I spent a season in Chamonix once, I guess a lot of snowboards do. I lived in town and brought a hugely expensive valley pass that covered all of the disjointed bits that make up the resort.
But in fact I spent 90% of my time boarding in Argentier.
I would drive up in my battered old VW golf day after day, descending seracs, crevasses, the grande montet, la poubelle, pas de chevre and all of the stuff that people talk about in the bar, I found it intoxicating!
In truth it's not all extreme, there's Mum, Dad and the kids on the piste and the moguls can become like slots with no exits! Sometimes the snow conditions can get pretty icy too, but hey, there is some great stuff to do.
One day I remember getting 4 runs on Lavencher in a meter of fresh powder in the morning, then taking the Pas de chevre back to town via the mer de glace! Trouble was that the car was up the top!
Anyway, it was a great season, I was so broke that I had to sell sandwiches on the street to stay! But its all pert of the memories!