France · up to 1890 m

Les Houches (Chamonix)

The birthplace of alpinism, where skiing is still an adventure sport.

Bonvo Score

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Marked runs

62 named

34.9 km

Total slopes

Lifts

908 m

Vertical drop

1890 m

Top elevation

982 m

Base elevation

Green 1.2 kmBlue 16 kmRed 13.2 kmBlack 4.6 km

The story of Chamonix Mont-Blanc

Chamonix is not a ski resort; it's a mountain town that happens to have lifts. Sprawled beneath Mont Blanc, Western Europe's highest peak, it staged the very first Winter Olympics in 1924 and has been the world capital of alpinism since the Compagnie des Guides — the oldest mountain-guiding company on Earth — was founded here in 1821. The valley's separate ski areas (Brévent-Flégère, Grands Montets, Balme, Les Houches) each face the Mont Blanc massif like balconies at a theatre.

What Chamonix sells is vertical and wildness. The Aiguille du Midi cable car hoists you to 3,842 m, where the Vallée Blanche begins: twenty-odd kilometres of glacier descent past seracs and crevasse fields down to the Mer de Glace — the most famous off-piste run in the world, and one you do with a guide. Even the pisted skiing feels big: Grands Montets' north faces hold cold snow for weeks, and steep-skiing history has been written on the slopes in every direction.

The town matches the terrain: gritty, international, and buzzing year-round with climbers, wingsuit pilots and skiers comparing lines over cheap pasta and good beer.

Great for expertsGreat for off-piste adventurersGreat for scenery loversGreat for alpinists

Signature runs

Vallée Blanche

The world's most famous glacier run — about 20 km from the Aiguille du Midi to the valley, guided, wild, unforgettable.

Grands Montets north faces

High, cold, and serious: the Pointe de Vue and Bochard descents deliver some of the biggest lift-served verticals in the Alps.

Kandahar (Les Houches)

France's classic World Cup downhill, weaving through forest with Mont Blanc filling the sky ahead.

Local tips

◆Book a guide for the Vallée Blanche and take the early bin — the arête descent at the top is calmer before crowds.
◆The valley areas aren't lift-linked; use the (free with lift pass) valley bus or train and pick your area by aspect and weather.
◆Brévent-Flégère is the sunny side with the Mont Blanc view; Grands Montets keeps the coldest snow.
◆On bad-weather days, Les Houches' tree skiing saves the day — or take the Montenvers train to see the Mer de Glace ice caves.

Did you know?

Chamonix hosted the first Winter Olympic Games in 1924.

The Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix, founded 1821, is the world's oldest mountain-guiding organization.

When it opened in 1955, the Aiguille du Midi cable car was the highest in the world — and its top station still hangs at 3,842 m.

Mountain records

Longest run

Abbaye

2.4 km · 386 m vertical · Blue (easy)

Steepest sustained pitch

Grands Bois

max 63.4% gradient · 543 m · Red (intermediate)

The 10 best runs at Les Houches (Chamonix), scored

Every run is scored 0–100 from its real shape — vertical drop, length, how well its steepness fits its difficulty class, and flow (flats and uphill sections cost points). How the Bonvo Score works →

164
Kandahar Intermédiaire
1.5 km · 349 m drop · avg 23.7% · Excellent
Black
263
Fontaines
1.3 km · 336 m drop · avg 24.9% · Excellent
Red
362
Mur des Épines
1.2 km · 325 m drop · avg 27.1% · Excellent
Red
462
Kandahar Inférieur Schuss Battendier
1.2 km · 313 m drop · avg 25.1% · Excellent
Black
560
Plancerts
1.3 km · 369 m drop · avg 28.8% · Excellent
Red
660
Les Aillouds Retour Télécabine
1.2 km · 249 m drop · avg 19.9% · Excellent
Blue
760
Les Aillouds Intermédiaire La Carbotte
1.4 km · 348 m drop · avg 24% · Excellent
Blue
859
Col de Voza
1.0 km · 253 m drop · avg 24.1% · Excellent
Red
958
Abbaye
2.4 km · 386 m drop · avg 15.6% · Excellent
Blue
1058
Stade F.I.S.
972 m · 255 m drop · avg 26.1% · Excellent
Red

All 62 named slopes

Slope	Difficulty	Length	Vertical	Avg gradient	Score
Kandahar Intermédiaire	Black	1.5 km	349 m	23.7%	64
Fontaines	Red	1.3 km	336 m	24.9%	63
Mur des Épines	Red	1.2 km	325 m	27.1%	62
Kandahar Inférieur Schuss Battendier	Black	1.2 km	313 m	25.1%	62
Plancerts	Red	1.3 km	369 m	28.8%	60
Les Aillouds Retour Télécabine	Blue	1.2 km	249 m	19.9%	60
Les Aillouds Intermédiaire La Carbotte	Blue	1.4 km	348 m	24%	60
Col de Voza	Red	1.0 km	253 m	24.1%	59
Abbaye	Blue	2.4 km	386 m	15.6%	58
Stade F.I.S.	Red	972 m	255 m	26.1%	58
Table d'Orientation	Red	878 m	280 m	31.1%	56
La Cha	Blue	1.4 km	241 m	16.5%	56
Plan du Crêt	Red	1.2 km	227 m	18.9%	55
Melezes	Blue	1.4 km	197 m	13.8%	55
Bellevue	Red	833 m	134 m	15.7%	54
Kandahar Intermédiaire	Black	555 m	177 m	30.9%	54
Les Aillouds Supérieur Col de Voza	Blue	714 m	156 m	21.5%	54
Mur des Épines	Red	668 m	144 m	21.4%	53
Variante	Red	750 m	207 m	26.7%	52
Chamois	Blue	514 m	77 m	14.7%	50
Kandahar Supérieur La Cassure	Black	601 m	180 m	28.4%	50
Stade F.I.S.	Red	331 m	86 m	24.7%	50
Grands Bois	Red	543 m	155 m	27.7%	49
Jorland retour Téléphérique	Blue	820 m	114 m	13.9%	49
Stade	Red	488 m	134 m	26.5%	48
Les Aillouds Supérieur Col de Voza	Blue	2.0 km	275 m	13.2%	48
Mont Blanc	Green	373 m	34 m	8.8%	48
Chamois	Blue	373 m	37 m	9.8%	48
École	Green	357 m	35 m	9.3%	48
Les Aillouds Intermédiaire La Carbotte	Blue	228 m	42 m	16.6%	48
Aillouds	Blue	198 m	43 m	21.7%	47
Bellevue	Red	230 m	35 m	14.1%	47
Table d'orientation	Red	156 m	25 m	14.3%	47
Stade	Red	158 m	40 m	23%	47
Maison Neuve	Red	481 m	167 m	33.5%	46
Schuss des Dames	Black	320 m	111 m	33.7%	46
Aillouds	Blue	104 m	19 m	14.8%	46
Grands Bois	Red	97 m	13 m	12.9%	46
Les Aillouds Supérieur Col de Voza	Blue	72 m	8 m	10.4%	46
École	Green	137 m	19 m	12.7%	46
Friaz	Blue	486 m	35 m	7%	46
Stade	Red	444 m	69 m	15.4%	46
Chamois	Blue	311 m	31 m	8.8%	44
Aillouds	Blue	207 m	25 m	10.3%	43
Aillouds	Blue	1.5 km	145 m	8.2%	42
Friaz	Blue	96 m	6 m	6.4%	42
Mont Blanc	Green	58 m	2 m	2.9%	41
Schuss des Dames	Black	90 m	19 m	18.7%	39
Friaz	Blue	147 m	5 m	3.6%	37
Les Aillouds Intermédiaire La Carbotte	Blue	116 m	4 m	3.4%	36
Kandahar Inférieur Schuss Battendier	Black	323 m	55 m	17%	34
Plancerts	Red	60 m	28 m	37.2%	31
Les Aillouds Supérieur Col de Voza, Table d'Orientation	Blue	18 m	3 m	10.1%
Kandahar Supérieur La Cassure, Friaz	Blue	7 m	1 m	3.2%
Abbaye, Col de Voza	Blue	8 m	2 m	7.4%
Abbaye	Blue	30 m	3 m	5.4%
Abbaye, Friaz	Blue	7 m	0 m	0.2%
Friaz, Abbaye	Blue	5 m	0 m	1.2%
Friaz	Blue	41 m	5 m	10.2%
Fontaines	Red	28 m	2 m	4.5%
Melezes, La Cha	Blue	12 m	1 m	3.9%
Mont Blanc	Green	10 m	1 m	4.9%

Lifts at Les Houches (Chamonix)

8× chair lift1× gondola1× cable car3× platter1× magic carpet1× rope tow

Lift	Type	Length	Rise	Seats	Ride time
Prarion	Gondola	2.4 km	832 m	8	—
Bellevue	Cable car	1.9 km	799 m	37	—
Crozat	Chairlift	1.3 km	383 m	4	—
Plancerts	Platter lift	1.3 km	368 m	1	—
Mélèzes	Chairlift	1.2 km	215 m	4	—
Maison Neuve	Chairlift	1.1 km	342 m	4	—
Voza-Prarion	Chairlift	958 m	254 m	4	—
Kandahar	Chairlift	929 m	302 m	4	—
Coupe du Monde	Chairlift	867 m	205 m	4	—
Grands Bois	Platter lift	538 m	161 m	—	—
Schuss des Dames	Chairlift	467 m	148 m	4	—
Mont Blanc	Platter lift	356 m	33 m	—	—
École	Chairlift	301 m	35 m	4	—
Col de Voza	Rope tow	137 m	12 m	—	—
École	Magic carpet	62 m	3 m	—	—