the first day and I found myself in a great group with a brilliant instructor, Olivier, who not only challenged us, but gave us the confidence to try out things, taking us off piste on the last day was a real highlight and we all really enjoyed the experience. The group size was perfect too, not too big and he really made the most of the time we had, there wasn't lots of waiting around.

The nightlife in Chamonix is good if that is what you are looking for, however, chatting over dinner and wine in the UCPA is just a good an option as there is always someone to get to know. The fact that there were people from all over Europe on the week that I went meant that there were lots of interesting conversations.

All in all, it was a holiday that didn't disappoint and I would certainly look to do a similar trip next year, so look out for me on the slopes!

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Chamonix | Ski Full Time

This year was the second year that i have snowboarded with UCPA / Action Outdoors and I'm already planning next years trip. Like many young people I'm on a budget and so UCPA is the obvious choice with everything included except for evening drinks, which are cheap anyway at the hostel bar. The holiday cost me about half of my previous holiday with another company and was twice the fun, with a great mix of international skiers in my group, all of a similar standard. It was a pretty cloudy week, and cold but with lots of snow, and the lessons focused on technique with a bit of side piste skiing thrown in. The food was excellent and eat as much as you like, or can. I went by myself so the social activities in the evening were great for meeting people as well as a lot of fun, including live bands, karaoke, ping pong competition and a mix of other activities. I stayed in an all male dormitory with 3 other guys and ended up socialising with them in the evenings as well as with a mix of other people from our groups and people we had all met over the week. Many of the people who holiday with UCPA travel alone so meeting people is never a problem. My only regret is that the holiday didn't last longer.

Chamonix | Ski Off Piste

I love love love UCPA holidays. Having been to Flaine and Serre Chevalier in the past couple of years this year we went to Chamonix over New Year. The Chamonix centre is a little dated in places but the rooms are clean and comfy and the centre is right in the middle of Cham with a massive ski area to enjoy. We had a great time on and off the slopes (try the square in Cham on NYE for partying and fire crackers) and got a dump of snow mid week - yay! As ever everyone was really friendly and welcoming. We'll be back next year to the newly refurbished Argentiere centre for more skiing and apres!

Chamonix | Ski Off Piste

Voila! What a great adventure. I was taken back by the fantastic deal. I could not believe you got so so much for a amazing price. Quality equipment and expert French instructors. The accommodation was fine with shared accommodation with bar stories of snoring room mates. Secret is to stay out late and drink more. The Apres ski involves the Swedish bar where dancing on tables to a rocky band was the thing. Then the terrace bar for cheap shots and another band. Everybody is really friendly and meeting new people is so easy. The food was good and varied with plenty of it. If you are a veggie remember it is France and if it doesn't move they're not interested.but hey eating is cheating. Don't forget the snow and the off piste. Awesome and we only saw 10% of it in our week. I have recommended this trip to everybody I know and planning my next trip. A must do adventure!

Chamonix | Snowboarding Full Time

Literally the best snow holiday I have even been on. As it was my first time booking with the UCPA I was quite skeptical since it was far cheaper than any other snow holiday and that the UCPA is a non-profit organisation, I didn't really know what to expect since I was solo traveler. I had booked a coach ride to Chamonix which was much better than I expected.

Arriving at the UCPA, everyone was welcoming but there will be many sad faces of people who had stayed the previous week, don't let that put you off, by the end of the week I understood why they had sad faces, they didn't want to leave!

Food: The food was amazing, my mouth still waters from thinking about dinner, 3 course buffet, a cheese board, baguettes and you could basically take as much food as you like since there was so much of it and trust me, you'd be going for seconds or thirds because it tasted so good.

Slopes: Yes you have to bus it but don't let that deter you, the slopes are superb, especially for an intermediate snowboarder like myself. There aren't many black slopes but that doesn't matter since there's such a wide variety and they are long with lots of off-piste and jumps etc. Seriously masses of FUN and loads and loads of jumps!

Lessons: Snowboarding full time instruction was great, they really put you into the right group to coincide with you level. They teach you how to use the best technique and are patient with you. At the end of the week, they give you feedback and tell you how much you have progressed, what level you made it to and which group you could be in the next time you come. Trust me, YOU WILL WANT TO GO AGAIN.

Weather: I booking this holiday for the end of March till the beginning of April and was really lucky with the weather, perfect snow all week except on the last day (6th April 2013) the snow was starting to get really slushy.

Itinerary: Was good and makes the most of the time you spend there. Wake up at 7-7:30 every morning (easy when you're excited all the time), finish by 4 or 5 depending on how baron you are and the rest of the night is yours to do what you like. There are many things you can get up to and if there's nothing you want to do you can always go drinking. Sunday, Wednesday and Saturday are free days where you can either rest or go on the slopes with your friends or the friends you make if you're a solo traveler.

Accommodation: It's room share with 4-6 people but that doesn't matter since you're outside all day and you're only using the room to sleep in. The shower is really nice, relaxing and spacious. Toilets are always cleaned in the morning and there are lots of them.

I would rate the overall experience 9/10 AWESOME. It would be 10/10 but the toilet paper is too rough :)

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Chamonix | Ski Half Time

Amazing ski trip to Chamonix - it's great that everything is in one place at the UCPA - from the equipment and accommodation to lift passes and instructors. The food's really good too so we saved loads of money from not having to eating out - more euros to spend on the fab après ski! Great selection of bars and nightlife just a short walk down the road. If you're going with a group - it's really easy to book through Action Outdoors - you set up the trip and then people book onto it an pay separately meaning there's no hassle of one person paying for it all! Much better than a chalet - I'll be booking again next season!

Chamonix | Ski Off Piste

Hats off to Action Outdoors and UCPA for organising such a fantastic weeks skiing for us, especially for ordering a couple of massive powder dumps whilst we there there! We had a great time from start to finish, the skiing instruction was very good and our instructor Olivier took us a lot of untracked secret powder stashes, every day we skied until our legs gave out! His English was a bit lacking at times, but he was able to get the message across. Our technique and confidence in the deep stuff has really improved. The accommodation is good but basic, the location is pretty much in the centre of town, and the food is excellent, Eric the head chef is brilliant and worth his weight for comedy value alone. The in-house ski rental was great, I have a very pointy ankle and they help find me the best boots to suit me. The atmosphere was very welcoming and the French and Swedes made us all feel very much part of the UCPA family, and we made some good friends we will see again over the week. The only negatives were the student party on the coach who kept us up all night long on the way over, but apart from that we were happy with the coach from London and it is definitely convenient.

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Best For:	Extreme Skiing
Resort Charm:
Centre Comfort:
Nightlife:
Nearest Airport:	Geneva (109km)
Coach Available:
Fun Fact:	Mont Blanc 4810m
Snowsure Rating:

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Town Centre

Chamonix Nightlife

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Find your perfect All Inclusive Holiday

If you don't have a clue what to do or where to go? Try our

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Action Outdoors & UCPA

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