Ski Lifts/Areas & Skipass Offices in Chamonix — 15 of Our Favourites

They are cheap to use (approx. 7€) for a day pass and equipment can be hired from the Intersport shop over the road for 10-15€ per day.

Trails suitable for classic and skating cross-country skiers and they are graded (green, blue, etc) for level of difficulty.

Lift passes should be bought at the foyer, where coats and bags can be left while you ski.

The trail goes along the beautiful Eau Noire stream within a forest. It trail will be open from December 1st 2018 to March 31st 2019, snow conditions permitting. Access to the trails is €8.50 per day for adults and 5€ for children, with discounts for 'Carte d'hote' cardholders. The circuit is also very well suited to snowshoe walking (free entry).

There are regular entertainments such as nighttime ski sessions and ski-joering (skiing with horses). Enquire at the foyer for details.

They comprise a total of 15km divided into three different tracks ranging from an easy 1.5km route to a harder 9.5km route. It is possible to link up to the Chamonix ski de fond trails via Le Lavancher but this is a very steep route for experienced cross-country skiers only.

Equipment can be rented cheaply from local ski hire shops and cross-country ski passes are available at the ski pass office at the start of the tracks.

The Chavants area comprises 2 circuits of around 3km which follow an easy route around the lake and through the forest.

The Prarion area is at 1850m (accessed via the Prarion gondola) and is more challenging with longer trails that loop around a high altitude plateau, affording beautiful views of the Chamonix and Passy valleys.

Equipment can be rented fairly cheaply from local ski hire shops.

The journey to the top takes around 20 minutes and is in two sections; the first cable car takes you to Plan de l'Aiguille from where you can follow many hiking routes in summer.

The second cable car takes you to the summit where you will find a restaurant, many viewing platforms and 360 degree views of the French, Swiss and Italian Alps. It's also the closest you will get to Mont Blanc, without climbing it yourself. From here you can see many off-piste skiers, snowboarders and mountaineers embarking on their adventures. The Vallée Blanche route is open to all, but inadvisable without a qualified mountain guide - you can enquire about private or group excursions here.

The Aiguille du Midi cable car is open year-round, only closing for a short period in autumn when maintenance work and safety checks are carried out.

The lift station is located in the Chamonix Sud area, just a five minute walk from the centre of town. Also available at the lift pass office are piste maps, bus and train timetables, weather forecasts, ski condition details and avalanche bulletins. You can also purchase the necessary mountain/ski insurance here if you do not already have the correct cover.

The staff speak English and all major credit cards are accepted here.

Nestled at the top of the valley of Chamonix Mont-Blanc (Le Tour), at an elevation of 1,500m, the Ducroz family and their team welcome you to La Vormaine ski resort. Since 1957, four generations of skiers, local Chamoniards and visitors worldwide, have enjoyed the experience of skiing at the foot of the glaciers with a stunning view of the Mont Blanc mountain range.

Skiing in La Vormaine area of Le Tour is perfect for beginners with its flattish wide-open pistes. The ‘espace ludique’ is free to use and if a one-day pass charge is nominal compared to the rest of the area.

You have access to four button lifts of varying lengths which lead to two green pistes, a blue and a freestyle area, perfect if you’re skiing for the first time or with young children. There is also a magic carpet.

You can buy your ski pass for this area directly at the office on the slope.

A snack bar can be found on site as well as a children's only area which is managed by the local ESF ski school.

Les Houches is perfectly suited to families and beginners due to a wide range of gentle runs and very few steep gradients. It is one of the few areas where the mountain restaurants are independently run and therefore the choice and quality is much better than in other ski areas.

Les Houches is a good option for bad-weather days as it is mostly sheltered by the trees and therefore has better visibility when there is heavy cloud cover.

The Prarion and Bellevue lifts are also open in the summer, when Les Houches is a very popular hiking and mountain biking area. Dogs are allowed only on the Bellevue lift.

You can buy your lift passes directly from the office a the bottom of the gondola. Also available at the lift pass office are piste maps, bus (& train where appropriate) timetables, weather forecasts, ski condition details and avalanche bulletins. You can also purchase the necessary mountain/ski insurance here if you do not already have the correct cover.

The lift station is just a five-minute walk from the tourist office (albeit it uphill!) and is also on the main bus route.

Brévent provides a wide variety of slopes from green nursery slopes all the way up to the black Charles Bozon piste, all accessed by cable car. It is also linked to the Flégère domain, so you can ski/snowboard two sunny south-facing areas in one day, on the same lift pass.

Once up at Plan Praz (the mid-station) you can catch the cable car up to the very top (2,525m) where you will be treated to 360 degrees of breath-taking views including Mont Blanc, the Aiguille du Midi and most of the Chamonix Valley. The lifts up here mainly consist of four-seater chairlifts, plus there's the six-seater Cornu and the Stade drag lift.

The Brévent gondola and cable car are both open in summer, when the area is popular with hikers, mountain bikers and rock climbers.

Also available at the lift pass office are piste maps, bus and train timetables, weather forecasts, ski condition details and avalanche bulletins. You can also purchase the necessary mountain/ski insurance here if you do not already have the correct cover.

The staff speak English and all major credit cards are accepted here.

There are one or two restaurants close to the lift station and the home run, La Forte Verte, practically leads to the great little Cafe Comptoir.

The gondola takes you up to the main piste network known as the Domaine de Balme and links with the neighbouring village of Le Tour. The area offers a wide range of blue and red pistes to suit all standards as well as plenty of accessible off-piste. There is also a dedicated zone for speed-riders.

The lifts at both Vallorcine and Le Tour are open in summer as well as the winter and it is equally popular hiking and mountain biking.

Also available at the lift pass office are piste maps, bus (& train where appropriate) timetables, weather forecasts, ski condition details and avalanche bulletins. You can also purchase the necessary mountain/ski insurance here if you do not already have the correct cover.

The staff speak English and all major credit cards are accepted here.

Flégère (1,894m) lies adjacent to Brévent and is accessed directly by a cable car from Les Praz, the small village a couple of kilometres up the valley beside the golf course. A freeriders paradise in winter, this lift can be prone to long queues during high season and on a powder day, so it is often quicker to access the area from the Brévent side via the Plan Praz gondola, the Cornu or Sources chairlifts and the Liaison cable car. Also, the Flégère cable car will close during high winds.

Once up there, Flégère offers a wide range of slopes from green nursery pistes to long challenging black runs, such as La Floria drag lift which opens out onto one of Chamonix's favourite off-piste areas on a powder day. Up here are a couple of great red and black runs, but beware - the drag lift has a dog-leg bend in it about two-thirds of the way up, but it doesn't pose much of a problem if you're steady on your skis/snowboard. The remainder of the area is all chairlifts.

Also, there are links via cable car to Brévent, giving you the opportunity to ski/snowboard two sunny south-facing resorts in one day, on the same lift pass.

The cable car is also open in summer, when the area is popular with hikers, climbers and mountain bikers. During summer, the Index chairlift whisks hikers up to 2,396m, saving your legs if you're en route to Lac Blanc.

Available at the lift pass office are piste maps, bus and train timetables, weather forecasts, ski condition details and avalanche bulletins. You can also purchase the necessary mountain/ski insurance here if you do not already have the correct cover. The staff speak English and all major credit cards are accepted here.

The ski area here is extensive and varied, renowned for its challenging black runs and huge off-piste areas. It provides access to one of Chamonix's highest and steepest ski areas, between 1,235 and 3,300 metres. It is often the first lift in the area to open at the start of the winter season and the last to close at the end, due to its high altitude and reliable snow cover.

Until the new cable car opens (scheduled for 2024), the only way to access the skiing at Grands Montets is via the Plan Joran gondola. Currently there is no way to access the Aiguille des Grands Montets at 3,300m, from where you can see incredible panoramic views of the Mont Blanc range, the Mer de Glace and the Chamonix valley. This is also the departure point for mountaineers heading to the Aiguille Verte, which is at this time only accessible for those ski touring.

In summer the area offers hiking, mountain biking and paragliding. It is also the departure point for climbers and mountaineers aiming for the high peaks in the Argentière basin.

You can buy your ski passes directly from the lift pass office here. Also available are piste maps, bus and train timetables, weather forecasts, ski condition details and avalanche bulletins. You can also purchase the necessary mountain/ski insurance if you don't already have the correct cover. The lifts are open both summer and winter.

The Montenvers train leads up to the Mer de Glace where you can view the famous glacier as well as the ice caves. The journey to the top takes around 20 minutes and climbs the mountainside running through the forest, tunnels cut through rock and over viaducts reaching a height of 1,913m. The attraction is open in both the winter and the summer months. 

There is plenty of parking just opposite the the lift pass office in the Planards car park. 

Also available at the lift pass office are piste maps, bus (& train where appropriate) timetables, weather forecasts, ski condition details and avalanche bulletins. You can also purchase the necessary mountain/ski insurance here if you do not already have the correct cover.

The staff speak English and all major credit cards are accepted here.

At the foot of the domain is a large beginners' slope with two drag lifts and a cafe/picnic area. You can purchase a separate (cheaper) pass for this zone if you do not intend to take the gondola up to the main ski area.

The gondola takes you up to the main piste network, which links into the Balme area and the neighbouring village of Vallorcine on the Swiss border.

Le Tour-Balme offers a wide range of blue and red pistes to suit all standards as well as plenty of accessible off-piste. There is also a dedicated zone for speed-riders.

Le Tour-Balme is open in summer and winter; it is a very popular hiking and mountain biking area during the summer months.

Also available at the lift pass office are piste maps, bus (& train where appropriate) timetables, weather forecasts, ski condition details and avalanche bulletins. You can also purchase the necessary mountain/ski insurance here if you do not already have the correct cover.

The staff speak English and all major credit cards are accepted here.

There are four lifts, two short drag lifts and a four-person chair giving access to a blue and a red piste. As well as a very gentle green slope there is also a snow garden for small children, run by the ESF ski school, where they can learn the basics before venturing out onto the bigger slopes.

Beginners looking for a new challenge will enjoy the longer green run, accessed by a drag lift before moving up to the blue piste. All the pistes here are relatively short and perfect for those who want to get some confidence at the start of their holiday.

You can buy your lift pass from the office here. Also available at the lift pass office are piste maps, bus and train timetables, weather forecasts, ski condition info and avalanche bulletins. You can also purchase the necessary mountain/ski insurance here if you do not already have the correct cover.

There is a ski school, an equipment hire shop and a restaurant at the foot of the slopes, as well as a "luge" - a toboggan that whizzes along on a rollercoaster rail!

Les Planards is also open in summer, when there are more family-friendly rides and children's entertainments to enjoy.

Open in summer and winter, tickets can be purchased online or from the office at the foot of the cable car. During the summer moths this is a popular place for hiking and mountain biking, so you can take your bike on the cable car. Dogs are also allowed in the cable car.

Also available at the lift pass office are piste maps, bus (& train where appropriate) timetables, weather forecasts, ski condition details and avalanche bulletins. You can also purchase the necessary mountain/ski insurance here if you do not already have the correct cover.

Open from 08:30 to 17:30 in the summer, except for peak holiday times when it is open from 07:00 to 18:00. And in September from 07:30 to 18:00 daily. Hours will vary in the winter so please check their website in advance.

The staff speak English and all major credit cards are accepted here.