Chamonix-Mont-Blanc is the best town in the entire world and that is not just because our website is called Chamonix360! Chamonix owes its reputation to its proximity to Mont-Blanc, the highest mountain in Western-Europe. In 1924, Chamonix hosted the first winter olympics and its been a major winter sports destination ever since. It has also always had a pioneering role in alpinism and mountaineering. 

The commune of Chamonix consists of 16 villages and hamlets and has a population of roughly 10,000 people. The permanent population of Chamonix dwarves in comparisson with the nearly 3 million tourists that visit it each year. The city center of Chamonix is well equipped with a busy and buzzing main shopping street and numerous hotels, hostels, restaurants and bars. All the big names in outdoor gear and equipment have their own in shop in Chamonix. To help tourists find their way there is a large and well staffed Tourism Office and Mountain Information Office. Overall, Chamonix is a fantastic basecamp for whatever outdoor adventure you could have in mind. 

Chamonix sits right in the center of the Chamonix Valley and as such there are numerous trails that fan out in all directions. Being inside a steep valley means that the trails connecting to Chamonix will be either be located on the south facing slopes of the Aiguillles Rouge or on the north facing slopes of the Mont Blanc Massif. The Petite Balcon Sud and the Petite Balcon Nord are two low altitude trails that run across each side and link many of the towns and hamlets inside the Chamonix valley. 

We will keep our coverage of Chamonix short. Afterall, this website is mostly interested what happens outside of the town of Chamonix. There are dozens of websites covering Chamonix hotels, restaurants, nightlife, etc. It is time for us to get back to what interests us most: the trails!