Chamonix Ski Areas
Snow sure, high altitude, diversity & world class off piste have been deservedly accredited to Chamonix as a ski resort. It is one of the original and best known resorts in France and cascading from the summit of Mont Blanc the alpine vistas are unparalleled.
With five main ski areas, to suit all tastes and skill levels, from total beginners all the way through to free ride and downhill world champions, Chamonix is blessed with diversity from snow sure glacial terrain at 4000m down through to tree lined skiing at 1000m.
Additionally, and with access through the famous Mt Blanc tunnel, our sixth ski area is Courmayeur in Italy. Our concierge ski shuttle service can have you there in under 15 minutes from our chalets. Courmayeur boasts incredible ski terrain, friendly Italian hospitality and some of the best food in the world all bathed in glorious sunshine. Definitely worth a visit and available with your Mont Blanc Unlimited ski pass.
Chamonix’s ski areas are located under 100km from Geneva international airport. This makes them easily accessible which in turn gives you more ski time whilst on your well earned ski break.
Don’t just take our word for it, take a tour with the experts!
For a in depth description of what’s waiting for you in Chamonix and details of each ski area take a look at the interactive videos below with Aurelien Ducroz, local Chamonix resident and freeride world champion.
The Grands Montets (1235m-3300m)
This world class resort is the largest in the valley and it offers the greatest diversity of skiing. Made famous in the 70’s and 80’s by its pioneering off piste local skiers. The vertical on offer here is huge from 3300m - 1250m. Strong skiers and boarders are best to head up the ‘Bochard’ or ‘Grands Montets’ lifts where the open wide glacial and pisted terrain is by far the most exciting and vast in the valley. For intermediates and beginners stay lower in the ‘Marmottons’ and ‘Plan Jouran’ areas. The freestyle park gets better and more developed every year. Great food on offer at the ‘Crèmerie du Glacier’ and the ‘Refuge de Lognan’.
Brévent and Flégère (1030m-2525m)
Always in the sun! This classic area is the closest to Chamonix town centre with direct access via the Plan Praz telecabine. The pisted area is best suited to the intermediate at mid altitude and the higher you go the more challenging it becomes. The Charles Bozon piste from the top of the Brévent lift at 2500m is on of our favourites. For powder hungry folk head over to the Flégère area and hit the Index lift. The rolling and ever changing terrain from here down to the ‘le Trappe’ chair is truly awesome. For beginners ‘Plan Praz’ and ‘le Trappe’ areas are best to cut those first few turns.
Balme - Vallorcine (1453m-2270m)
The Domaine de Balme is the furthest ski area from our chalet at 15 mins but is a great area to spend your first days warming up. Excellent beginner facilities in the ‘la Vormaine’ area with 3 easy drag lifts and huge wide open gentle pistes. This is the best intermediate area in the valley with lots of interesting terrain both on and off piste. A great secret powder spot is the back side heading down towards Vallorcine. Great lunch tip is to head down to Vallorcine and eat local food at ‘les trois Ours’.
Les Houches (950m-1900m)
This north facing wooded area is often overlooked yet offers some of the best pisted descents in the valley. Every year it plays host to the FIS world cup ski downhill race on the Kandahar piste. This gives you an idea of how widely regarded it is amongst professionals! Offering 18 lifts and 86 snow cannons its pretty snow sure even with its relatively low altitude. The ’Vieille Luge’ offers the best mountain food in the whole valley with delicious chalk board home cooked menus and well worth the ski through the forest to get to. Try the vin chaud here it's delicious!
Aiguille du Midi (3842m)
For the extreme seekers amongst you, the Aiguille du Midi at 3842m offers the biggest skiable lift served vertical drop of 2807 metres as well as one of the world's longest off-piste runs (22km) through the Vallée Blanche. No pisted runs on offer here, just sheer off-piste bliss. Let Ice & Orange can arrange a guide for you to maximise your enjoyment and safety for an unforgettable day of skiing.
Courmayeur (Italy)
If Courmayeur were to be judged purely on its pisted runs (largely intermediate and relatively short), the skiing is quite limited in comparison to some of its larger alpine neighbours, but the same cannot be said for its mountain restaurants. No other resort can boast the amazing statistic of having more mountain restaurants than ski lifts, with 23 eating places and 22 lifts. This not only sheds light on the Italian ski mentality, but is also one of the many reasons why Courmayeur qualifies as one of the best resorts in Europe.
The restaurants are not only plentiful, they represent everything that is great about eating in the Italian mountains: hot chocolate so thick that you have to finish it with a spoon, risottos with shavings of truffles, succulent fresh pasta, lavish spreads of home-made desserts and south-facing sun terraces full of Italians.
