Les Grands Montets
Off season · opens 5 December 20261,951 mVillage altitude
2,767 mTop of the ski area
14Ski lifts
Not published by any source: adult day pass. Not retained (conflicting sources): km of alpine pistes.
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.
Live webcams
All webcams (2) →Grands MontetsArgentière
Each player is the camera operator’s own, loaded only when you ask for it — it may set its own trackers.
Official players of the resort, live image.
Snow, opening and weather
Snow report →The domain is due to open on 5 December 2026. Open pistes and lifts will appear here as soon as the resort publishes its daily report.
Right now at the COUVERCLE-NIVOSE station (2,758 m)
Source: Météo-France, COUVERCLE-NIVOSE weather station, 6.6 km away. Hourly measurement — not the resort’s own snow report.
Avalanche danger
Good snow from early February to mid-April. 102 days a winter at 30 cm or more on average, measured over 27 winters at the Météo-France “AIGUILLES ROUGES-NIVOSE” station. Fortnight by fortnight, over 27 measured winters →
3-day forecast
Village 1,951 m · top 2,767 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.
Seven criteria rated from 1 to 5 stars, in half-stars, from this page's sourced data. A rating is a rank among the 315 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
Top of the ski area: 2,767 m · Bottom of the pistes: 1,226 m · Days above 30 cm per winter, measured: 102 days · Days above 30 cm, December to March, model: 100% · Glacier skiing
- Ski areaIs there enough to ski all week?n/a
Not rated: neither the resort nor the map gives the length of its pistes.
- ValueIs the lift pass reasonable for what you get?n/a
Not rated: no official price list could be found.
- Families and beginnersIs it right for children and beginners?2 / 5
Share of green and blue pistes: 60% · Magic carpets: 0 · 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 / 5
Bars and pubs: 2 · Nightclubs: 0 · Restaurants: 17 · Upcoming events: 2 · 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 declared by the resort (ANMSM, official website), STRMTG register, OpenStreetMap; snow depth observed at the Météo-France station, ERA5-Land model) ; ski area (figures declared by the resort (ANMSM, official website), national lift register (STRMTG), OpenStreetMap) ; 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).
- Skiable vertical
- 1,541 m
- 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 resort
- Snowpark
- 2 mapped zones — Snowpark (easy) · Boardercross (easy)
Ski-area figures — bottom: OpenStreetMap (1 Oct); top, lifts: STRMTG — French national lift register (1 Jan) . In a linked ski area the map cannot tell where the resort ends: its own km stay “n/a” until the resort declares them.
The ski area in figures
Measured on 7 October 20263 kmLongest piste — Pierre à Ric (red), 727 m of vertical
727 mBiggest vertical without changing piste — 1,970 → 1,243 m, 3 km
2,767 mHighest lift top — TC de Bochard (gondola), national lift register
17,747Total lift capacity, people per hour — 14 installations: 2 gondolas, 3 chairlifts, 9 drag lifts
28 yrsAverage age of the lift fleet — oldest 1970, newest 2018
3,200Biggest lift, people per hour — TC de Plan Joran (gondola, 2014)
10 kmTotal length of lifts — 11 lifts mapped
1,008 haSki area boundary (OSM)
8,705Inhabitants — Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (INSEE 74056)
Measured 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
The partners covering this resort, shown side by side, and the shop to kit out before you leave. Some links earn us a commission — never at the expense of the price or of the data.
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 ↗
Stay & accommodation
Holidu
Holiday-rental comparison site.
Gear & equipment
Absolute Snow
UK ski and snowboard shop — delivers to UK addresses only.
Hardloop
Mountain gear shop: ski touring, avalanche safety, winter clothing.
Beyond skiing at Les Grands Montets
Without skis on — 2 km of snowshoe and walking trails · 1 sledging run
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.
Ski schools and practical information
Ski school
ESF Argentiere
73 instructors
🇬🇧 6 English-speaking instructors — lessons in English available
🗓️ This school sells its lessons online — book ↗
Source: esf.net
Tourist office
Office du Tourisme
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.
Off the pistes: off-piste and ski touring
The resorts for off-piste skiing → 11 Marked off-piste itineraries · 27 km
37 km Ski touring routes
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
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 |
The other 8 routes, with grades and vertical →
Not a piste. Neither marked, nor patrolled, nor secured: transceiver, shovel, probe, the day’s avalanche bulletin and, better still, a guide. Ski grade (1.1–5.6) = steepness and commitment; exposure (E1–E4) = consequence of a fall.
Source: Camptocamp.org topo guide (CC BY-SA), routes starting within 10 km, read on 13 October 2026. Descriptions and photos are on Camptocamp; an empty cell is a field nobody has filled in. Camptocamp ski touring routes ↗
Piste map
Open on OpenSnowMap ↗Official piste map
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 · 404 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 12 · 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 11 October 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 October 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 October 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.
Translated from the French Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA), machine translation.
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 2,767 m.
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 13/06/2026 au 10/07/2026), according to the official website (read on 29 September 2026).
When does Les Grands Montets open?
According to the official website, the resort opens on 5 December 2026 (2026-2027 season).
Is the snow reliable in Les Grands Montets?
Good snow from early February to mid-April. 102 days a winter at 30 cm or more on average, measured over 27 winters at the Météo-France “AIGUILLES ROUGES-NIVOSE” station. This verdict rests on 27 winters of Météo-France measurements (1997-2026); in season the daily report prevails.
Nearby resorts
Full page in French. The French page carries the editorial guides and a few extra readings; every figure, webcam and price on this page is the same one. Les Grands Montets in French →
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