Valmeinier
Valmeinier is a ski resort in the Northern Alps (Savoie). The village sits at 1,522 m and the ski area rises to 2,444 m.
The area offers 158 km of alpine pistes, 147 marked pistes (32 green, 68 blue, 42 red, 5 black), 29 ski lifts, plus a snowpark. Green and blue runs dominate: terrain suited to beginners and families.
Valmeinier belongs to the linked Galibier-Thabor area: one lift pass covers the neighbouring resorts.
Measured on the OpenStreetMap map: the longest piste runs 7 km (Selles) and the highest lift tops out at 2,738 m.
The resort holds the Station classée de tourisme label.
Access: 1 h 15 by road from Chambéry and 16 min from Saint-Michel - Valloire railway station.
5 official webcams show the pistes live (on the French page).
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?3.5 / 5
Top of the ski area: 2,444 m · Bottom of the pistes: 2,444 m · Days above 30 cm per winter, measured: 93 days · Days above 30 cm, December to March, model: 82%
- Ski areaIs there enough to ski all week?4 / 5
Km of pistes at the resort: 158 km · Km of pistes across the linked area: 167 km · Lifts: 29 · Balance between piste levels: 84%
- 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?3 / 5
Share of green and blue pistes: 68% · Magic carpets: 4 · Sledging runs: 1 · ESF ski school · Ice rink, pool, rail sledge…: 2
- AccessIs it easy to get to?4 / 5
Average drive time from 20 major cities: 4 hr 37 · Nearest railway station: 16 min · Station-to-resort shuttles per day: 1 · Nearest airport: 1 hr 26
- Atmosphere and après-skiIs there life in the evening and off the slopes?3 / 5
Bars and pubs: 3 · Nightclubs: 0 · Restaurants: 14 · Upcoming events: 0 · Collective tourist beds: 4,143 — 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 — 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 ST-MICHEL DE MAURIENNE LE THYL station (1,345 m)
Avalanche danger
7-day forecast
Village 1,522 m · top 2,444 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 January to February.
☀️ Average daily sunshine : Nov 6.6 h · Dec 5.8 h · Jan 6.2 h · Feb 7.5 h · Mar 8.7 h · Apr 10.1 h — 26 bright days in April (Open-Meteo estimate, 2015-2025).
- November—no record
- December42 cmVariable · 68%
- January63 cmGood skiing · 84%
- February75 cmGood skiing · 97%
- March68 cmVariable · 79%
- April32 cmInsufficient · 26%
- 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
24 complete winters measured, from 1972-1973 to 2022-2023 — on average 93 days a winter with at least 30 cm on the ground.
- 1-15 Dec30 cmInsufficient · 40 %
- 16-31 Dec35 cmInsufficient · 48 %
- 1-15 Jan42 cmVariable · 65 %
- 16-31 Jan50 cmVariable · 77 %
- 1-15 Feb60 cmGood skiing · 88 %
- 16-29 Feb67 cmGood skiing · 91 %
- 1-15 Mar66 cmGood skiing · 88 %
- 16-31 Mar53 cmVariable · 78 %
- 1-15 Apr33 cmInsufficient · 48 %
- Best winter of the series
- 2012-2013 — 133 days at 30 cm or more
- Worst winter of the series
- 2000-2001 — 10 days at 30 cm or more
How much snow actually falls — 355 cm a winter on average, spread over 50 days of snowfall. Measured over 24 complete winters, from 1996-1997 to 2022-2023.
- Biggest 24-hour snowfall
- 55 cm — 2006-2007
- Snowiest winter
- 2012-2013 — 540 cm
- Leanest winter
- 1996-1997 — 173 cm
The ski area
Compare with another resort →147 pistes, by level — 158 km
- Lifts
- 1 gondola, 13 chairlifts, 8 drag lifts, 4 magic carpets
- Cross-country skiing
- 4 named trails — 16 km of marked loops (5.5 km of distinct track: the loops overlap), 6.6 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(4)
- Snowpark
- Yes
- Without skis
- 9 km of snowshoe and walking trails · 1 sledging run
- Piste aspect
- N 33% · E 7% · S 10% · W 49% (descent direction of 102 OSM pistes, terrain model)
- Mountain restaurants
- Le Barbotin (2188 m) · Bar Restaurant les Frangines & Fils (1857 m) · Les Lauzes (1857 m) · Pizza Rock (1843 m) · La Table du P’tit Savoyard (1783 m) · Le Marmiton (1781 m) · La Glisse (1781 m) · Le Chardon Bleu (1781 m)
- Tourist office
- VALMEINIER · 72 esplanade des Islettes, 73450 · 04 79 59 53 69 · [email protected] (declared by the resort, ANMSM)
- Piste map (PDF)
- VALMEINIER VALLOIRE hiver 2024-2025 V6 BD (declared by the resort, ANMSM)
- Resort app
- Android (declared by the resort, ANMSM)
Resort data: declared by VALMEINIER and distributed by ANMSM · read on 18 September
Opening hours lift by lift (6)
| Lift | Type | Opens | Closes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grandes Drozes | télésiège | 09:00 | 16:30 | OpenStreetMap |
| TSD4 Inversins | télésiège | 09:00 | 16:30 | OpenStreetMap |
| TSF4 Roi | télésiège | 09:00 | 16:30 | OpenStreetMap |
| TSD6 Jeux | télésiège | 09:15 | 16:30 | OpenStreetMap |
| TSF4 Pré Aynard | télésiège | 09:00 | 16:45 | OpenStreetMap |
| Girodière | télésiège | 09:15 | 16:30 | OpenStreetMap |
Hours as published by the source quoted, read on 15 September 2026. A lift missing from this table has no published time — no default is shown.
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 Valmeinier only (“VALMEINIER”), magic carpets included.
Staying and hiring gear in Valmeinier
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. Checked on 18 September 2026.
Webcams provided by windy.com — add a webcam.
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 Valmeinier
From Paris: 7 hr 02 (669 km) by road.
By road
- From Chambéry: 1 hr 15 · 100 km
- From Grenoble: 1 hr 31 · 129 km
- From Annecy: 1 hr 44 · 147 km
- From Genève: 2 hr 13 · 185 km
- From Lyon: 2 hr 25 · 198 km
From other major cities (15)
- From Valence: 2 hr 34 · 222 km
- From Saint-Étienne: 2 hr 59 · 247 km
- From Dijon: 4 hr 17 · 399 km
- From Clermont-Ferrand: 4 hr 18 · 367 km
- From Besançon: 4 hr 33 · 357 km
- From Montpellier: 4 hr 41 · 426 km
- From Marseille: 4 hr 42 · 324 km
- From Nice: 5 hr 04 · 406 km
- From Perpignan: 6 hr 03 · 574 km
- From Nancy: 6 hr 24 · 610 km
- From Strasbourg: 6 hr 28 · 574 km
- From Toulouse: 6 hr 59 · 660 km
- From Paris: 7 hr 02 · 669 km
- From Bordeaux: 8 hr 16 · 753 km
- From Pau: 8 hr 53 · 850 km
Excluding traffic and winter conditions; passes closed in winter are avoided.
By train
Saint-Michel - Valloire station
regional station · then 16 min drive (13 km)
Nearest main station: Chambéry - Challes-les-Eaux, 1 hr 13 by road.
- From Saint-Michel - Valloire station (stop “College P.Mougin”): line S41 — ST-MICHEL DE MAURIENNE ↔ VALMEINIER (REGION - cars Région Savoie), 33 min to the “Croisement Arméra” stop — 1 departure a day on weekdays · first 12:10, last 18:15 · 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
- Chambéry-Savoie (CMF): 1 hr 26 by road · 107 km
- Grenoble-Alpes-Isère (GNB): 2 hr 04 by road · 175 km
Take me there
These links open the app with Valmeinier 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: Cotérieux · Chamois
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 Valmeinier — up to 14,000 m of climb.
| Summit and route | Ski grade | Climb | Altitude | Aspect | From resort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Fourchon · Versant S | n/a · PD- | 830 m | 1,670 → 2,540 m | n/a | 3.2 km |
| Pointe de la Sandonière · Versant SW | 2.2 · E1 · F+ | 1,125 m | 1,800 → 2,925 m | SW | 3.4 km |
| Col des Marches · Versant W | n/a · F | 925 m | 1,800 → 2,725 m | NW | 3.7 km |
| Roche du Lac · Traversée SW >> NW | 2.3 · E1 · PD | 1,100 m | 1,700 → 2,789 m | W | 3.9 km |
| Roche des Marches · Versant W | 2.3 · E1 | 1,070 m | 1,850 → 2,919 m | W | 4 km |
| Petit Fourchon · Traversée S > N | 2.2 · E1 · PD- | 900 m | 1,670 → 2,568 m | S | 5.1 km |
| Passage de la Pissine · Versant W | 2.2 · E1 · PD | 1,220 m | 1,545 → 2,724 m | W | 5.3 km |
| Traversée des Cerces · Raid Thabor/Cerces | 4.1 | 14,000 m | 1,780 → 3,178 m | n/a | 5.4 km |
| Passage du Pic du Thabor · Boucle par le Col des Marches | 2.1 · E1 · PD | 1,700 m | 1,800 → 2,952 m | n/a | 5.6 km |
| Roche Noire (Cerces) · Versant NW | 3.3 · E1 · AD | 1,267 m | 1,800 → 3,067 m | NW | 5.7 km |
| Crey du Meigno · Versant SE | n/a · PD | 1,100 m | 1,450 → 2,546 m | SE | 6 km |
| Paroi du Midi · Couloirs N | 4.1 · D- | 1,000 m | 1,610 → 2,564 m | N | 6 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 Valmeinier
Swimming pool
- Piscine de Valloire · Valloire · 4.4 km away
- Espace Aquatique et Piscine · Montricher-Albanne · 7.6 km away
Dog sledding
- MUSHING SPIRIT · Valloire · 4.8 km away
Paragliding
- Envergure - Parapente · Valmeinier · 2 km away
- Lenvair Parapente · Valloire · 2.9 km away
Museum
- Espace Alu · Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne · 3.6 km away
- Ecomusée "Montricher autrefois" · Montricher-Albanne · 7.5 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
4,143 bed spaces in tourist residences, holiday villages and hostels
- 2 hotels · 80 rooms (1 × 3★, 1 × 2★)
- 3 holiday villages and family centres · 840 bed spaces
- 7 tourist residences and apartment hotels · 3,208 bed spaces
- 1 youth hostel or sports centre · 95 bed spaces
Commune: Valmeinier · 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
Valmeinier 1500
Ski school
ESF Valmeinier
90 instructors
🇬🇧 50 English-speaking instructors — lessons in English available
🗓️ This school sells its lessons online — book ↗
Source: esf.net
Days without skiing
- Cinema · Valmeinier 1800
- Bowling · Les Quilles du Tabarnak – PUB & BOWLING
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 Valmeinier?
Valmeinier sits at 1,522 m at village level, and its ski area rises to 2,444 m.
How many kilometres of pistes does Valmeinier have?
Valmeinier has 158 km of pistes served by 29 lifts, within the linked Galibier-Thabor area (OpenStreetMap survey).
What is the longest piste in Valmeinier?
The longest piste is Selles: 7 km (blue run), for 673 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 Valmeinier?
The highest lift, Sandoniere (detachable chairlift), tops out at 2,741 m. Source: STRMTG, French national register of mechanical lifts (CAIRN database), file dated 1 January 2025.
How many lifts does Valmeinier have, and what is their capacity?
The French national register of mechanical lifts records 23 installations at Valmeinier (10 chairlifts, 7 drag lifts, 6 magic carpets), for an authorised capacity of 23,836 people per hour, of which 2,800 for Les Jeux alone. The fleet spans 1973 to 2021, an average age of 20 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 Valmeinier?
By road, Valmeinier is 1 hr 15 from Chambéry (100 km), excluding traffic and winter conditions. By train, the nearest station is Saint-Michel - Valloire, 16 min by road from the resort. From Saint-Michel - Valloire station, line S41 — ST-MICHEL DE MAURIENNE ↔ VALMEINIER (REGION - cars Région Savoie) reaches the “Croisement Arméra” stop in 33 min, 1 departure a day on weekdays. The nearest airport is Chambéry-Savoie, 1 hr 26 away.
How long is the drive from Paris to Valmeinier?
7 hr 02 for 669 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 Valmeinier?
Yes: good snow through most of the winter according to twenty winters of Météo-France measurements; in season the daily report prevails.
Is Valmeinier good for beginners and families?
68% of the pistes are green or blue: a rather easy area.
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