Argentière or Kronplatz: two steep mountains, two very different weeks
The Ski Snug teamUpdated 12 October 20266 min read
On our measure, Argentière and Kronplatz have two of the biggest shares of steep piste of the 55 resorts we cover. At Argentière, 59 percent of it is steeper than one in four, the most of the 55 we cover; at Kronplatz it is 43 percent, joint second of the 55 we cover. They also have the two smallest shares of gentle piste of the 55 we cover, and their villages sit 52 metres apart, at 1,252 and 1,200 metres. Our matching puts Kronplatz second closest to Argentière of all the resorts we cover.
After that, they go separate ways. Argentière is the serious skier's corner of the Chamonix valley: quiet, high, with experts and off piste top of its list. Kronplatz is a perfectly groomed dome above the Puster valley, modern and efficient, with families on its list. So if steep is what you are after, either will give it to you. The question is what comes with the steep, and who else is in your group. The numbers first.
The numbers, side by side
| Figure | Argentière | Kronplatz |
|---|---|---|
| Village altitude | 1,252 m | 1,200 m |
| Top of the skiing, measured | 3,222 m | 2,266 m |
| Linked ski area | The Mont Blanc lift pass, shared with Chamonix; size not yet classified in our data | On the Dolomiti Superski pass; quoted at 119 km, not measured by us |
| Piste we measure around the village | 44 km | 77 km |
| Easy piste | 13.4 km of green and blue, 30% of the piste | 36.4 km of blue and easier, 47% of the piste |
| Black | 14.7 km | 14.1 km |
| Marked off piste itinerary | 9 km | None in our data |
| Piste steeper than one in four | 59% | 43% |
| Piste gentler than 15% | 17% | 16% |
| Piste at or above 1,800 m | 83% | 51% |
| Season | December to May | December to April |
| Nearest airport | Geneva | Innsbruck or Venice |
Three rows are close: the village, the black and the gentle share. The rest split cleanly. Argentière has the height, the bigger steep share and the off piste. Kronplatz has the kilometres and the easy piste.
Altitude: level at the door, Argentière far higher above it
At the door there is little in it. Argentière's village is at 1,252 metres and Kronplatz's at 1,200, the lowest of the 10 Italian resorts we cover. On the hill there is a great deal. Measured from the run geometry, Argentière's skiing reaches 3,222 metres and Kronplatz's 2,266, which is 956 lower and also the lowest top of the 10 Italian resorts we cover. Argentière's 3,222 is the top of the piste we measure and sits above the highest lift on our map, at 2,757 metres. On either figure, it is far above Kronplatz.
The rest of the mountain follows. Of the piste we measure, 83 percent is at or above 1,800 metres at Argentière and 51 percent at Kronplatz; 54 percent is above 2,000 metres, against 29. Half of Argentière's piste sits above 2,025 metres, and half of Kronplatz's above 1,807.
That decides our snow sure test, which asks for more than half the piste at or above 1,800 metres and skiing that reaches 2,500. Argentière passes, with 83 percent above 1,800 metres, up to 3,222. Kronplatz clears the first part, just, at 51 percent, but its skiing tops out under the line, so it is not snow sure on our measure. That is a smaller margin, not a forecast. Argentière's season also runs into May, where Kronplatz's ends in April.
Size: Kronplatz has more piste, and more of it easy
We measure 76.8 kilometres of piste around Kronplatz and 44 around Argentière, 32.4 fewer; only one of the 55 resorts we cover measures less than Argentière. Most of the gap is at the easy end: 36.4 kilometres of blue and easier at Kronplatz, 23 more than Argentière's 13.4 of green and blue. The black is all but level, 14.7 kilometres at Argentière and 14.1 at Kronplatz.
The longest run is Kronplatz's, too. The longest piste we measure there, Ried, is a 4.1 kilometre red with 647 metres of vertical. Argentière's longest, the Pierre à Ric, is a 2 kilometre red with 515.
Beyond the village, Argentière shares the Mont Blanc lift pass with Chamonix, and we have not classified its size. Kronplatz is on Dolomiti Superski, a pass across twelve areas, only four of them joined by lift. A figure of 119 kilometres is quoted for it, not measured by us, and we cannot say what it covers, so we go by what we measure.
The skiing: both steep, one groomed and one serious
Grades are set differently in France and Italy, so compare the measured gradients, not the colours. They are averages per run segment, and a run's grade is set by its steepest pitch, so read them as the feel of the week. Argentière's reds average 28.9 percent, the second steepest of the 55 resorts we cover and close to a typical French black, at 29.6. Kronplatz's average 24.0, the second steepest of the 10 Italian resorts we cover, where a typical Italian red is 20.4. Its blacks average 30.2 percent, the same as a typical Italian black; Argentière's average 31.8.
13 km blue and easier 30%16 km red 37%15 km black 33%
36 km blue and easier 47%26 km red 34%14 km black 18%
Marked off piste itinerary, kept out of the piste totals: Argentière 9 km.
So both are steep, in different ways. Grooming is first on Kronplatz's list of what it does best, and there is no marked off piste itinerary in our data: its steep comes groomed. Argentière's is the serious kind, with off piste on its list and 9 kilometres of marked itinerary beside the piste.
Who each one actually suits
Argentière suits experts, off piste skiers and anyone who wants a quiet base, the three things it does best. Our read is low key and serious, and we tag it quiet and expert. A group of strong skiers who want it hard and high will be happy there, and the season into May suits anyone who likes to ski late. Geneva is the airport.
Kronplatz suits families and groups of confident skiers who like steep, groomed runs. Grooming, families and museums are what it does best, and we tag it modern and family. There are museums for a day off the snow, and the extra blue gives the less confident more to work through. Innsbruck and Venice are the airports.
The bit nobody tells you
Kronplatz's blues are steeper than Argentière's. They average 20.2 percent, the steepest of the 55 resorts we cover, against 18.4 at Argentière, the third steepest of the 55 we cover. That is about what a typical Italian red averages. And only 16 percent of Kronplatz's piste is gentler than 15 percent, the smallest share of the 55 resorts we cover, a point under Argentière's 17.
So the family resort is no gentler at the very bottom end than the expert's corner. What it has is more of it: 36.4 kilometres of blue and easier against 13.4. If your group includes a nervous beginner, neither will be easy on them, and that is worth knowing before you book either.
So, which one
everyone skis strongly, you want the biggest share of steep piste of the 55 resorts we cover with off piste beside it, and you want your skiing high and snow sure on our measure. Also if the week is late in the season, or a quiet base matters.
your group is confident but mixed, you want steep groomed runs and plenty of them, more blue for the less confident and museums for the day off, and a lower mountain does not worry you.
It keeps the steep, joint second of the 55 resorts we cover, and gives the whole group more to ski: 32.4 kilometres more piste, 23 more of blue and easier, near enough the same black, and the longest run. What it cannot give you is height. If the snow comes first, or the week is late in the season, Argentière is the answer, as it is for any group of strong skiers.