Ski & Study in Chamonix

KEY FACTS

Ski Lifts

  • Most lifts are open in both winter and summer and allow easy and safe access to ski and climbing areas, trekking and mountain bike trails, paragliding takeoff zones and high-altitude ski touring
  • Four mountain areas around Chamonix have lifts : Les Grands Montets, L’Aiguille du Midi, Le Brévent / La Flégère, Domaine de Balme

Ski Season

  • December to May
  • A free shuttle bus, running every 15 minutes, connects all ski areas in the valley.

Altitude Range

  • 1035m-3842m

Ski lifts and Pistes

  • 78: 6 green, 26 blue, 25 red and 11 black
  • 140 km pistes and 44 lifts

Skiing in the Chamonix valley

A dream destination for ski lovers all over the world

The town of Chamonix sits at a comfortable 1035 metres and features Europe's highest lift services scaling from the centre ville up to a massive 3842 metres. No other ski resort in the world can match this. Le Tour, Le Brévent and La Flégère are three of the valley's ski stations that offer more than 1500 metres of vertical descent. In addition, Les Grands Montets features over 2000 metres of vertical descent and l'Aiguille du Midi has 2807 metres of vert with a 22-kilometre run.

 

Below is a brief summary on the four most popular ski areas in the valley.

Les Grands Montets

The biggest ski area in the Chamonix valley with vertical drops of more than 2000 metres and off-piste skiing on glaciers. Many competitions and events are held at this ski area during the winter. In addition to outstanding off-piste skiing and ski touring you can also find long, groomed slopes and a fun and challenging snowpark.

Domaine de Balme (Le Tour)

The ski area that many locals call LeTour is located on the Swiss border. It offers easier runs and lots of sun – perfect for relaxed afternoons or if you would like to practice your turns. LeTour is also home to many locals’ favourite powder stashes.

Le Brévent and La Flégère

Easily accessible from the centre ville and offering a wide variety of skiing from gentle, groomed slopes to very steep off-piste runs. Extreme skiing competitions are often held here each winter. Le Brévent is connected to La Flégère, which can also be reached by cable car from the village of Les Praz, just outside Chamonix. La Flégère, which is another of the sunniest ski areas in the valley, is very popular among snowboarders due to its natural jumps and park-like terrain.

Aiguille du Midi

One of the highest lift-serviced ski areas in the world can also be reached directly from Chamonix. This is a truly extreme place with breathtaking views of the Alps and of Mont Blanc. La Mer de Glace, one of the largest glaciers in Europe, is also found here. "The Sea of Ice", as it is directly translated, offers the unforgettable experience of La Vallée Blanche - a 22 km run taking you all the way back to Chamonix through fantastic scenery. The skiing from Aiguille du Midi is all off-piste so you would generally descend with a local mountain guide.

Nearby ski resorts

Chamonix is positioned in the heart of the French Alps with other great ski resorts less than an hour away including Verbier in Switzerland, Courmayeur in Italy and many others.