© Tom Humpage
© Parc de Loisirs Chamonix
Planards Beginner Ski Area & Lifts
Family fun and beginner slopes in the heart of Chamonix town
Les Planards is very much a family and beginner area, with nursery slopes and other fun activities on offer. Situated just beside the Montenvers Train station it's easily accessible.
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.
Directions
Planards is easily accessible on foot from the centre of Chamonix, by one of the winter buses or by car. There is a large free car park here aswell.