There are six separate lift systems spread throughout the Chamonix Valley, all offering a wide variety of activities. Familiarise yourself with the lift system by taking a look at our articles on the lifts themselves, access and restrictions, and the current status of the lifts. Ski, piste and activity maps can also be found here.
In winter, the ski areas tend to open partially from November and then fully from just before Christmas. Closing dates vary throughout the ski areas and are of course weather dependant, but you can usually guarantee that they will all be open until the end of April, with the Grands Montets staying open until the first week of May.
The Aiguille du Midi cable car and the Montenvers train both remain open throughout the year. After a short inter-season closure for maintenance and holidays, the lifts start to re-open for the summer around the beginning of June and start to close from the beginning of September. Check out the attached table for this years opening and closing dates. ... see "Chamonix Lift System Opening/Closing Dates" for more
LIVE Piste & Lift Status in Chamonix
Below is our speedy overview of what the current lift status is in the valley and over Mont-Blanc in Courmayeur too. The list summary is probably most useful if you already know the valley and the lift names, if you don't you may also find the interactive piste & lift map handy to check if you are less familiar with the area.
You can also buy/recharge your lift-passes and/or reserve [not compulsory] your cable-car slots online for a couple of the more popular cable-cars (the Aiguille du Midi & Grands Montets top station). ... see "Chamonix Real-Time Lift Status" for more
The comprehensive lift system in the Chamonix valley consists of cable cars, gondolas, trains, trams and chairlifts (and a couple of drag lifts at Le Tour and in the beginner's areas). The granddaddy of them all is the Aiguille du Midi cable car, which whisks you up to 3842 m from Chamonix town in around 20 minutes. Phew! The Vallee Blanche starts at the top of this lift, and it is also a starting point for mountaineers ascending Mont Blanc. The Flegere and the Grand Montets areas are also accessed by cable car, whilst Brevent and Domaine de Balme (Le Tour & Vallorcine) are served by gondolas. Included in the Mont Blanc Unlimited ski pass, is the Montenvers train, which takes you past the Mer de Glace to the Montenvers site at 1913 m, and the Mont Blanc Tramway, that takes you from Le Fayet or Saint Gervais (further down the valley), to the Nid d'Aigle at 2372 m. ... see "Chamonix Lifts" for more
Lift Access & Restrictions for Chamonix
The Chamonix valley lift system comprises of four ski areas - (Brevent, Flegere, Grands Montets, Domaine de la Balme), The Aigille du Midi cable car, the Montenvers train, and the Tramway du Mont Blanc.
If you would like to know whether you can take your dog, mountain bike, baby, granny etc up any of these lifts, then this handy table will provide the answers. It also gives information on disabled facilities. The main sports and activities are also listed. ... see "Chamonix Lifts: Access & Restrictions" for more
Lift & Piste Maps for Chamonix Valley
There are several piste maps available for the Chamonix region, depending on which source you want to use. We have listed online interactive maps of each area from the Compagnie du Mont Blanc which shows the opening status of the lifts and pistes as well as hiking routes.
Paper versions of the piste maps are available from the lift stations, Tourist Office, hotel receptions and the like, so no need to print them out.
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