Viewing 33 posts - 1 through 33 (of 33 total)
  • Who here lives in Chamonix?
  • NewRetroTom
    Full Member

    I have been offered a job in Chamonix starting next month. I’m aware there are some forum dwellers on here who live in and around Cham, and was hoping for some advice.
    First of all I need to find some accomodation. I’ve looked on the Mairie’s website and Cham74 and ChamSocial. Any other places I should be looking?
    Also thinking about cars – How long term can you get away with having a british registered car in France? I know plenty of seasonnaires do it, but does this cause potential problems?
    Also I’ll need some locals knowledge of the trails, so it would be good to meet some of you lot for a bike ride!

    cardiff
    Free Member

    Also thinking about cars – How long term can you get away with having a british registered car in France?

    No nothing about Chamonix sorry, but lived in france with work for 6 months and took my car over. Kept it on english plates and with my normal insurance. Mostly depends on your own insurance I’d guess but basically I had to bring mine back every 3 months to keep it valid (also kept the MOT/ Tax up to date to keep it valid) Was fine for 6 months but might not work out if you are there longer?

    nedrapier
    Full Member

    Is this a permanent job or a winter dealmaker type job?

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    NewRetroTom
    Full Member

    It’s a permanent job. Hopefully if all goes well I’ll be there for a couple of years – maybe more if I really love it!

    Shandy
    Free Member

    I lived there for a while, always got accommodation with the job but you are looking in the right places. I would try and afford a small place to yourself. There are loads of sound people there but the place also attracts its fair share of the dregs of society and you don’t want to live with them. You’ll meet loads of people quickly anyway, its a really sociable place.

    For the car, I took mine out there 6 months at a time, you need to check the maximum your insurance policy allows out of the country, in general if you have MOT and insurance you’ll be fine. If you like your car and think you’ll be back in the UK often enough to keep it legal then keep your car. If you’re confident you’re going for a stretch you might be better getting a French-registered car.

    bazzer
    Free Member

    Can’t help other than say its a fantastic place I would love to live there.

    I lived in Val D’Isere for a bit and I love the place to bits but recently being visiting Chamonix and I love it.

    ericf
    Free Member

    I don’t live in Chamonix but absolutely love the place in the summer. I live over the border in Switzerland and kept my UK car for 1 year before being forced to get rid of it by the Swiss authorities. I don’t think you have the same problem in France since it’s EU. You can keep your car for as long as you want I think. You can get insurance from http://www.stuartcollins.com/. It was pretty close to the quote I had when I lived in the UK.

    nedrapier
    Full Member

    Tom, what are you doing? Got a few friends living there who might be able to help, or point you in the right direction.

    email in profile if you’d prefer.

    Ed

    NewRetroTom
    Full Member

    Ed – It’s an accountancy job. Would be good to hear from any folks who live in Cham!

    mugsys_m8
    Full Member

    Cham cham cham. What a sham. The place is not France. The locals are so up themselves, the place is horrendously expensive, and, and , and, and. Great scenery though.

    I hope your job is all kosher and completley through the french system. Chamonix is a hotspot of Brits trying to avoid the system and is a favourite raid for the officials. Good Luck!

    And yes, I am qualified to comment.

    Dan, resident ‘somewhere’ near Grenoble registered as self employed in France, paying French taxes 😀 but currently in Baku, Azerbaijan 😕

    NewRetroTom
    Full Member

    Cheers mugsys_m8!
    I am aware of the lack of French people in Cham, but fortunately I will have some lovely French colleagues to talk to!
    I think the good things about Cham easily outweigh the negatives!

    mugsys_m8
    Full Member

    Aye you could be right there! Have fun. That’s the main thing.

    em1985
    Free Member

    Tom – any tips on where to find a permanent job in Cham??? Really want to go back there for good but can only find seasonal stuff!

    Also, as a pointer – avoid living in the complex around Cham Sud/the Monkey Bar if you are there for the long-term… its cheap and has underground parking but seriously noisy – got woken up every morning at 4am for the whole winter..!

    mattjg
    Free Member

    First of all I need to find some accomodation. I’ve looked on the Mairie’s website and Cham74 and ChamSocial. Any other places I should be looking?
    Also thinking about cars – How long term can you get away with having a british registered car in France? I know plenty of seasonnaires do it, but does this cause potential problems?
    Also I’ll need some locals knowledge of the trails, so it would be good to meet some of you lot for a bike ride!

    Physically, the notices at the back of the mairie on Friday mornings I think it is. The good stuff goes quickly. Best to be there.

    Be discrete about the car and you’ll be OK.

    It’s nigh on impossible to earn a living wage in tourism.

    Great beer in MBC, best time is early before it gets crowded. Never go on a “Gary Bingham and the Crevassholes” night. Trust me.

    I never did much bike riding in Cham, it’s all a bit body-armour-lift-assisted-rocks-and-and-drops for me, I’m more a single track & forests guy. There’s an OK XC loop around the valley floor but it gets a bit dull after a while. A few nidges of ST in the woods north of the PGHM helipad. In all honesty I think’s it’s over-rated for riding, the terrain is just too severe, but the local tour ops are sure to disagree. But there’s masses of sport climbing for summers and the skiing is fantastic. In a good year you can climb from Feb to November and ski from November to May. Awesome.

    I think a group of free-riders ride out of Le Vert at Les Gaillands quite often.

    Fill your Camelbak from the spring on the Les Peccles back road, down towards the Gaillands climbing wall. Best ever.

    You can ride your road bike up to the Col des Montets, down to Vallorcine, that’s about it. Stay off the roads July & August, death traps for a cyclist.

    Cham’s something of a bubble, you’re insulated from the rest of humanity, in a box with closed ends and an open lid. It can be claustrophobic, it can be fantastic. I always think it’s a bit “Space 1999” – pinged off into the galaxy on your own. I ‘spose you’d have to be over 40 to get that reference!

    Cham Sud is cheap for a reason. Lock your gear securely.

    It wore out for us after 6 years but we had a cracking time.

    Rock it. I’m envious of you getting to discover it all over again.

    mattjg
    Free Member

    Riding: Le Tour / Col de Balme over to Switzerland is OK. There are 2 routes, one directly over the Col past the refuge we used to call ‘Le Trogs’, the other bear left looking at the col, traverse high then follow your nose (stay high).

    Go see the dinosaur footprints behind Col de la Terrasse.

    Morzine is only an hour away. Never bothered to go though!

    mattjg
    Free Member

    mugsy’s first 2 paras are spot on. Make sure you get paid. Bear in mind many employers assume high staff turnover is the norm and have no incentive to keep people.

    The chips in Bistro des Sports are delicious. The food is great in Petit Kitchen tho the portions a little small for hungry bikers. Everywhere’s expensive. The staff in Super U are the grumpiest and rudest anywhere.

    French people on the whole tho are superb, they have a level of personal respect we don’t have in this country.

    mattjg
    Free Member

    Read this, it’s stylised and fictionalised but has the ring of truth too. It’s good fun.

    mattjg
    Free Member

    Good riding at Verbier, about an hour and a quarter to get there.

    mattjg
    Free Member

    The DH descent at Le Tour is well spoken of, didn’t ride it myself. Sorry I keep thinking of things!

    NewRetroTom
    Full Member

    Thanks for all the info mattjg!

    em1995 – that’s interesting. Thanks for posting. I stayed in Cham Sud for 4 weeks in August and it was quiet. I can well imagine it being noisy in winter though.

    NewRetroTom
    Full Member

    em1985 what kind of work are you looking for?

    mattjg
    Free Member

    Ok my hunch is you’re working or TUI, you’ll get paid.

    ChamSud is cheap for a reason.

    They guy who runs the ski/bike hire called SkiLoc there, opposite the bus station is a friend of mine, you’ll get good service there.

    globalti
    Free Member

    Don’t stay in Chamonix, stay in Argentiere up the valley. It’s quieter and a little cheaper and it’s where the serious ski tourers and mountaineers prefer to stay because it gives access to the best off piste skiing. The Haute Route starts there as well as several other good tours.

    bonfield-jones
    Free Member

    Accomodation cheaper in Argentiere or Les Houches. Dont forget that alot of long term lets go quickly or at least the best ones. Possibly the best option would be get what you can short term and then whilst you are there look for a really good long term option. You will soon pick up on the chamonix valley and the best places.

    Riding wise, its coming up winter so there will not be loads of options. However there are loads of great rides to suit all experienced riders from the swiss border , contamines, sallanches areas.

    Get out when you want to and not when the locals say. I have friends living in the valley and lived for a while. They ski when it is perfect conditions only.However they have been there 20+ years. Take all the experiences and explore explore explore.

    Have a great time!

    NewRetroTom
    Full Member

    mattjg not working for TUI, working for an accountancy practice.

    I’m quite keen to live in Argentiere, but the GF is not as she prefers the idea of being in Cham itself.

    mattjg
    Free Member

    We were in Cham, there’s bugger all in Argentiere to be honest (except the Grands Montets lifts of course) and going anywhere means a drive. Wouldn’t have suited me.

    nedrapier
    Full Member

    NRTom, is the name Egglestone anything to do with your job?

    mattjg
    Free Member

    NRTom, is the name Egglestone anything to do with your job?

    I was going to say that tho desisted. It’s a small world there.

    DaveFell
    Free Member

    Shouldn’t you be out riding Tommy?

    phil.w
    Free Member

    Also thinking about cars – How long term can you get away with having a british registered car in France?

    You have to bring it back for it’s MOT other than that it depends on your insurance. Most will only allow you 3 months at a time.

    I was insured with Co-operative so could keep my van there indefinitely.

    It is possible to get a UK reg car insured in France, this is probably your best option as then there is no need to return the car to the UK periodically. I know AXA are good for this.

    nedrapier
    Full Member

    You know them Matt?

    mattjg
    Free Member

    Not well, just briefly as a client. And I did a sponsored run with Charlotte a few years ago, turned out we went to the same school tho spaced several (ahem) years apart.

    My other half was walking through town one time and bumped into someone she knew from our local (UK) running club, who’d taken a chalet host job.

    It’s that kind of place. All roads lead to Mt Blanc.

    em1985
    Free Member

    @Tom – am looking for anything more than seasonal work! (currently work in marketing and events)
    just want to get out of London and back to the mountains for good. so, if you have any pointers of companies in the area please let me know! 🙂 thanks muchly!

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