Chamonix-Mont-Blanc

Chamonix-Mont-Blanc is a high-mountain valley at the foot of Mont-Blanc, in Haute-Savoie. Unlike a classic resort, it does not form a single, interconnected ski area: it brings together several distinct ski sectors, spread across the villages of the valley, from 1 035 m to 3 300 m in altitude.

The main sectors are Brévent-Flégère and Le Savoy/Planards in Chamonix, Les Grands Montets in Argentière — an international benchmark for off-piste and freeride skiing — Le Tour-Balme in Vallorcine, with panoramic views over the valley, and Les Houches, south-facing with views of Mont-Blanc and the legendary Kandahar run. Several low-altitude beginner areas (Tourchet, Savoy, Planards, Chosalets, Vormaine, La Poya) welcome beginners and children.

For cross-country skiing, the valley also offers groomed trails, a snowpark, ski touring and speed-riding, as well as access to the Vallée Blanche, a legendary off-piste route starting from the Aiguille du Midi. No single official total of runs or lifts is published for the valley as a whole: each sector has its own figures.

Beyond skiing, Chamonix is the historic capital of mountaineering: the musée du Mont-Blanc / Espace Tairraz, the patinoire Richard Bozon, the spa QC Terme, the Parc de Merlet and the Alpine Coaster des Planards round out a rich off-ski offering, in both winter and summer.