Ski Lifts in Chamonix
Chamonix has about 50 ski lifts operated by the Compagnie du Mont-Blanc. The Mont Blanc Unlimited lift pass is expensive but covers everything in the valley plus neighbouring resorts in France, Italy and Switzerland, enabling its holders to enjoy extensive multi-resort ski safaris. The more affordable Chamonix Le Pass covers most of the skiing in the valley but not Les Houches, the Aiguille du Midi or the Montenvers train.
Chamonix Ski Lifts
Aiguille du Midi Cable Car ascending above the clouds (c) Tony Harrington
The Chamonix Valley has approximately 50 ski lifts including some of the most spectacular ski lifts in Europe which are used by pedestrians as well as skiers, like the Aiguile du Midi, the Montenvers railway, and the Mer de Glace gondola.
Many of the lifts are open in summer as well as winter. The first lifts open for the winter season in late November, and by Christmas normally all the ski area lifts are open. Some stay open into early May, but most close after Easter.
The highest lift is the Aiguille du Midi reaching 3,842m. The next highest, the Grands Montets Cable Car reaching 3275m, has been closed since 2018 following a disastrous fire but is scheduled to reopen in the late 2020s.
Chamonix Ski Lift Passes
Mont-Blanc Unlimited (MBU)
The Mont Blanc Unlimited or ‘MBU’ lift pass covers all the ski lifts in the Chamonix Valley including the three main Chamonix domains (Brevent-Flegere, Balme-Le Tour-Vallorcine, and Les Grands Montets) plus Les Houches (including the the Tramway de Mont Blanc), the Aiguille du Midi, the Montenvers railway, and the Mer de Glace gondola. It also covers the Evasion Mont Blanc ski area around St Gervais and Megeve, Courmayeur (including the Skyway lift) and Crans-Montana. Some MBU passes, depending on duration, also cover Verbier in Switzerland. In total the MBU pass covers over 1100km of ski runs (including Verbier), divided into approximately 500 different slopes. For full information, prices, and online sales, see the MBU section of the Compagnie du Mont-Blanc website.
Chamonix Le Pass
Chamonix Le Pass, commonly referred to as just the Chamonix lift pass, covers the three main Chamonix domains (Brevent-Flegere, Balme-Le Tour-Vallorcine and Les Grands Montets), but not Les Houches, the Aiguile du Midi, the Montenvers railway and the Mer de Glace gondola. In the past it also has not covered the top Grands Montets cable car, and it is not expected to cover it when it re-opens. In total, Chamonix Le Pass covers about 110km of ski runs,divided into about 60 different slopes. For full information, prices and online sales, see the Chamonix Le Pass section of the Companie du Mont Blanc website.
Les Houches Forfait
Ski Lift in the trees above Les Houches (c) Gaetan_Haugeard
The Les Houches lift pass covers the Les Houches-St Gervais ski area, but not the Evasion Mont Blanc ski lifts and slopes on the other side of St Gervais or any other lifts in the Chamonix valley. The Les Houches lift pass covers approximately 31km of ski runs divided into about 25 different slopes.
Beginners Lift Passes
Special Beginners Lift Passes cover all the low altitude Beginners’ Ski Areas in the Chamonix valley such as Les Planards, Le Savoy, La Poya, La Vormaine and Les Chosalets. 1 day and ½ day passes are available. To ski the high altitude beginners areas at mid-mountain, such as Plateau de Lognan above Argentiere and Altitude 2000 above Chamonix, you will need the full Chamonix Le Pass.
The Chamonix Tourist Board offers good value 1st Ski Experience packages that include tuition and lift passes for absolute beginners.
Chamonix Lift Company
Compagnie du Mont-Blanc
35 Place de la Mer de Glace
74400 Chamonix Mont Blanc
Tel: +33 4 50 53 22 75
Web: www.montblancnatural resort.com
Snow conditions in Chamonix
Few other ski resorts have such a range of snow conditions, not just throughout the season, but on any particular day because of the huge variation in altitude, orientation, tree cover and steepness between the different ski areas within the Chamonix valley.
It’s therefore hard to make any generalisations about Chamonix, except to say that when temperatures are warm and snow cover is thin, there is usually still good snow near the top of the Aiguille du Midi and Les Grands Montets which are both high and north-facing; whilst on a cold, mid-winter’s day, you’re most likely to find sunshine and warmth at Brevent-Flegere and the Le Tour side of Balme which both face south; and when snow is falling and visibility is at its lowest, the best tree skiing is likely to be at les Houches or Vallorcine.
Artificial Snowmaking in Chamonix
Apart from the 100% natural snow cover on the Vallee Blanche below the Aiguile du Midi, Chamonix reinforces all its ski areas with selective artificial snowmaking. The artificial snow-making makes the most visible difference in Brevent-Flegere, Les Houches and around Le Tour.