France · up to 1249 m

Les Planards (Chamonix)

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

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Marked runs

8 named

1.9 km

Total slopes

Lifts

194 m

Vertical drop

1249 m

Top elevation

1055 m

Base elevation

Green 0.6 kmBlue 0.9 kmRed 0.3 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

Planards

901 m · 178 m vertical · Blue (easy)

Steepest sustained pitch

Stade de slalom

max 46.2% gradient · 333 m · Red (intermediate)

The 7 best runs at Les Planards (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 →

151
Planards
901 m · 178 m drop · avg 19.1% · Very good
Blue
248
Grépon
322 m · 49 m drop · avg 15.1% · Very good
Green
346
Stade de slalom
333 m · 112 m drop · avg 32% · Very good
Red
446
Blatière
147 m · 19 m drop · avg 13% · Very good
Green
545
Grépon
58 m · 6 m drop · avg 8.3% · Very good
Green
643
Blatière
52 m · 3 m drop · avg 3.7% · Very good
Green
741
Liaison
67 m · 4 m drop · avg 5.1% · Very good
Green

All 8 named slopes

Slope	Difficulty	Length	Vertical	Avg gradient	Score
Planards	Blue	901 m	178 m	19.1%	51
Grépon	Green	322 m	49 m	15.1%	48
Stade de slalom	Red	333 m	112 m	32%	46
Blatière	Green	147 m	19 m	13%	46
Grépon	Green	58 m	6 m	8.3%	45
Blatière	Green	52 m	3 m	3.7%	43
Liaison	Green	67 m	4 m	5.1%	41
Planards	Blue	44 m	9 m	19%