Abondance
Abondance Ski Valley is a mid-sized ski area in the Haute-Savoie region of France, near Châtel and La Chapelle d'Abondance.The resort has been open since at least 1964 and was closed in 2007, when the local council voted to shut down the area after 15 years of loss-making. The resort was reopened in 2009, when Gregory Lynn Sherwood, an American entrepreneur, made a deal with the local mayor to operate the ski area for the next 12 years.
Introduction from the English Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA).
Seven criteria rated from 1 to 5 stars, in half-stars, from this page's sourced data. A rating is a rank among the 322 French resorts we cover — 5 stars means “among the best in France on this point”, not “perfect”. Nobody types these in.
- SnowCan you count on the snow?2.5 / 5
Top of the ski area: 1,674 m · Bottom of the pistes: 942 m · Days above 30 cm per winter, measured: 70 days · Days above 30 cm, December to March, model: 95%
- Ski areaIs there enough to ski all week?2.5 / 5
Km of pistes at the resort: 23 km · Km of pistes across the linked area: 182 km · Lifts: 16 · Balance between piste levels: 67%
- ValueIs the lift pass reasonable for what you get?4 / 5
Adult day pass: €41.5 · Day pass price per km of pistes: €0.23/km · Adult 6-day pass: €211 · Price read at a neighbouring resort of the same area
- Families and beginnersIs it right for children and beginners?3.5 / 5
Share of green and blue pistes: 84% · Magic carpets: 1 · Sledging runs: 1 · Special prices out of 4 (beginner, child, family, free age): 3 · ESF ski school · Ice rink, pool, rail sledge…: 0
- AccessIs it easy to get to?3 / 5
Average drive time from 20 major cities: 4 hr 58 · Nearest railway station: 35 min · Station-to-resort shuttles per day: 6 · Nearest airport: 1 hr 36
- Atmosphere and après-skiIs there life in the evening and off the slopes?1.5 / 5
Bars and pubs: 0 · Nightclubs: 0 · Restaurants: 4 · Upcoming events: 0 · Collective tourist beds: 0 — index: what the map and the listings publish
- Luxury and comfortHow upmarket is the resort?1 / 5
5-star hotels: 0 · 4-star hotels: 0 · Share of hotel rooms in 4 and 5 stars: 0% · Spas and saunas: 0 · Jewellers, watchmakers, fashion boutiques: 0 · Adult day pass: €41.5 — index: what the map and the listings publish
“Atmosphere” and “Luxury” are indexes: they count what OpenStreetMap and the event listings publish within 2.5 km (bars, nightclubs, rated hotels, spas, upcoming events), not what you experience there. A zero means “nothing mapped”, not “nothing there”. Sources per criterion: snow (altitudes (OpenStreetMap, Wikidata), snow depth observed at the Météo-France station, ERA5-Land model) ; ski area (OpenStreetMap pistes and lifts, linked area (Wikidata)) ; value (the resort’s official price list) ; families and beginners (OpenStreetMap pistes, price list, ESF ski school, Famille Plus label, OpenStreetMap leisure) ; access (OSRM drive times from 20 cities, SNCF stations, GTFS shuttles, airports) ; atmosphere and après-ski (bars, nightclubs and restaurants within 2.5 km (OpenStreetMap), upcoming events (OpenAgenda), collective tourist beds (INSEE)) ; luxury and comfort (rated hotels within 2.5 km (OpenStreetMap) and by category across the commune (INSEE), spas and boutiques (OpenStreetMap), day pass price).
Open pistes and lifts will appear here during the season, as published by the resort. Out of season we show nothing rather than a misleading zero.
Right now at the CHATEL station (1,155 m)
Avalanche danger
7-day forecast
Village 1,096 m · top 1,674 m
Forecast corrected for altitude; fresh snow = forecast total at the top; UV = peak of the day. Beyond 3 days, check the resort’s own report. Source:Open-Meteo.
Average snow depth by month
Good snow from December to March: a long, reliable season.
☀️ Average daily sunshine : Nov 6 h · Dec 5.3 h · Jan 5.5 h · Feb 7 h · Mar 8.4 h · Apr 10.1 h — 26 bright days in April (Open-Meteo estimate, 2015-2025).
- November—no record
- December74 cmGood skiing · 85%
- January98 cmGood skiing · 93%
- February122 cmGood skiing · 100%
- March130 cmGood skiing · 100%
- April86 cmVariable · 79%
- May—no record
30 cm on the ground: the benchmark for groomed-piste skiing. Bar = monthly average depth; percentage = share of time above 30 cm.
- Good skiing: 30 cm on more than 8 days in 10
- Variable: 30 cm on 5 to 8 days in 10
- Insufficient: 30 cm less than one day in two
Snow actually measured, winter by winter
39 complete winters measured, from 1983-1984 to 2021-2022 — on average 70 days a winter with at least 30 cm on the ground.
- 1-15 Dec16 cmInsufficient · 17 %
- 16-31 Dec25 cmInsufficient · 39 %
- 1-15 Jan34 cmVariable · 55 %
- 16-31 Jan47 cmVariable · 75 %
- 1-15 Feb57 cmGood skiing · 80 %
- 16-29 Feb60 cmVariable · 79 %
- 1-15 Mar49 cmVariable · 68 %
- 16-31 Mar27 cmInsufficient · 33 %
- 1-15 Apr13 cmInsufficient · 19 %
- Best winter of the series
- 2012-2013 — 130 days at 30 cm or more
- Worst winter of the series
- 1989-1990 — 1 day at 30 cm or more
How much snow actually falls — 326 cm a winter on average, spread over 40 days of snowfall. Measured over 39 complete winters.
- Biggest 24-hour snowfall
- 48 cm — 1988-1989
- Snowiest winter
- 1998-1999 — 570 cm
- Leanest winter
- 1996-1997 — 110 cm
The ski area
Compare with another resort →43 pistes, by level — 23 km
- Skiable vertical
- 732 m (942 m → 1,674 m)
- Lifts
- 1 gondola, 1 chairlift, 12 drag lifts, 1 magic carpet
- Without skis
- 1 km of snowshoe and walking trails · 1 sledging run
- Piste aspect
- N 35% · E 53% · S 0% · W 11% (descent direction of 35 OSM pistes, terrain model)
Pistes and lifts surveyed on OpenStreetMap within 4 km of the resort — for a resort in a linked area, the figure may include neighbouring pistes.
Lift passes (2026-2027) detail →
| Adult pass | Price |
|---|---|
| 1 day | €41.50 |
| 6 days | €211 |
| Season | €490 |
| Child, 1 day | €31.50 |
| Beginner, 1 day | €23.50 |
| Pedestrian, 1 day | €8 |
| Free | Free under 5 · free from 75 years |
Read on the official price list, full price, excluding promotions. Price list of the linked area, read on Roc d'Enfer. Official price list ↗
The ski area in figures
Measured on 9 September 2026Measured on OpenStreetMap (altitudes: IGN RGE ALTI), not taken from the brochure. The vertical above is that of one piste, not of the whole ski area. Population: INSEE municipal population via geo.api.gouv.fr.
Source: national register of mechanical lifts (STRMTG, CAIRN), fleet as of 1 January 2025 — lifts attributed to Abondance only (“ABONDANCE”), magic carpets included.
Staying and hiring gear in Abondance
We compare the partners that cover this resort. Some links earn us a commission — never at the expense of the price or of the data.
Stay & accommodation
Live webcams
All webcams (8) →Official players of the resort, live image.
Piste map
Open on OpenSnowMap ↗Pistes coloured by level, lifts as lines. The resort’s official map is the reference in season.
Base map © OpenTopoMap (CC-BY-SA) · pistes © OpenSnowMap (CC-BY-SA) · data ©OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Getting to Abondance
From Paris: 6 hr 48 (606 km) by road.
By road
- From Genève: 1 hr 12 · 62 km
- From Annecy: 1 hr 40 · 111 km
- From Chambéry: 2 hr 08 · 152 km
- From Grenoble: 2 hr 42 · 208 km
- From Lyon: 2 hr 56 · 214 km
From other major cities (15)
- From Besançon: 3 hr 09 · 204 km
- From Saint-Étienne: 3 hr 40 · 288 km
- From Valence: 3 hr 40 · 310 km
- From Dijon: 3 hr 56 · 327 km
- From Strasbourg: 4 hr 35 · 378 km
- From Clermont-Ferrand: 4 hr 39 · 385 km
- From Nancy: 5 hr 44 · 451 km
- From Montpellier: 5 hr 47 · 515 km
- From Marseille: 5 hr 52 · 524 km
- From Paris: 6 hr 48 · 606 km
- From Nice: 6 hr 55 · 534 km
- From Perpignan: 7 hr 08 · 662 km
- From Toulouse: 8 hr 04 · 749 km
- From Bordeaux: 8 hr 37 · 771 km
- From Pau: 9 hr 59 · 939 km
Excluding traffic and winter conditions; passes closed in winter are avoided.
By train
Thonon-les-Bains station
regional station · then 35 min drive (29 km)
Nearest main station: Annecy, 1 hr 38 by road.
- From Thonon-les-Bains station (stop “LES ARTS”): line 12 — Thonon Les Arts ↔ Châtel Linga (EVIAN - ÉVA'D), 56 min to the “CHAPELLE D'ABONDANCE EGLISE” stop — 6 departures a day on weekdays, 4 a day at weekends · first 06:45, last 19:15 · timetable from 15 December 2026 to 15 April 2027 · official timetable ↗
Direct journeys read from the official timetable files published on transport.data.gouv.fr — no connections.
By plane
- Genève (GVA): 1 hr 36 by road · 71 km
- Chambéry-Savoie (CMF): 2 hr 11 by road · 151 km
Take me there
These links open the app with Abondance as the destination. Your starting point is never sent by us — the app asks you for it, if you agree.
Charging an electric car
2 charging stations within 2 km
4 charging points · up to 24 kW
- ABONDANCE - Parking des Alpes · EASYCHARGE · 2 points · 24 kW · 1.8 km
- ABONDANCE - Parking De La Mairie · EASYCHARGE · 2 points · 22 kW · 1.8 km
Freely accessible charge points read from the French national EV charging database (data.gouv.fr ↗, operators’ own declarations), checked on 9 September 2026. Check availability before you leave: the database says what is installed, not what is free tonight.
Road conditions
From 1 November to 31 March, snow chains or winter tyres are compulsory in most mountain areas (French “Loi Montagne II”).
Driving times computed on the OpenStreetMap road network (OSRM), SNCF stations (open data), airports (Wikidata). Indicative, not a timetable: allow extra time in snow.
Ski touring routes described
Resorts for ski touring →12 ski touring routes documented within 10 km of Abondance — up to 1,486 m of climb.
| Summit and route | Ski grade | Climb | Altitude | Aspect | From resort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arête de Belair ou Montagne de Pertuis · Par les Fauges | n/a · PD- | 700 m | 1,230 → 1,900 m | SW | 1.6 km |
| Pointe NE de la Corne · Couloir N de la Brêche N - depuis Abondance | 5.1 · E2 · TD- | 300 m | 1,385 → 1,966 m | N | 1.6 km |
| Pointe NE de la Corne · Couloir SE de la Brêche N | 4.1 · E2 · AD+ | 850 m | 1,130 → 1,980 m | SE | 2.3 km |
| Pointe d'Ardens · Couloir NNW | 3.2 · E1 · AD | 840 m | 1,120 → 1,959 m | NW | 2.3 km |
| Roc de Tavaneuse · Rampe à Stef | 4.2 · E4 · D | 800 m | 1,134 → 1,915 m | N | 2.3 km |
| Arête de Belair ou Montagne de Pertuis · De Richebourg | n/a · PD- | 1,050 m | 955 → 2,002 m | N | 2.4 km |
| Pic de la Corne · Voie normale d'Abondance | 2.2 · E1 · PD | 960 m | 1,128 → 2,084 m | SE | 2.4 km |
| Pointe des Follys (Abondance) · Par l'Essert | 1.2 · E1 · F | 700 m | 950 → 1,674 m | S | 2.4 km |
| Pic de la Corne · Face E - depuis Prétairié | 4.1 · E2 · AD+ | 950 m | 1,130 → 2,084 m | E | 2.5 km |
| Pointe NE de la Corne · Face E - depuis la Combe | n/a · AD- | 800 m | 1,158 → 1,966 m | E | 2.7 km |
| Pointe NE de la Corne · Face N - depuis Abondance | n/a · D | 600 m | 1,385 → 1,966 m | N | 2.7 km |
| Mont de Grange · Arête de Bel Air depuis Richebourg | n/a | 1,486 m | 946 → 2,432 m | n/a | 2.8 km |
Source: Camptocamp.org topo guide (CC BY-SA), routes starting within 10 km, read on 13 September 2026. Descriptions and photos are on Camptocamp; an empty cell is a field nobody has filled in. Camptocamp ski touring routes ↗
Beyond skiing at Abondance
Toboggan runs
- Bobluge de Pré la Joux · Châtel · 5.7 km away
- Luge d'été · Morzine · 9.9 km away
Ice rink
- Patinoire extérieure · Saint-Jean-d'Aulps · 8.3 km away
- Patinoire · Châtel · 8.3 km away
- Patinoire en plein air · Morzine · 9.1 km away
- Indiana'Ventures -Patinoire en plein air · Morzine · 9.7 km away
Swimming pool
- Le centre aquatique Forme d'O · Châtel · 8.2 km away
- Piscine extérieure de l'Hôtel et Spa Neige et Roc · Morzine · 8.7 km away
- Espace Aquatique · Morzine · 9.4 km away
Paragliding
- Ecole professionnelle de parapente et de Speed-riding des Portes du Soleil · Montriond · 7.2 km away
- Aero-bi Parapente · Morzine · 9.7 km away
- ABC de l'Ecole professionnel de Parapente et de Speedriding des Portes du Soleil · Morzine · 10 km away
Museum
- Musée du ski ancien · La Chapelle-d'Abondance · 6.4 km away
Cinema
- Cinéma Le Chamois · Châtel · 8.4 km away
- Cinéma Le Rex · Morzine · 9.9 km away
Source: DATAtourisme (open data), within 10 km of the resort; places in a large town of the valley are left out. Checked on 12 September 2026. Opening times and prices are the operator’s — check before you go.
Practical information
Collective accommodation
- 3 hotels · 56 rooms (1 × 3★, 1 × 2★, 1 × 1★)
Commune: Abondance · INSEE tourist accommodation survey, 2026, read on 12 September 2026. Collective accommodation only — privately let flats and second homes are not counted. INSEE dataset ↗
Ski school
ESF Abondance
20 instructors
🇬🇧 12 English-speaking instructors — lessons in English available
🗓️ This school sells its lessons online — book ↗
Source: esf.net
In case of accident
112 — the European emergency number, free of charge, triggers mountain rescue. On the pistes, the ski patrol number is printed on the piste map and at lift ticket offices. Piste rescue is charged: check your insurance or take the option sold with the lift pass.
Nearby resorts
Frequently asked questions
How high is Abondance?
Abondance sits at 1,096 m at village level, and its ski area rises to 1,674 m.
How many kilometres of pistes does Abondance have?
Abondance has 23 km of pistes served by 16 lifts, within the linked Portes du Soleil area (OpenStreetMap survey).
What is the longest piste in Abondance?
The longest piste is Retour village: 2 km (red run), for 431 m of vertical. Measured on the OpenStreetMap map, segments of the same name and level joined end to end, altitudes from the IGN RGE ALTI terrain model — a resort sometimes advertises a longer run by chaining several pistes.
How high do the lifts go in Abondance?
The highest lift, TK de la Corne 2 (platter lift), tops out at 1,758 m. Source: STRMTG, French national register of mechanical lifts (CAIRN database), file dated 1 January 2025.
How many lifts does Abondance have, and what is their capacity?
The French national register of mechanical lifts records 9 installations at Abondance (1 gondola, 7 drag lifts, 1 magic carpet), for an authorised capacity of 8,025 people per hour, of which 2,000 for Tapis roulant Les Lutins alone. The fleet spans 1971 to 2016, an average age of 35 years. This count covers the resort itself, magic carpets included, not the whole linked ski area — a resort brochure often announces a different number. Source: STRMTG, French national register of mechanical lifts (CAIRN database), file dated 1 January 2025.
How much is a lift pass in Abondance?
The adult day pass costs €41.50 and the 6-day pass €211 (2026-2027, read on the official price list, shared with Roc d'Enfer).
How do I get to Abondance?
By road, Abondance is 1 hr 12 from Genève (62 km), excluding traffic and winter conditions. By train, the nearest station is Thonon-les-Bains, 35 min by road from the resort. From Thonon-les-Bains station, line 12 — Thonon Les Arts ↔ Châtel Linga (EVIAN - ÉVA'D) reaches the “CHAPELLE D'ABONDANCE EGLISE” stop in 56 min, 6 departures a day on weekdays, 4 a day at weekends. The nearest airport is Genève, 1 hr 36 away.
How long is the drive from Paris to Abondance?
6 hr 48 for 606 km from central Paris, excluding traffic and winter conditions. Computed on the real road network (OpenStreetMap): allow more on a school-holiday Saturday.
Is the snow reliable in Abondance?
Yes: good snow through most of the winter according to twenty winters of Météo-France measurements; in season the daily report prevails.
Is Abondance good for beginners and families?
84% of the pistes are green or blue: a very accessible area.
Every figure carries its source and date; a missing figure shows as “—”, never estimated. Embed this widget on your site