Les Grands Montets
Les Grands Montets are a winter sports resort in France located in Haute-Savoie, in the Chamonix valley. The ski lifts and ski slopes are located on the montagne de Lognan which overlooks the village of Argentière, below the aiguille des Grands Montets which gave its name to the resort, facing the aiguilles Rouges, between the glacier d'Argentière to the east and the Mer de Glace to the south-west.
Translated from the French Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA), machine translation.
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?4.5 / 5
Top of the ski area: 2,134 m · Bottom of the pistes: 2,134 m · Days above 30 cm per winter, measured: 134 days · Days above 30 cm, December to March, model: 97% · Glacier skiing
- Ski areaIs there enough to ski all week?3.5 / 5
Km of pistes at the resort: 50 km · Km of pistes across the linked area: 66 km · Lifts: 15 · Balance between piste levels: 98%
- ValueIs the lift pass reasonable for what you get?n/a
Not rated: “adult day pass” is missing from this page.
- Families and beginnersIs it right for children and beginners?2 / 5
Share of green and blue pistes: 60% · Magic carpets: 0 · Sledging runs: 1 · ESF ski school · Ice rink, pool, rail sledge…: 0
- AccessIs it easy to get to?1.5 / 5
Average drive time from 20 major cities: 5 hr 22 · Nearest railway station: 43 min · Station-to-resort shuttles per day: 0 · Nearest airport: 2 hr 17
- Atmosphere and après-skiIs there life in the evening and off the slopes?3 / 5
Bars and pubs: 2 · Nightclubs: 0 · Restaurants: 17 · Upcoming events: 1 · Collective tourist beds: 2,653 — index: what the map and the listings publish
- Luxury and comfortHow upmarket is the resort?2.5 / 5
5-star hotels: 0 · 4-star hotels: 1 · Share of hotel rooms in 4 and 5 stars: 59% · Spas and saunas: 0 · Jewellers, watchmakers, fashion boutiques: 0 — 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.
Avalanche danger
7-day forecast
Village 1,951 m · top 2,134 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 April: a long, reliable season.
☀️ Average daily sunshine : Nov 6.4 h · Dec 5.7 h · Jan 6.1 h · Feb 7.3 h · Mar 8.6 h · Apr 10.2 h — 26 bright days in April (Open-Meteo estimate, 2015-2025).
- November—no record
- December72 cmGood skiing · 91%
- January106 cmGood skiing · 96%
- February140 cmGood skiing · 100%
- March163 cmGood skiing · 100%
- April143 cmGood skiing · 100%
- 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
17 complete winters measured, from 1996-1997 to 2025-2026 — on average 134 days a winter with at least 30 cm on the ground.
- 1-15 Dec69 cmGood skiing · 95 %
- 16-31 Dec87 cmGood skiing · 100 %
- 1-15 Jan107 cmGood skiing · 100 %
- 16-31 Jan132 cmGood skiing · 100 %
- 1-15 Feb150 cmGood skiing · 100 %
- 16-29 Feb164 cmGood skiing · 100 %
- 1-15 Mar167 cmGood skiing · 100 %
- 16-31 Mar170 cmGood skiing · 100 %
- 1-15 Apr157 cmGood skiing · 98 %
- Best winter of the series
- 2023-2024 — 137 days at 30 cm or more
- Worst winter of the series
- 1998-1999 — 130 days at 30 cm or more
How much snow actually falls — 660 cm a winter on average, spread over 54 days of snowfall. Measured over 20 complete winters.
- Biggest 24-hour snowfall
- 99 cm — 2011-2012
- Snowiest winter
- 2012-2013 — 1107 cm
- Leanest winter
- 2010-2011 — 278 cm
The ski area
Compare with another resort →35 pistes, by level — 50 km
- Lifts
- 3 gondolas, 3 chairlifts, 8 drag lifts
- Cross-country skiing
- 3 named trails — 17 km of marked loops (9.1 km of distinct track: the loops overlap), 1.3 km from the resortOpenStreetMap, lengths measured on the geometry, surveyed on 12 September 2026. A trail with no difficulty tag is shown as "n/a" — never guessed.
See the trails(3)
Trail Level Length La Moraine n/a 12 km Les Chosalets n/a 2.9 km Les Iles n/a 1.7 km - Snowpark
- 2 mapped zones — Snowpark (easy) · Boardercross (easy)
OpenStreetMap, surveyed on 12 September 2026. OpenStreetMap does not map individual features (kickers, rails): what is counted here are the named zones. - Glacier
- Some pistes run on a glacier (OpenStreetMap; summer opening to check on the official site)
- Without skis
- 2 km of snowshoe and walking trails · 1 sledging run
- Piste aspect
- N 56% · E 11% · S 8% · W 25% (descent direction of 33 OSM pistes, terrain model)
- Lift opening hours
- Lifts open from 08:35 to 17:00 (Du 31/08/2026 au 13/09/2026) (official website, read on 9 September 2026)
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 detail →
The price list for this resort is being collected: most resorts publish winter prices between September and November.
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 Les Grands Montets only (“CHAMONIX GRANDS MONTETS”), magic carpets included.
Staying and hiring gear in Les Grands Montets
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 (2) →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 Les Grands Montets
From Paris: 7 hr 19 (628 km) by road.
By road
- From Genève: 1 hr 53 · 93 km
- From Annecy: 2 hr 05 · 117 km
- From Chambéry: 2 hr 33 · 159 km
- From Grenoble: 2 hr 55 · 160 km
- From Lyon: 3 hr 27 · 236 km
From other major cities (15)
- From Besançon: 3 hr 56 · 231 km
- From Valence: 3 hr 58 · 253 km
- From Saint-Étienne: 4 hr 05 · 295 km
- From Dijon: 4 hr 28 · 349 km
- From Clermont-Ferrand: 5 hr 10 · 407 km
- From Strasbourg: 5 hr 22 · 405 km
- From Montpellier: 6 hr 05 · 457 km
- From Marseille: 6 hr 10 · 467 km
- From Nice: 6 hr 13 · 469 km
- From Nancy: 6 hr 30 · 552 km
- From Paris: 7 hr 19 · 628 km
- From Perpignan: 7 hr 27 · 605 km
- From Toulouse: 8 hr 23 · 691 km
- From Bordeaux: 9 hr 08 · 793 km
- From Pau: 10 hr 17 · 881 km
Excluding traffic and winter conditions; passes closed in winter are avoided.
By train
Argentière station
halt · then 43 min drive (5 km)
Nearest main station: Annecy, 2 hr 03 by road.
No direct bus line from the station to the resort appears in the open-data timetables (checked on 13 September 2026): ask the resort about a private shuttle or a taxi.
Shuttles and buses from the station: see the resort’s official website.
By plane
- Genève (GVA): 2 hr 17 by road · 102 km
- Chambéry-Savoie (CMF): 2 hr 36 by road · 158 km
Take me there
These links open the app with Les Grands Montets as the destination. Your starting point is never sent by us — the app asks you for it, if you agree.
Charging an electric car
No freely accessible charge point is declared within 2 km of the resort (checked on 9 September 2026). Covered car parks in the resort may offer chargers reserved for their customers: those are not listed here.
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.
Off-piste & ski touring
The resorts for off-piste skiing →Named itineraries: Couloir de Poubelle · Pylônes Haut · Pylônes · Vallée Blanche classique · Pylônes Bas · Point de vue (sometimes groomed)
Itineraries surveyed on OpenStreetMap within a 4 km radius (7 September 2026): “marked” means an itinerary exists on the map, not that it is open or safe on the day.
Ski touring routes described
Resorts for ski touring →12 ski touring routes documented within 10 km of Les Grands Montets — up to 2,000 m of climb.
| Summit and route | Ski grade | Climb | Altitude | Aspect | From resort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aiguille d'Argentière · Versant W et arête NW (Voie Whymper) | 5.1 · E2 · TD- | 1,350 m | 2,550 → 3,901 m | W | 0.8 km |
| Lognan · La Trapette | 2.1 · E1 · PD- | 733 m | 1,240 → 1,973 m | NE | 1.1 km |
| École Nationale de Ski et d'Alpinisme (ENSA) · Examen Probatoire Aspirant Guide - Épreuve de ski | n/a | 1,000 m | 1,973 m | n/a | 1.3 km |
| Col du Chardonnet · Refuge d'Argentière → Val d'Arpette | 3.3 · E2 · AD | 1,260 m | 2,771 → 3,323 m | NE | 2 km |
| Col du Chardonnet · Col des Rachasses → Col du Chardonnet → Fenêtre de Saleina → Col du Tour | 3.1 · E2 · PD+ | 900 m | 3,323 m | SW | 2.1 km |
| Refuge de Lognan · Depuis Argentière | 1.2 · E1 · F | 827 m | 1,252 → 2,079 m | E · SE | 2.1 km |
| Aiguille des Grands Montets · Bochard -> Col des Rachasses -> Aiguille des Gd Montets | n/a | n/a | n/a | N · NE · E | 2.2 km |
| Bec de Lachat · Face W | 3.2 · E1 · AD | 700 m | 1,400 → 3,028 m | W | 2.3 km |
| Aiguille à Bochard · Arête S -> couloir W -> couloir du Chapeau | 4.1 · E2 · D | 250 m | 1,200 → 2,638 m | S · W | 2.5 km |
| Aiguille des Grands Montets · Par le glacier des Rognons | 2.3 · E1 · PD+ | 2,000 m | 1,230 → 3,230 m | NE · E · N | 2.6 km |
| Aiguille du Passon - Col NW · Couloir SW | 4.2 · E2 · D | 1,090 m | 1,250 → 3,120 m | SW | 2.7 km |
| Aiguille des Grands Montets · Pas de Chèvre | n/a · AD | 1 m | 3,233 → 3,297 m | W | 2.7 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 Les Grands Montets
Ice rink
- Patinoire R. Bozon · Chamonix-Mont-Blanc · 7.1 km away
Spa and thermal baths
- QC Terme Spas and Resorts · Chamonix-Mont-Blanc · 6.9 km away
Dog sledding
- Evasion Nordique - Chiens de traineaux · Chamonix-Mont-Blanc · 5 km away
- Huskydalen - Chiens de traineaux · Chamonix-Mont-Blanc · 7.7 km away
Paragliding
- Parapente Laurent Nivart · Chamonix-Mont-Blanc · 6.1 km away
- Chamonix Parapente · Chamonix-Mont-Blanc · 7.4 km away
- Summits Parapente · Chamonix-Mont-Blanc · 7.5 km away
- Kailash Parapente · Chamonix-Mont-Blanc · 7.5 km away
Museum
- Le Musée du Mont-Blanc · Chamonix-Mont-Blanc · 7.5 km away
- Musée des Cristaux - Espace Tairraz · Chamonix-Mont-Blanc · 7.7 km away
- Musée la Maison de Barberine, musée vallorcin · Vallorcine · 9.1 km away
- Usine et Espace Héritage de Simond · Chamonix-Mont-Blanc · 9.5 km away
Cinema
- Cinéma Vox · Chamonix-Mont-Blanc · 7.7 km away
- Cinéma immersif 4D · Chamonix-Mont-Blanc · 8 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
2,653 bed spaces in tourist residences, holiday villages and hostels
- 50 hotels · 2,197 rooms (3 × 5★, 14 × 4★, 18 × 3★, 8 × 2★, 1 × 1★)
- 5 holiday villages and family centres · 658 bed spaces
- 6 tourist residences and apartment hotels · 1,360 bed spaces
- 3 youth hostels and sports centres · 635 bed spaces
- 11 campsites · 907 pitches
Commune: Chamonix-Mont-Blanc · INSEE tourist accommodation survey, 2026, read on 12 September 2026. Collective accommodation only — privately let flats and second homes are not counted. INSEE dataset ↗
Tourist office
Office du Tourisme
Ski school
ESF Argentiere
73 instructors
🇬🇧 6 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.
What's on around Les Grands Montets
All events →-
17 October 2026 · 14:30
Du Chamonix Palace au musée du Mont-Blanc
Musée du Mont-Blanc · Chamonix-Mont-Blanc
D’hier à aujourd’hui, remontez le fil de l’histoire de l’ancien Chamonix Palace devenu musée Alpin jusqu’à sa rénovation en musée du Mont-Blanc en compagnie de l’architecte Guillaume Girod et de la…
Source: OpenAgenda, agenda “Plan Libre, la gazette” · View on OpenAgenda ↗
Also near: Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (0.3 km), Planpraz (2.3 km), La Flégère (4.3 km), Les Houches (6.8 km)
Events published on OpenAgenda by the agendas named above, kept when they take place within 10 km of the resort. We organise nothing: times, prices and cancellations are the organiser's.
Nearby resorts
Frequently asked questions
How high is Les Grands Montets?
Les Grands Montets sits at 1,951 m at village level, and its ski area rises to 2,134 m.
How many kilometres of pistes does Les Grands Montets have?
Les Grands Montets has 50 km of pistes served by 15 lifts, within the linked Grands Montets area (OpenStreetMap survey).
What is the longest piste in Les Grands Montets?
The longest piste is Pierre à Ric: 3 km (red run), for 727 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 Les Grands Montets?
The highest lift, TC de Bochard (gondola), tops out at 2,767 m. Source: STRMTG, French national register of mechanical lifts (CAIRN database), file dated 1 January 2025.
How many lifts does Les Grands Montets have, and what is their capacity?
The French national register of mechanical lifts records 14 installations at Les Grands Montets (2 gondolas, 3 chairlifts, 9 drag lifts), for an authorised capacity of 17,747 people per hour, of which 3,200 for TC de Plan Joran alone. The fleet spans 1970 to 2018, an average age of 28 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 do I get to Les Grands Montets?
By road, Les Grands Montets is 1 hr 53 from Genève (93 km), excluding traffic and winter conditions. By train, the nearest station is Argentière, 43 min by road from the resort. No direct bus line from the station to the resort appears in the open-data timetables. The nearest airport is Genève, 2 hr 17 away.
How long is the drive from Paris to Les Grands Montets?
7 hr 19 for 628 km from central Paris, excluding traffic and winter conditions. Computed on the real road network (OpenStreetMap): allow more on a school-holiday Saturday.
What time do the lifts open in Les Grands Montets?
Lifts are announced open from 08:35 to 17:00 (Du 31/08/2026 au 13/09/2026), according to the official website (read on 9 September 2026).
Is the snow reliable in Les Grands Montets?
Yes: good snow through most of the winter according to twenty winters of Météo-France measurements; in season the daily report prevails.
Is Les Grands Montets good for beginners and families?
60% of the pistes are green or blue: a rather easy area.
Every figure carries its source and date; a missing figure shows as “—”, never estimated. Embed this widget on your site