Chamonix Weather

In Chamonix weather conditions are very important, as we are a in high altitude ski area. They can make or break your day on the slopes or on the mountains of the Chamonix Valley. It is important to know what the weather will be like on the mountain, and you have to keep in mind that it might change very quickly.

In general the south-facing, fairly high altitude areas like Brévent (right above Chamonix town) and Flégère (above the village of Les Praz) will get plenty of sunshine. Snow conditions often remain good on the slopes throughout the season, with Brévent typically staying open until the end of April. 

North-facing areas like Grands Montets, which is further up the valley from Chamonix, with high altitudes can be very cold in the mornings, and in mid-winter it hardly gets any sun until mid-afternoon. This means that the snow conditions stay well preserved from December until May, but it can be icy too. 

Le Tour, the ski area furthest away from Chamonix resort centre, is often cold and windy at the top and on the back side. This is because the wind from the whole valley tends to get funneled through. So watch out for avalanches on wind-loaded slopes.

Back the other way, Les Houches also lacks sunshine in winter in the village area, but on the slopes (which are lower than other Chamonix ski areas) are often basking in sunshine. Les Houches comes into its own when the snow is falling heavily, as the area has extensive tree runs, offering better visibility than elsewhere in the Chamonix valley.

The lifts in the Chamonix valley are open in the summer and winter season and we have all the opening and closing details on our ski lift info page. You can see what conditions are like in the Chamonix valley for yourself with our online Chamonix webcams.