Skiing in Chamonix from Combloux: four ski areas, the Aiguille du Midi and the Vallée Blanche, 36 minutes away

The four ski areas of the valley

(winter 2026-27)

• Brévent and Flégère are the south-facing balconies opposite Mont Blanc and the Aiguilles: wide red and black runs, sun all day, and the most famous view in the valley. The easiest choice for a first day in Chamonix.
• Les Grands Montets is the area for strong skiers and off-piste. New this winter: the Argentière – Lognan gondola (1,972 m) replaces the old cable car destroyed by fire in 2018. The summit (3,275 m) stays closed until December 2027, while the second section is rebuilt.
• Balme is the gentlest: blue and red runs through mountain pastures, between France and Switzerland. The family area, and the one with the most snow late in the season.
• Les Houches is the closest to Combloux and the most wooded, so the best in bad weather. It is home to the Verte, the World Cup downhill: 3.3 km and 870 m of vertical drop.

The lift pass

Prices are dynamic: cheaper online, a few days ahead.

• Chamonix Le Pass: Brévent-Flégère, Grands Montets and Balme, without Les Houches. From €76.50 a day this winter.
• Mont-Blanc Unlimited: the four areas, plus Évasion Mont-Blanc (Megève, Saint-Gervais, Combloux), Courmayeur, Crans-Montana, the ride up the Aiguille du Midi, the Montenvers train and the Mont Blanc Tramway. From €104 a day. The right choice for a week split between Combloux and Chamonix, or for a day combining the Aiguille du Midi and skiing.

The Aiguille du Midi, with or without skis

The cable car climbs from the centre of Chamonix to 3,842 m, in two sections and twenty minutes. Without skis, it's the terrace, the Step into the Void and Mont Blanc within reach (see the Chamonix page). With skis, it's the start of the Vallée Blanche. There is no piste at the top: you leave along a ridge fitted with ropes, crampons advised, with a guide.

The Vallée Blanche

The most famous descent in the Alps: about 20 km and 2,000 m of vertical drop over the Géant and Mer de Glace glaciers, down to Montenvers. You come back by train, or on skis to Chamonix when the snow allows. Allow about five hours. We skied it one clear morning in March 2024: most of the photos on this page come from that day.

• It is not a piste: it is high-mountain off-piste skiing on a crevassed glacier, always with a guide.
• The level required: being able to ski a bumpy black run under control.
• With the Compagnie des guides de Chamonix, in a group: €175 per person for the guide only, or €280 with the cable car. Private: €425 to €505 depending on group size, or €530 to €610 with the cable car. Minimum age 15 in a group, 12 in private.
• The season usually runs from late December to late April, depending on snow and the state of the glacier.

Off-piste in general

The Chamonix valley is one of the great off-piste playgrounds in the world, and one of the most demanding.

• Always with a guide or an instructor, and always with the trio of avalanche transceiver, shovel and probe.
• Check the avalanche bulletin before setting out.
• The Compagnie des guides de Chamonix, ESF Chamonix and the Megève guides' office offer off-piste days, from gentle to committing.
• Some glacier routes on the Grands Montets remain out of reach while the summit is closed.

From the building.

• Les Houches: about 25 min.
• Chamonix (Brévent, Aiguille du Midi): 32 km, 36 min on the A40.
• Argentière (Grands Montets): about 45 min.
• Le Tour (Balme): about 50 min.
• In the evening, you come back to peace and quiet, and to gentler prices than in the Chamonix valley.