The off-piste capital of the world quietly hides 36 blue runs. Best intermediate terrain is at Le Tour–Balme and the sunny Brévent-Flégère flanks.
Blue runs (8) tap a name to zoom in on map
Parsa Chair (Brévent)
On the Brévent side — the west face of the valley, directly above Chamonix town. To get here: walk 10 min from Chamonix's main square to the Brévent cable car, take it to the top (2,525m), then ride the Parsa chair. Blanchots is immediately below you on the skier's left. You ski back down toward the cable car mid-station.
The locals' favourite blue in Chamonix. Less trafficked, often the best snow in the Brévent area. Head there in the afternoon.
Parsa Chair (Brévent)
Adjacent to Blanchots on the Brévent face, accessed from the same Parsa chair. Vioz runs slightly further west — on a clear day you ski with Mont Blanc directly ahead of you.
Slightly longer and steeper than Blanchots, with huge Mont Blanc views on west-facing terrain.
Balme Gondola (Le Tour)
This is at Le Tour, the furthest ski area from Chamonix town — about 6km up the valley. Take the free ski bus from Chamonix centre (20 min), then the Balme gondola up. Esserts is a forest run that brings you back down to the village of Le Tour.
Tree-lined forest run at the valley's quietest end. Wide and welcoming — the ideal Chamonix blue for nervous intermediates.
Flégère Cable Car
On the Flégère ski area — the east face of the valley, above the small hamlet of Les Praz. The Flégère cable car departs from Les Praz (free ski bus from Chamonix, 10 min). Retour Flégère is the main run back to the cable car mid-station.
South-facing connector back to the Flégère cable car. Often sunny and joyful — the kind of run that makes you immediately want to repeat it.
Flégère–Brévent Liaison
The high traverse that links Flégère and Brévent — the only way to ski between the two areas without going down to the valley. You're at around 2,100m with the full Chamonix valley below you on one side and the Mont Blanc massif above on the other.
Links the two main ski areas with a stunning high traverse and breathtaking valley views.
Plan Joran Gondola (Grands Montets)
Grands Montets is Chamonix's most dramatic sector, above the village of Argentière — 9km from Chamonix town centre, easily reached by ski bus or the Mont Blanc Express train. Take the Plan Joran gondola from Argentière base. Les Marmottons runs from mid-mountain back toward the lifts — it's used as a connector between sectors but is a genuinely enjoyable blue in its own right.
A blue connector run at the mid-mountain level of Grands Montets. The best thing about this run is its location — you're surrounded by some of the most dramatic high-alpine scenery in Europe, including the seracs of the Argentière Glacier. A calm cruise in an extraordinary setting.
Balme Gondola (Le Tour)
Le Tour is the highest and furthest ski area from Chamonix town, at the top of the valley near the Swiss border. Take the ski bus from Chamonix (20 min) or drive to Le Tour village. The Arve piste runs through open terrain at the top of the Balme gondola with views down the entire Chamonix valley — you can see Chamonix town far below.
A wide, consistently easy blue at Le Tour with stunning views down the length of the Chamonix valley. On a clear day you can see all the way to Geneva. One of the most scenic easy runs in the Alps, and reliably gentle throughout — no hidden pitches.
Prarion Gondola (Les Houches)
Les Houches is the furthest ski area from Chamonix, in the opposite direction from Grands Montets — 6km west of town. Take the ski bus (15 min) to the Prarion gondola base in Les Houches village. Aillouts runs from the top of the gondola all the way down through forest with views of Mont Blanc.
A long, atmospheric tree-lined blue that winds from the top of the Prarion gondola to the valley floor at Les Houches. The views of Mont Blanc appear suddenly as you emerge from the forest — stop and look. Far quieter than the main Chamonix ski areas and often holding better snow thanks to the shade.
The destination
One of Europe's great mountain towns — a proper French Alpine city surrounded by 4,000m peaks, with world-class food and a mountaineering culture unlike anywhere else on earth.
Authentic French Alpine town · Great restaurants · Serious mountains
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