Welcome to Europe’s No 1 Ski Resort
Chamonix, the birthplace of all winter sports, is consistently rated as Europe’s number 1 winter ski resort. Famed worldwide for its incredible skiing and its spectacular mountain scenery, it is must visit for all serious skiers and mountain lovers alike. With 90% of the ski terrain above 2000m’s, it makes Chamonix one of the most snow sure resorts in Europe. In particular, the prestigious les Grands Montets ski resort at the base of Argentiere, offers incredible snow quality all season due to its high altitude terrain and its north facing aspect, allowing it to stay open right up until May the 10th.
The Chamonix Valley is renowned as a winter sports Mecca, attracting mountain enthusiasts and adventure skiers from all over the world. The world famous off-piste ski run of les Vallee Blanche, accessed by the Aiguille du Midi cable car, is one of the many spectacular attractions that make Chamonix such a unique winter destination.
There are also plenty of non skiing activities available here in Chamonox. Visits to the Aiguille du Midi (the highest cable car in Europe), riding the Montenvers Railway to visit the ice caves of le Mer de Glace, taking the historical Tramway du Mont Blanc, ice skaing on one of the many outdoor rinks, husky sled rides thru beautiful snowy trails and indulgent relaxation options such as a visit to the nearby thermal pools of Pre St Didier.
Chamonix is the oldest ski resort in France and was the site of the first Winter Olympics in 1924. Situated in the magnificent Mont Blanc mountain range, the Chamonix Valley lies adjacent to Switzerland and is linked to Italy via the Mont Blanc tunnel. With with its vast history, unique culture, special charm and spectacular scenery, it is the perfect destination for your winter holiday which has many visitors returning year after year.
Marmotte Mountain can personally tailor your holiday to offer a variety of on and off mountain activities. Our experience, attention to detail and personal touches are qualities Marmotte Mountain is renowned for and we take great pleasure in creating a unique holiday experience, tailored specifically for you.
We offer a variety of Day Trips and Ski Area suggestions which together with our Marmotte Mountain Concierge Service we aim to create your perfect ski holiday.
Skiing in Chamonix Valley
The Chamonix Valley is 16km’s long, made up of five major ski stations. The valley has an excellent snow record with 90% of the ski area above 2000m, making it one of the most snow sure resorts in Europe. With over 150km’s of patrolled ski runs, limitless off piste opportunities including the infamous la Vallee Blanche and four dedicated nursery slopes for beginners, the Chamonix Valley offers a little something for everyone.
The Brevent ski area is situated directly above the town of Chamonix. The lift station is an easy 5-10 minute walk from the town centre. Le Brevent is located on the sunny side of the valley and enjoys stunning panoramic views of Mont-Blanc. It is well suited for intermediate skiers with challenging piste and off-piste opportunities. It is also linked to La Flegere by cablecar.
For lunch with an incredible million dollar view we recommend Le Panoramique on the summit of Brevent, pedestrian accessible via gondola and cable car. If you fancy some finer dining whilst in Brevent, we highly recommend La Bergerie de Plan-Praz located at the mid station of Brevent, at the top of the telecabin Planpraz has wonderful panoramic views of the Mont Blanc massif.
The Flegere ski area is situated in the village of Le Praz. Similarly to Le Brevent, it enjoys the sunshine with its south facing slopes and spectacular panoramic mountain views. It caters mainly to intermediate skiers with some beginner slopes situated close to the mountain restaurants. La Flegere is linked to Le Brevent by cablecar.
We recommend going to Le Cabane on the Chamonix Valley floor for their special lunchtime menu.
Les Grands Montets is an advanced mountain with an abundance of steep terrain to challenge even the most extreme skier. With its north facing slopes and high altitude, the Grands Montets enjoys exceptional snow quality up until early May. It is divided up into three major skiing areas, including the extremely picturesque, Argentiere glacier.
A great lunch stop for strong skiers is to access Chalet Refuge de Lognan from the top of the Grand Montets on the Point de Vue or Pylons/Blanchots black runs. The view from Chalet Refuge de Lognan is something to be treasured. Just off the bottom to the right of the home piste, La Cremerie offers fantastic traditional Savoyard cuisine.
Le Tour is located at the end of the valley. It is an ideal place for families and intermediates with its wide, open, long pistes. The terrain on the Vallorcine side of the mountain offers tree lined skiing, giving both protection from bad weather and providing some of the most scenic descents in the valley. With the introduction of the Vallorcine telecabin, it has also opened up new off-piste skiing terrain on the swiss side of the mountain.
We recommend going to Vallorcine to try the newly opened Le Café Comptoir or an old favourite L’arete boungnette.
Home of the Kandahar World Cup skiing event, Les Houches is situated 6km’s south Of Chamonix. Les Houches offers a good variety of long ski descents on picturesque tree-lined slopes with stunning views of the Mont Blanc massive and the Chamonix Valley. It is a great resort for beginners and intermediates and it is also a good option in bad weather conditions due to the shelter provided by the tree line cover of the resort. This charming Savoyard ski resort has managed to keep a lovely traditional atmosphere, with some superb mountain restaurants and alpine farm architecture – for the best mountain restaurant in the Chamonix Valley you must try Les Vieilles Luges.
Boasting the world’s largest lift-served vertical descent of 2807m, the Valley Blanche is an amazing experience not to be missed. During the 22km journey, you ski through huge ceracs, towers of ice and past spectacular crevasses. To ensure your safety, a mountain guide is definitely recommended when you undertake the valley blanche.
Located just the other side of the Mont Blanc tunnel in Italy, Courmayeur offers a great addition to your ski week in the Chamonix Valley. A much slower pace than in Chamonix, often the most difficult challenge you might encounter for the day is to hunt down a deck chair to soak up the beautiful Aosta sunshine. Courmayeur offers a good variety of big wide open pistes that cater for skiers of all ability levels. The Mont Blanc Unlimited ski pass covers the Courmayeur ski area so there is no need to buy an additional ski pass.
For delicious on piste dining try Chiecco or Maison Vieille, bookings are essential
For those who have never skied before and for beginners, there are four skiing areas that offer exclusive nursery slopes for novices. They are;
- Le Savoy Right in the centre of Chamonix, at the foot of le Brevent.
- Les Planards 2 minutes from the Chamonix Centre, just across from the Montenvers train station
- Les Chosalets Located just before the entrance to the Grands Montets, 500m from the start of the Lognan cable car
- La Vormaine Situated next to the village of Le Tour
Ski Maps
Lift Passes
This covers the same as the Chamonix le Pass but also includes unlimited access to Courmayeur and the Helbroner ski lift system (In Italy), unlimited use of the Lognan – (les Grands Montets top cable car), unlimited use of the Aiguille du Midi (for Vallee Blanche and site seeing), unlimited use of the Montenvers Railway with free entry to the ice grotto, unlimited access to St Gervais, Megeve and les Contamines ski areas and 50% discount to Verbier ski system.
Beginners ski passes are also available for unlimited use on the four novice areas of Le Savoy, Les Planards, Les Chosalets and La Vormaine.
Day passes are available at each of the ski stations and new for this season is the introduction of the 4 hour pass – it activates the first time you catch your ski lift.
This is a standard pass and gives you access to the 4 main ski stations (Le Brevent, La Flegere, Les Grands Montets and Le Tour) and the beginner areas on the valley floor (Les Planards, Le Savoy, Les Chosalets, La Vormaine)
Our GuestsTestimonials
Ski Lessons
Marmotte Mountain Adventure specialises in hand picking independant private instructors who are individually matched to our guests requirements. We are so confident in the instructors that we use that we offer a full money back guarantee on the quality of the service when we are able to handpick one of our trusted instructors.
To ensure we are able to obtain the services of one of our instructors, we recommend that you let us know your requirements as far in advance as possible. We honestly can’t recommend our instructors highly enough – they are exceptional and they play avital role in our high guest satisfaction level and large percentage of our loyal client base returning year upon year.
Panda Club Ski School – Evolution 2
Evolution 2 run a fantastic ski school program in Argentiere for children aged from 3-12 years called the Panda Club. As the majority of the children participating in the Panda Club come from an international background, all Panda Club ski instructors are able to speak fluent English. The Panda Club performs daily ski evaluation of your child with a graded test and an awards ceremony on each Friday. There is also an indoor play area and lunch facilities on offer.
Yeti Courses
5 half day (Mon – Fri)
(08:45am-11:30am): €250.00
(13:45pm-16:30): €195.00
5 full day (Mon – Fri)
(08:45am – 16:30 – with lunch): €475.00
6 half day (Sun – Fri)
(08:45am-11:30): €290.00
(13:45pm-16:30): €230.00
6 full day (Sun – Fri)
(08:45am – 16:30 – with lunch): €560.00