- SeasonThe joint longest season in France. Longer than the December to April season that 42 of the 55 resorts we cover run.
- December to May
- The village98m below the median of 1,350m across the 55 resorts we cover.
- 1,252m
- Top of the skiing60m above the median of 2,697m across the 55 resorts we cover.
- 2,757m
Is Argentière right for you?
Argentière is a small village up the valley from Chamonix, and it sits at the foot of the Grands Montets, some of the best lift served steep terrain in the Alps. The village sits at 1,252m and the skiing tops out at 2,757m, and the season runs December to May.
Argentière at a glance
- Area
- Mont Blanc
- Best for
- Off piste · Couples · Non skiers
- Fly to
- Geneva, Chambéry or Lyon
- Transfer
- About 1h30 by road from Geneva
- Doorstep skiing
- Limited, use lifts
Who Argentière suits, and who it suits less
Best for
- Off piste. The Grands Montets is one of the great names in the Alps for big, steep skiing beside the glaciers, and the valley's guides take groups off piste every day.
- Couples. The old village keeps the feel of a mountain village rather than a resort, with an 18th century church below the glacier and an easy walk to dinner.
- Non skiers. The valley guest card makes the train free between Servoz and Vallorcine, so non skiers can reach Chamonix's cable cars, museums, pool and ice rink with ease.
Less good for
- Après. Après is a beer in the village after a big day, quiet by Chamonix standards, so anyone after late nights will be riding the train down the valley.
- Mileage chasers. The valley's ski areas are separate and joined by bus or train, and this winter the Grands Montets lifts reach 2,757 metres while the summit lift is rebuilt.
- Beginners. Beginners have the two lift Chosalets area by the village, but we measure a third of the piste as black, so most of the skiing suits confident legs.
Skiing from 1,235m to 2,757m, village at 1,252m.
Where these heights are
- Lowest skiing
- 1,235mBottom of Grands Montets area (Argentière).
- Village
- 1,252m
- Top of the skiing
- 2,757mGrands Montets this winter: top of the open lifts (Bochard), our measurement. The summit lift is due back in 2027/28.
- 2.6km green6%
- 11km blue24%
- 16km red37%
- 15km black33%
We found no official split by colour for Argentière, so this is our own measurement of the marked runs around it, from the piste map.
- Black piste
- 15km, 33% of the pisteThe biggest share of black of the 55 resorts we cover.
- Off piste itinerary
- 9kmMarked routes, not pistes, and never added to the piste figures.
- Ski area
- Chamonix Le Pass, 111.9kmBrévent Flégère, Grands Montets, Balme Vallorcine. Not linked to each other on skis.
- Cross country
- 15km of trailsArgentière trails facing the Drus, including the 8.5km Moraine trail.
Sources
- Village height: en.wikipedia.org
- Lowest skiing: chamonix.com
- Cross country: chamonix.com
- Top of the skiing: our measurement of the highest marked piste
- Piste by colour and the steep end: our measurement of the OpenStreetMap piste map
The published figures were read on 29 October 2026.
44km of graded piste, measured ourselves.
- 13km green and blue30%
- 16km red37%
- 15km black33%
Of the 13km green and blue, 2.6km is green.
Plus 9km of off-piste itinerary, kept out of the piste total. The longest is Point de vue, 1.9km with 574m of vertical. It is an itinerary, not a piste.
- First timersThin
- Improvers, blue into redFine
- Confident intermediatesThin
- Strong skiersFine
The spreadSomething for everyone. It scores 1.00 for evenness, where 1 is a perfect three way split between green and blue, red and black, the most even spread of the 55 resorts we cover. A mixed group should all find their level here.
Longest pistePierre à Ric, 2km of red with 515m of vertical.
Measured from the run geometry, Argentière has 44km of graded piste: 13km green and blue, 16km red and 15km black. We do not print the resort's published kilometres until we have checked what they count.
Argentière among its French peers
Argentière and its four nearest peers in France are level on season.
Know the mountain before you go.
The skiing
The Grands Montets is the draw, with long, demanding descents and huge off piste potential in the right hands. Beginners are better served elsewhere in the valley, so this is really a base for the confident.
The village and the evenings
The village is low key and friendly, with a handful of good places to eat and drink and none of the bustle of central Chamonix. It is a calm place to come home to after a big day.
Getting there
Geneva is only about an hour and twenty minutes away, and the valley train links Argentière with the rest of the Chamonix areas.
- Genevaabout 1h30 by road
- Chambéryabout 2h15 by road
- Lyonabout 2h45 by road