Grands Montets Ski Resort France
Les Grands Montets ski resort is the best skiing area in Chamonix for advanced sliders. Exceptional skiable vertical, famous pistes, plus awesome freeride & glacier skiing has given the Grand Montets its well-earned reputation. With that reputation has come hordes of the best free-skiers in the world - Grands Montets achilles heel. Perhaps a victim of its own success, Grands Montets nonetheless warrants a visit (or two) from every powder hound. And who can possibly resist the draw of the legendary Chamonix to sweeten the deal.
Pros & Cons for Grands Montets Ski Resort
Pros
- High elevation ski resort in one of the snowiest parts of the Alps.
- Sensational advanced & expert off-piste terrain including trees.
- Best snow quality in the Chamonix valley.
- Good range of piste trails for intermediate & above.
- Chamonix’s best valley trail.
- Spectacular setting & views.
- Awesome après & restaurants in nearby Chamonix.
- Good value lift pass price on Chamonix Le Pass, valid in Balme & Brévent /Flégère as well.
- Lots to do, see & ski in the valley.
- Easy public transport access by bus & train.
Cons
- Incredibly busy on a powder day.
- Off-piste terrain can get seriously bumped/skied off across the entire resort.
- Not much for novices/beginners (why are you here!? - go to Balme or Les Houches).
Pro or Con (depending on your perspective!)
- Quality upper mountain terrain now only accessible by skinning/boot-packing.
- Hordes of great skiers come here.
- Chamonix is not at the resort base (but not far away) & Argentiere is nowhere near as fun!
- Accommodation can be relatively expensive & books out quickly in high season.
- Ikon Pass & Mountain Collective Pass are now valid in the Chamonix valley, which could be good for some ......... & potentially not so good for everyone else!
Skiing & Snowboarding, Lifts & Terrain
The Grands Montets ski resort is the most popular in Chamonix. Covering an expansive area above the village of Argentière, 8km up the valley from Chamonix Grands Montet’s 2,000m of skiable vertical puts it firmly into an exclusive group of worldwide ski resorts.
Check out the ski trail map for Grands Montets below.
Les Grands Montets can be split into three major zones: the lower mountain below tree-line between Argentière village (1,252m) & the main mountain station of Lognan (1,972m); mixed alpine terrain for intermediates & above below Herse & Bochard (2,765m); plus steeper alpine offerings (including the Argentiere glacier) below the Grands Montets (3,275m) - now only accessible by human uphill power!
From the tops of Bochard or Grands Montets, super-long and exciting high alpine descents are now yours for the taking, culminating in opportunities for tree skiing in the bottom third of the resort. Your legs are guaranteed to get a solid work-out. The valley run to the lift base is the best in the area.
Whilst this ski resort is predominantly an advanced mountain with an abundance of steep terrain to challenge even the most extreme skier, a new chairlift serve numerous short beginner trails above the treeline. A small novice ski area is in the base area & at the mid-mountain location of Lognan.
Grands Montets Ski Lifts
Since the fire of Autumn 2018 destroyed two cable cars, Grands Montets is now served by 5 main lifts (2 gondolas, 3 chairs). The gondola from Argentière villages ends high in the resort at the easy piste trails from Plan Joran. At Lognan (1,972m) there is quick access to the Bochard gondola (to 2,765m) & Herse chair (to 2,600m). The Marmottons surface lifts & new 6 seat Tabe chair provide the access to the beginner trails below Plan Joran. The Tabe chair gets extraordinarily little use - this is not a beginner’s ski area! The important Retour-Pendant chair gets one back into the action from the huge freeride terrain on the Combe de la Pendant. There are plans to replace the two destroyed cable cars with a cable car in the first stage and then a 3-S gondola for the second stage up to 3,300m on Grands Montets. Major delays have occurred, and plans are now for it to be completed by December 2026.
Off-Piste Freeride Access
Freeride terrain access at Grand Montets has changed dramatically since a fire in early Autumn 2018 destroyed the two cable cars running bottom to top between Argentiere-Lognan-Grands Montets. They have both been removed. The resort is still functional, utilising ski lifts via Plan Joran. With luck, they will remain out of action forever! It has improved the ski experience no end, opening up the best glacier off-piste terrain to skinners only.
For some perspective, the previous wait for a ride up the top cable car on a busy day was about as long as it takes to skin up from the top of Herse chair, & with a lot less people doing it. The latest word is the cable cars will be replaced for season 26/27. Worthwhile visiting before they do. The skin up from the top of Herse is between 500 & 600m vertical depending on how far one wants to go past the Col de Rachasses. From there, enjoy the relative solitude on the glaciers - but be careful & if in doubt get a guide. Skinners are grinners!
Ski Lift Passes
A strange quirk of the ski area is that the Chamonix Le Pass covers all lifts at Grands Montets except the cable car leading to the top. With the closure of that lift & the terrain only accessible to skinners, that quirk no longer matters! A Mont Blanc Unlimited Pass gives access to all lifts, but that benefit is now moot (at least until 2026), so buy the significantly cheaper Chamonix Le Pass ticket! For International visitors, Ikon Pass & Mountain Collective Pass now have limited validity in Chamonix.
Ikon Pass is valid in most of Chamonix, with days shared between: Grands Montets, Les Houches, Le Tour/Balme, La Flégère and Le Brévent. Holders of an Ikon Pass can ski for free for 7-days, with no blackout period. Holders of Ikon Base Plus Pass and Ikon Base Pass can ski for free for 5-days with no blackout periods. To redeem lift passes, you will need to go to a local ticket window and show your Ikon Pass, Ikon Base Pass, or Ikon Session Pass.
Holders of the 'Mountain Collective Pass' can redeem a total of two free days at Brévent-Flégère and/or the other Chamonix ski areas with no blackout periods. Additional days can be redeemed for half price. Mountain Collective pass holders will receive a ‘Mont-Blanc Unlimited’ pass, which allows one to visit all the following Chamonix Valley resorts: Grands-Montets, Flégère, Brévent, Les Houches, Montenvers Train, Aiguille du Midi, Tramway du Mont Blanc. To redeem your day passes at Chamonix, bring your printed voucher/confirmation of your Mountain Collective Pass purchase. Redeem at Central Cash Desk, 35 Place de la Mer de Glace, Chamonix.
Snow & Weather
The Grand Montets is renowned for its exceptional snow quality thanks to its north facing aspect & high altitude. Most of the ski terrain is above the treeline over 1,900m elevation. The good snow conditions continue until early May, making it a paradise for skiers and board riders.
Where is Grands Montets France?
The Grands Montets ski resort rises above the village of Argentiere in the Chamonix valley. Argentiere is 8km north of Chamonix & 35km by road southwest of Martigny in Switzerland. Argentiere has its own railway station with services running from both France & Switzerland. That said, the bus is the most cost effective & time efficient mode of travel from the airports, and Geneva, only 90km away, is the best international gateway.
Search & book train & bus tickets to Argentiere & Chamonix.
The closest international airports are Lyon St Exupery (LYS) in France & Geneva (GVA) in Switzerland. By car, the Grands Montets is accessible via the A40/N205 highway to Chamonix from France, Martigny from Switzerland & the Aosta valley from Italy.
For detailed information on the best ways to get to Grands Montets see our Travel to Chamonix page.
Grands Montets Accommodation
If the Grands Montets or nearby Balme ski resorts are the main targets of your visit to Chamonix, then the village of Argentiere makes a convenient base. Argentière is only 8km from Chamonix and is connected by bus & train. The bus is free for skiers, the train is definitely not! Whilst staying in Argentiere has some merits, Chamonix provides a better overall experience & should be considered when looking for a place to stay. One of the nicer options in Argentiere is the Hotel Les Grands Montets.
Search & book all Argentière ski accommodation Argentière ski accommodation.
Ski Rentals, Guiding, Lessons & Equipment
Ski rentals are available in all the Chamonix valley villages including Argentiere adjacent to the Grands Montets ski lift base. Receive a discount when you search & book via our Grands Montets - Argentiere Ski & Snowboard Rental page.
Getting to know the best bits of the terrain at Grands Montets can take a little time, so spending a day or two with a quality local instructor or guide can improve your ski experience. A seemingly infinite procession of ski instructors, ski schools & resort guides ply their craft in the Chamonix valley ski resorts including Grands Montets. To narrow down the field, see our Grands Montets Ski Lessons & Guiding page.
Review
The Powderhounds reviewed Grands Montets in 2019 & were definitely intrigued. The snow wasn’t awesome during our visit - lots of it, just not powder. We are itching to return and ski it on a powder day. Click on the review links on this page to read more of our words & see a few more pics!
See how Grands Montets & Chamonix compares to the rest of the French ski resorts on the France ski resort ratings page, or compare to the rest of Europe the European ski resort ratings page.
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