Chamonix: piste guide - Telegraph Up the valley at Argentière a cable car or chairlift take you up to Les Grands Montets. Chairs and a gondola serve open terrain above mid-mountain, but much of the best terrain is accessed by a further cable car of relatively low capacity, not covered by the standard lift pass. This shady area can be very cold in early season. A little way further up the valley, the secluded village of Le Tour sits at the foot of the broad Balme area. A gondola goes up to mid-mountain, with a mix of drags and chairs above. There is also a lift up from Vallorcine. Plus there are several low beginner areas dotted along the valley. Fast lifts Not enough Cable cars and gondolas serve each sector, but many need upgrading. The handful of fast chairs are widely scattered. "The lifts generally let the place down," said a 2012 reporter. Queues Ancient lifts, serious queues Access to Brévent was transformed by the gondola upgrade a few years ago. But this was only one of the valley's problem lifts. The ancient Flégère cable car can generate queues of an hour or more - to go down as well as up. The lifts out of Argentière build queues, and the chairlift appears to be on its last legs - it no longer operates from the main station, but starts a short way up the slope. At mid-mountain, the top cable car is a famous bottleneck. You can book slots in advance (on the spot or online), preferably the day before, or join the "standby" queue, which we've found to be an effective alternative; but one 2012 reporter found that bookings weren't honoured, which only added to the queues and the chaos. There may be queues for the lift up to Balme at La Tour, too; it can be quicker to take the train to Vallorcine. But we heard from one lucky January 2012 visitor who experienced no queues at all, even at the weekend. Crowded pistes and skiers travelling too fast for the conditions can also be a problem in places - most notably on parts of the Grands Montets. Terrain parks A couple of options The Snow Bowl park on Grands Montets incorporates features for all levels and includes kickers, rails, a step-up, step-down feature and a boardercross. The park is managed by the experienced HO5 crew, headed by ex-international pro Nico Watier. You can check the latest details at www.ho5park.com. At Brévent there are five rails and an airbag jump. For experts One of the great resorts Chamonix is renowned for its extensive steep terrain and deep snow. To get the best out of the area you really need to have a local guide. There is also lots of excellent terrain for ski-touring on skins. Read the feature panel for more off-piste possibilities. The Grands Montets cable car offers stunning views from the observation platform above the top station - if you've got the legs and lungs to climb the 121 steep metal steps. But beware: it's 200 more slippery steel steps down from the cable car before you hit the snow. The ungroomed black pistes from here - Point de Vue and Pylones - are long and exhilarating. The former sails right by some dramatic sections of glacier, with marvellous views of the crevasses. The Bochard gondola serves a challenging red back to Lognan and a black to either Plan Roujon or the chairlift below. Shortly after you have made a start down the black, you can head off-piste down the Combe de la Pendant bowl. At Brévent there's more to test experts than the piste map suggests - there are a number of variations on the runs down from the summit. Some are very steep and prone to ice. The runs in Combe de la Charlanon are quiet and include one red piste and excellent off-piste if the snow is good. At Flégère there are further challenging slopes - in the Combe Lachenal, crossed by the linking cable car, say - and a tough run back to the village when the snow permits. The short draglift above L'Index opens up a couple of good steep runs (a red and a black) plus a good area of off-piste. Balme boasts little tough terrain on-piste but there are off-piste routes from the high points to Le Tour, towards Vallorcine or into Switzerland. For intermediates Plenty of better resorts Chamonix is far from ideal for intermediates unless they relish challenging slopes and trying off-piste. If what you want is mile after mile of lift-linked cruisey pistes, go elsewhere. For less confident intermediates, the Balme area above Le Tour is good for cruising and usually free from crowds. There are excellent shady, steeper runs, wooded lower down, on the north side of Tête de Balme, served by a fast quad. A lovely blue run goes on down to Vallorcine but it is prone to closure. The other areas have some blue and red runs. Even the Grands Montets has an area of blues at mid-mountain. The step up to the red terrain higher up is quite pronounced, however. If the snow and weather are good, confident intermediates can join a guided group and do the Vallée Blanche (read our feature panel). For beginners Head for Balme Chamonix is far from ideal for beginners too - there are countless better resorts in which to learn. There are limited but adequate nursery slopes either side of the town - Savoy, at the bottom of Brévent, and Les Planards on the opposite side (dark and cold in mid-winter). Moving on to longer runs means taking a lift up to Brévent or Flégère. La Vormaine, at Le Tour, is a much better bet: extensive, relatively high, sunny and connected to the slopes of the Balme area, where there are easy long runs to progress to. But it's 12km from Chamonix itself. For boarders Leave it to the experts The undisputed king of freeride resorts, Chamonix is a haven for advanced snowboarders who relish the steep and wild terrain, especially on the Grands Montets. This means, however, that in peak season it's crowded and fresh snow gets tracked out very quickly. The rough and rugged nature of the slopes means it is not best suited for beginners but for more experienced adventurous riders willing to try true all-mountain riding. The easiest terrain is at the Balme area, though there are quite a few difficult drags here (you can avoid these if you can hack the cat tracks to take you to other lifts, says a reporter). Most lifts elsewhere are cable cars, gondolas and chairs. If you do the Vallée Blanche, be warned: the usual route is flat in places. Check out former British champion Neil McNab's excellent extreme backcountry camps at: www.mcnabsnowboarding.com. For cross-country A decent network of trails Most of the 40km of prepared trails lie at valley level in and between Chamonix and Argentière. All the trails are shady and often icy in midwinter, and they fade fast in the spring sun. Catch the bus rather than ski between the Chamonix and Argentière areas, suggests a reporter, as the link is by "steep and difficult trails."