Welcome to Europe’s No 1 Ski Resort
Chamonix, the birthplace of all winter sports, is consistently rated as Europe’s number 1 winter ski resort. Famed worldwide for its incredible skiing and its spectacular mountain scenery, it is must visit for all serious skiers and mountain lovers alike. With 90% of the ski terrain above 2000m’s, it makes Chamonix one of the most snow sure resorts in Europe. In particular, the prestigious les Grands Montets ski resort at the base of Argentiere, offers incredible snow quality all season due to its high altitude terrain and its north facing aspect, allowing it to stay open right up until the start of May.
The Chamonix Valley is renowned as a winter sports Mecca, attracting mountain enthusiasts and adventure skiers from all over the world. The world famous off-piste ski run of la Vallee Blanche, accessed by the Aiguille du Midi cable car, is one of the many spectacular attractions that make Chamonix such a unique winter destination.
There are also plenty of non skiing activities available here in Chamonox. Visits to the Aiguille du Midi (the highest vertical gain cable car in the world), riding the Montenvers Railway to visit the ice caves of le Mer de Glace, taking the historical Tramway du Mont Blanc, ice skaing on one of the many outdoor rinks, husky sled rides thru beautiful snowy trails and indulgent relaxation options such as a visit to the QC thermal pools in Chamonix or Pre St Didier.
Chamonix is the oldest ski resort in France and was the site of the first Winter Olympics in 1924. Situated in the magnificent Mont Blanc mountain range, the Chamonix Valley lies adjacent to Switzerland and is linked to Italy via the Mont Blanc tunnel. With with its vast history, unique culture, special charm and spectacular scenery, it is the perfect destination for your winter holiday … and it has many visitors returning year after year.
Marmotte Mountain can personally tailor your holiday to offer a variety of on and off mountain activities. Our experience, attention to detail and personal touches are qualities Marmotte Mountain are renowned for and we take great pleasure in creating a unique holiday experience, tailored specifically for you.
Skiing in Chamonix Valley
The Chamonix Valley is 16km’s long, made up of five major ski stations. The valley has an excellent snow record with 90% of the ski area above 2000m, making it one of the most snow sure resorts in Europe. With over 150km’s of patrolled ski runs, limitless off piste opportunities including the infamous la Vallee Blanche and four dedicated nursery slopes for beginners, the Chamonix Valley offers a little something for everyone.
The Brevent ski area is situated directly above the town of Chamonix. The lift station is an easy 5-10 minute walk from the town centre. Le Brevent is located on the sunny side of the valley and enjoys stunning panoramic views of Mont-Blanc. It is well suited for intermediate skiers with challenging on-piste and off-piste opportunities. It is also linked to La Flegere by cablecar.
For lunch, with a magical view, we recommend Le Panoramique on the summit of Brevent … also accessible for pedestrians via gondola and cable car.
If you fancy some finer dining whilst on le Brevent, we highly recommend La Bergerie de Plan-Praz located at the mid station of Brevent, at the top of the telecabin Planpraz … La Bergerie also enjoys wonderful panoramic views of the Mont Blanc massif. Two sittings – 12 noon and 14:30. Reservation recommended.
Ph: 04 50 53 05 42
The Flegere ski area is situated in the village of Le Praz. Similarly to Le Brevent, it enjoys the sunshine with its south facing slopes and spectacular panoramic mountain views. It caters mainly to intermediate skiers with some beginner slopes situated close to the mountain restaurants. La Flegere is linked to Le Brevent by cablecar.
We recommend going to Le Cabane on the Chamonix Valley floor for their special lunchtime menu.
Les Grands Montets is an advanced mountain with an abundance of steep terrain to challenge even the most extreme skier. With its north facing slopes and high altitude terrain, les Grands Montets enjoys exceptional snow quality up until early May. It is divided up into three major skiing areas, including the extremely picturesque, Argentiere glacier.
A great lunch stop for strong skiers is to access Chalet Refuge de Lognan. The view from Chalet Refuge de Lognan is something to be treasured.
Another great lunch option is la Cremerie du Glacier. Located thru the forest towards the bottom of the home piste … just off to the right of the home piste on its last section. La Cremerie offers fantastic traditional Savoyard cuisine.
Le Tour is located at the end of the valley. It is an ideal place for families and intermediates with its wide, open, long pistes. The terrain on the Vallorcine side of the mountain offers tree lined skiing, giving both protection from bad weather and providing some of the most scenic descents in the valley. Le Tour also has an abundance of amazing off piste terrain, best accessed with the assistance of a high mountain guide.
For lunch, we recommend you ski to the alpine hamlet of Vallorcine where you will find the very popular restaurant – Le Café Comptoir.
Ph: 0450187243
On the mountain itself, we can also recommend restaurant Alpage de Balme – located adjacent to the bottom of les Posettes draglift.
Ph: 0683338661
For beginners, we recommend restaurant le Passon. Located just below the main access gondola and just across from the la Vormaine beginner ski area.
Ph: 0450543304
Home of the Kandahar World Cup skiing event, Les Houches is situated 6km’s south Of Chamonix. Les Houches offers a good variety of long ski descents on picturesque tree-lined slopes with stunning views of the Mont Blanc massive and the Chamonix Valley. It is a great resort for beginners and intermediates and it is also a good option in bad weather conditions due to the shelter provided by the tree line cover of the resort. This charming Savoyard ski resort has managed to keep a lovely traditional atmosphere, with some superb mountain restaurants and alpine farm architecture.
Boasting the world’s largest lift-served vertical descent of 2807m, la Vallee Blanche is an amazing experience not to be missed. During the 22 km journey, you ski through huge ceracs, towers of ice and past spectacular crevasses. To ensure your safety, a high mountain guide is definitely recommended when you undertake la vallee blanche.
Located just the other side of the Mont Blanc tunnel in Italy, Courmayeur offers a great addition to your ski week in the Chamonix Valley. A much slower pace than in Chamonix, often the most difficult challenge you might encounter for the day is to hunt down a deck chair to soak up the beautiful Aosta sunshine. Courmayeur offers a good variety of big wide open pistes that cater for skiers of all ability levels. The Mont Blanc Unlimited ski pass covers the Courmayeur ski area so there is no need to buy an additional ski pass.
For delicious on piste dining try Chateau Branlant, Chiecco or Maison Vieille. Bookings are essential
For those who have never skied before and for nervous beginners, there are five skiing areas that offer exclusive nursery slopes for novices. They are;
- Le Savoy Right in the centre of Chamonix, at the foot of le Brevent.
- Les Planards 2 minutes from the Chamonix Centre, just across from the Montenvers train station
- Les Chosalets Located just before the entrance to les Grands Montets, 500m from the start of the Plan Joran gondoal
- La Vormaine Situated next to the village of Le Tour
- Les Houches Located a little before the town centre in les Houches. Night skiing can also be enjoyed at this beginner area.
Ski Maps
Lift Passes
This covers the same as the Chamonix le Pass but also includes unlimited access to Courmayeur and the Skyway Monte Bianco lift system (In Italy), unlimited use of the Aiguille du Midi (for Vallee Blanche and site seeing), unlimited use of the Montenvers Railway with free entry to the ice grotto, unlimited access to St Gervais, Megeve and les Contamines ski areas and a 50% discount offer to the Verbier ski system.
Beginners ski passes are also available for unlimited use on the four novice areas of Le Savoy, Les Planards, Les Chosalets and La Vormaine.
Day passes are available at each of the ski stations as are shorter 4 hour passes – the 4hr pass activates the time you catch your 1st ski lift.
This is a standard pass and gives you access to the 4 main ski stations (Le Brevent, La Flegere, Les Grands Montets and Le Tour) and the beginner areas on the valley floor (Les Planards, Le Savoy, Les Chosalets, La Vormaine)
Our GuestsTestimonials
Ski Lessons
Marmotte Mountain Adventure specialises in hand picking independant private instructors who are individually matched to our guests requirements. We are so confident in the instructors that we use that we offer a full money back guarantee on the quality of the service when we are able to handpick one of our trusted instructors.
To ensure we are able to obtain the services of one of our instructors, we recommend that you let us know your requirements as far in advance as possible. We honestly can’t recommend our instructors highly enough – they are exceptional and they play avital role in our high guest satisfaction level and large percentage of our loyal client base returning year upon year.
Panda Club Ski School – Evolution 2
Evolution 2 run a fantastic ski school program in Argentiere for children aged from 3-12 years called the Panda Club. As the majority of the children participating in the Panda Club come from an international background, all Panda Club ski instructors are able to speak fluent English. The Panda Club performs daily ski evaluation of your child with a graded test and an awards ceremony on each Friday. There is also an indoor play area and lunch facilities on offer.
Yeti Courses
5 half day (Mon – Fri)
Low Season
(09:00am-11:30am): €255.00
(14:00pm-16:30pm): €225.00
Mid Season
(09:00am-11:30am): €295.00
(14:00pm-16:30pm): €265.00
Peak Season
(09:00am-11:30am): €350.00
(14:00pm-16:30pm): €320.00
Lunch (Mon – Fri)
(11:30am – 14:00pm) : €150.00
5 full day (Mon – Fri)
Low Season
(09:00am – 16:30pm – with lunch): €600.00
Mid Season
(09:00am – 16:30pm – with lunch): €640.00
Peak Season
(09:00am – 16:30pm – with lunch): €700.00
6 half day (Sun – Fri)
Low Season
(09:00am – 11:30am): €305.00
(14:00pm – 16:30pm): €270.00
Mid Season
(09:00am – 11:30am): €345.00
(14:00pm – 16:30pm): €315.00
Peak Season
(09:00am – 11:30am): €400.00
(14:00pm – 16:30pm): €370.00
Lunch (Sun- Fri)
(11:30am – 14:00pm): €170.00
6 full day (Sun – Fri)
Low Season
(09:00am – 16:30pm – with lunch): €710.00
Mid Season
(09:00am – 16:30pm – with lunch): €750.00
Peak Season
(09:00am – 16:30pm – with lunch): €810.00