Blog

Welcome to our blog

This blog was created to help our students and visitors in their quest to learn new languages and to share our passion for the mountains. If you like our posts, feel free to share them with your friends so we can help others to learn new languages and discover what Chamonix has to offer.

Chamonix Ski Lifts Opening Dates

 | Chamonix
The Chamonix Valley is opening its ski lifts for the Winter Season! The Grand Montets will open on Friday the 8th December and then Flégère, Brévent, Tour/Balme/Vallorcine and Les Houches will open on Saturday the 9th. L’Aiguille du Midi is scheduled to open on Saturday the 16th of December! Here are the lifts that are […] Read more

December Events in Chamonix

 | Chamonix
Great news! The partial opening of Grands Montets and Les Houches this weekend means that Winter has finally arrived! Here are some upcoming events this month you won’t want to miss: ‘Ski et Art’ hosted at the Patagonia store, 249 Rue du Dr Paccard, with athlete and illustrator Simon Charrière. On Friday 1st December at […] Read more

Cornucopia

 | Chamonix
The cornucopia or horn of plenty is a symbol for nourishment and abundance. It was first represented in Greek and Roman mythology, where deities were depicted holding a goat’s horn overflowing with vegetables and fruit. In modern times, a wicker basket shaped as a horn is used around this time of year to celebrate the […] Read more

Join Insted this Winter Season!

 | Chamonix, Insted
Want to unlock your language learning potential? Immerse yourself this winter in Chamonix, learn French at Insted and spend your free time skiing or snowboarding in the beautiful surrounding mountains. If you are not already familiar with Insted, our language school is located in the heart of Chamonix, 500m from the Aiguille du Midi cable […] Read more

Pre-Winter French Course for intermediate level available

 | Insted, Study languages
Thinking about ‘brushing up’ on what you already know and improve your French skills? We have a 4-week pre-winter intensive French course, tailored for intermediate (B1 and B2) level students. This course is perfect for those who are busy throughout winter, but have some spare time before the season begins. This course runs 9h00-12h15 everyday […] Read more

Faux Amis

 | Insted, Study languages
  The false friend aka faux amis is a thorn in the side of any student learning a new language. A “false friend” refers to a word that is identical or similar in two languages but its meaning is very different. Here are a few to keep in mind, so that your next french exchange won’t […] Read more

Le Bleuet de France

 | Chamonix
The cornflower or le Bleuet de France – like the Remembrance Poppy in the UK – is the symbolic flower used by the French in memory of the victims and those who served in World War I. Like the poppy, the cornflower flourishes in desolated land that has been devastated. From the trenches, the vibrant […] Read more