Ski France

Welcome to the Ski France page, providing a regular round-up of the skiing conditions and current snow reports for the main ski resorts in the French Alps and the Pyrenees. Over recent years some of the most consistently good piste conditions have been reported at Tignes, Val d'Isere, Flaine, La Rosiere, La Plagne, Alpe d'Huez, Val Thorens and La Grave showing a mix of glacial resorts and those most exposed to the prevailing storm paths. However, in any given week or season the best slope conditions may be found at any of the other high French resorts or at lower elevation ski stations in poor weather.

For off-piste powder, resorts such as La Rosiere, Les Menuires, Morzine, Samoens, Les Saisies, Le Grand Bornand, Montchavin/Les Coches and Val d'Isere have proven among the most consistent either for their regular snowfalls, northerly aspect or for not getting tracked out quickly.

Warm moist weather fronts drifting in from the Atlantic can produce significant snowfalls in the French Alps Chamonix, Argentiere, Flaine and Samoens have impressive records) but can also raise the freezing level so your choice of resort can be crucial if you are chasing powder. Check out the reports below for the latest news and the forecasts we provide for different elevations in the resort.

France is one of the world’s top skiing destinations. The best known of the country’s 400 or so ski areas are in the Northern and Southern Alps but there are also several dozen ski areas in the French Pyrenees and in other sectors like the Auvergne and Jura.

French ski resorts have really come in to their own in the past 40 years – later than the other three main Alpine skiing nations.

The post-war plan skiing in France was to help stop the migration of agricultural communities to the cities has been reversed by the country’s efforts to develop ski resorts. They have grown to include the world’s biggest fully lift-linked ski region (The 3 Valleys – which always had a 600km total no matter how many new runs are added); its biggest lift served vertical (at Chamonix) and indeed six of the world’s 10 biggest ski regions. Europe’s highest resort, Val Thorens, is also here.

But it’s not just size but also convenience that led many French resorts to success and ever more people to love to ski France – the original concrete resorts built in the 1960s were not always pretty but they were designed to be functional and give slopeside access to the skiing and all other facilities in a few short steps at a time when most resorts in Europe required a laborious trek to catch a ski bus and then ages on lifts getting up to the slopes.

This decision to build resorts at altitude has paid extra dividends in these years of climate change fears as, with many ski areas beginning and ending 1000 vertical metres higher than many traditional resorts, they are more likely to get natural snowfall when lower elevation resorts get rain, and for it to be cold enough to run snow making machines when lower resorts have air too warm.

Those who are not so keen on this high altitude, purpose-built ski experience however criticise the resorts as soul-less places, artificial communities (they are almost completely empty in spring and autumn) with their captive market charged high prices for a sometimes inferior service. The slopes are also criticised as bleak, being high above the treeline.

Aimed squarely at the family market, French resorts also offer the most comprehensive childcare for babies as young as a few months old at most resorts, and ski kindergarten from three, although they do make children pay for lift passes a few years younger than elsewhere in the Alps and the full adult price from early teens or younger. The family orientation also means that lively après ski is something of a rarity in France.

Although French lift passes for these big ski regions are – except when the Swiss franc is on a high – among the most expensive to ski at in Europe, the French argue that they are still the best value because your extra Euros buy access to far more kilometres of piste and the use of many more fast lifts than at smaller resorts. In any case there is usually a cheaper pass for part of the giant ski area which in any case is equal in size or larger than a ‘regular’ ski area elsewhere.

It is wrong to think however that all French resorts are purpose-built. Chamonix, Morzine, Val d'Isere, Montgenevre (Via Lattea) and many other famous resorts have long histories as mountain and ski tourism communities, some originally spa towns. Megeve was developed in the 1920s as a rival to St Moritz by Baroness Rothschild and it still retains much of the ‘old money’ and more Michelin starred chefs than any other French resort, while Courchevel has become the country’s most glitz resort where the most expensive chalet costs £200,000 a week to rent.

Summer glacier skiing has declined dramatically in France since 2000. There used to be 7 or 8 resorts offering summer skiing but now only three (Tignes, Val d'Isere and Les Deux Alpes) are open briefly in July and August and there’s no skiing at all in France from mid-May to late June or in September. From October to late November Tignes is the only ski area open.

For Brits, France has been the most popular destination for the past two decades taking nearly 40% of the UK market each winter. Fast motorways from the English Channel to the Alps make French resorts the easiest to reach from southern England and it’s also possible to reach many French ski areas direct by Eurostar from London St Pancras railway station.
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France: latest snow conditions round-up


FRANCE REPORT Most of the large French areas are open for another month, to the latter half of April, with some like Chamonix, Tignes and Val Thorens (150/220ccm / 60/88") open into early May and Les 2 Alpes planning to keep its glacier open top the start of July.

France also has the areas with the most open terrain as we near the Easter Holidays, Les 3 Vallees is now at 98% open, the most of the season, and is posting the world's deepest snow at Alpe d'Huez (103/480cm / 41/192"). So, in other words, a very positive picture for the start of astronomical springtime. After the big snowfalls of early March, the past week has seen more light to moderate snow showers on higher slopes for most French areas, with temperatures reaching +10C, bringing rain to valleys.

Summary of forecast snowfall and ski conditions for resorts in France. Fresh snow is forecast at 0 resorts. Powder is reported at 1 resorts and 2 are reporting good piste conditions.

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Recent Eyeball Snow Reports for France

A–B

C–K L–L M–R S–Z Best powder (1)Best piste conditions (2)

Ski resorts in France from A to B

Resort
snow depth
top and bottom

on-piste

off-piste

Last Snow

Next 9 Days
0–3 | 3–6 | 6–9
snow (cm)
Next 5 days weather forecast.
Freezing level (m)
Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri

(950m — 2001m)

snow report yesterday

2.0 cm
2 days ago
clear clear part cloud clear clear
Mid station 1476 m
1550m 1250m 1600m 2100m 2700m

(1550m — 2451m)

snow report 7 days ago

3.0 cm
7 days ago
43.0
9.0
4.0
clear light snow mod snow part cloud cloud
Mid station 2000 m
2550m 1350m 1450m 1800m 1900m

(1000m — 1900m)

snow report 2 days ago

1.0 cm
2 days ago
clear part cloud part cloud clear clear
Mid station 1450 m
1950m 950m 1700m 2150m 2700m

(1500m — 2201m)

snow report yesterday

4 cm
2 days ago
clear light snow light rain part cloud clear
Mid station 1850 m
1950m 1500m 1600m 1900m 2600m

(1100m — 3350m)

snow report today

255
103
Spring snow 3.0 cm
2 days ago
4.0
clear light snow light snow part cloud clear
Mid station 2225 m
2050m 1350m 1450m 1850m 2600m

(1367m — 2200m)

snow report yesterday

4 cm
2 days ago
4.0
clear light snow light rain clear part cloud
Mid station 1784 m
2350m 1300m 1400m 1900m 2650m

(1251m — 1808m)

snow report today

1.0 cm
7 days ago
4.0
clear light snow light rain part cloud part cloud
Mid station 1530 m
2950m 1500m 1550m 1850m 2550m

(1400m — 1700m)

snow report 2 days ago

1.0 cm
3 days ago
clear part cloud part cloud clear clear
Mid station 1550 m
1950m 1000m 1650m 2150m 2750m

(1050m — 2300m)

snow report today

Arêches-Beaufort webcam
180
10
Spring snow 1.0 cm
2 days ago
clear light snow rain showers clear clear
Mid station 1675 m
1450m 1300m 1650m 1950m 2600m

(1252m — 3275m)

snow report yesterday

4 cm
2 days ago
clear snow showers snow showers part cloud clear
Mid station 2264 m
1350m 1350m 1650m 1950m 2600m

(1400m — 2100m)

snow report 2 days ago

6 cm
2 days ago
clear clear rain showers light rain rain showers
Mid station 1750 m
3600m 3200m 2050m 2200m 2500m

(1681m — 2111m)

snow report 7 days ago

3.0 cm
7 days ago
16.0
3.0
2.0
clear light snow light snow part cloud part cloud
Mid station 1896 m
1350m 1400m 1500m 1700m 1500m

(1500m — 2000m)

snow report yesterday

8 cm
2 days ago
clear clear rain showers cloud light rain
Mid station 1750 m
3300m 2100m 1650m 2000m 2500m

(1400m — 1800m)

snow report 7 days ago

1.0 cm
7 days ago
25.0
1.0
6.0
part cloud mod snow light snow part cloud part cloud
Mid station 1600 m
2700m 1150m 1300m 1800m 2650m

(1600m — 3330m)

snow report 2 days ago

2.0 cm
2 days ago
5.0
clear light snow light snow part cloud clear
Mid station 2465 m
2000m 1300m 1400m 1850m 2600m

(1600m — 2450m)

snow report today

150
60
Spring snow 1.0 cm
7 days ago
33.0
8.0
6.0
part cloud mod snow light snow part cloud cloud
Mid station 2025 m
2500m 1400m 1300m 1700m 1850m

(1500m — 2750m)

snow report 2 days ago

1.0 cm
3 days ago
19.0
1.0
3.0
clear light snow light snow clear clear
Mid station 2125 m
1350m 1500m 1600m 1750m 2550m

(1050m — 1710m)

snow report yesterday

3.0 cm
2 days ago
clear light snow cloud clear clear
Mid station 1380 m
2400m 950m 1650m 2050m 2750m

(1144m — 2254m)

snow report today

Avoriaz webcam
130
28
Spring snow 2.0 cm
2 days ago
clear rain showers part cloud clear clear
Mid station 1699 m
1500m 1250m 1650m 2050m 2700m

(1400m — 2399m)

snow report today

9 cm
2 days ago
1.0
clear clear light snow cloud light rain
Mid station 1900 m
3250m 2150m 1750m 2000m 2550m

(850m — 1237m)

snow report 3 days ago

2.0 cm
15 days ago
part cloud clear clear clear clear
Mid station 1044 m
1250m 950m 1200m 2300m 2700m

(1000m — 1301m)

snow report 2 days ago

1.0 cm
3 days ago
clear clear part cloud part cloud clear
Mid station 1150 m
1700m 1250m 1550m 2200m 2850m

(1101m — 1801m)

snow report yesterday

2.0 cm
2 days ago
clear clear part cloud clear clear
Mid station 1451 m
1650m 1050m 1650m 2150m 2750m

(1001m — 1912m)

snow report today

1.0 cm
2 days ago
clear clear part cloud clear clear
Mid station 1456 m
1650m 1350m 1600m 2100m 2750m

(1740m — 2200m)

snow report 5 days ago

1.0 cm
5 days ago
38.0
2.0
3.0
clear snow showers heavy snow part cloud cloud
Mid station 1970 m
1700m 1500m 1600m 1700m 2350m

(1350m — 1849m)

snow report 2 days ago

2.0 cm
2 days ago
clear clear cloud clear cloud
Mid station 1600 m
3300m 1650m 1850m 2200m 2650m

(1430m — 1725m)

snow report 7 days ago

7 cm
8 days ago
24.0
4.0
2.0
part cloud mod snow light snow part cloud cloud
Mid station 1578 m
2550m 1350m 1250m 1700m 2450m

(1700m — 2001m)

snow report 2 days ago

3.0 cm
2 days ago
2.0
clear clear light snow cloud light rain
Mid station 1850 m
3450m 2000m 1500m 1450m 2450m

(1801m — 3001m)

snow report 2 days ago

1.0 cm
3 days ago
50.0
2.0
3.0
clear snow showers heavy snow part cloud part cloud
Mid station 2401 m
1750m 1500m 1600m 1650m 2400m

(900m — 1351m)

snow report 15 days ago

5 cm
16 days ago
clear rain showers light rain clear clear
Mid station 1126 m
1350m 1450m 1600m 1800m 2550m

(1200m — 1600m)

snow report 8 days ago

5 cm
9 days ago
6.0
clear light snow mod rain clear clear
Mid station 1400 m
1350m 1500m 1600m 1750m 2550m

(1030m — 2525m)

snow report yesterday

Brévent-Flégère webcam
3.0 cm
2 days ago
clear snow showers rain showers part cloud clear
Mid station 1778 m
1350m 1400m 1650m 1950m 2600m

(1200m — 2501m)

snow report 7 days ago

2.0 cm
7 days ago
14.0
2.0
1.0
clear light snow light snow part cloud part cloud
Mid station 1850 m
1400m 1400m 1550m 1750m 2200m

(600m — 2950m)

snow report 2 days ago

Brides Les Bains webcam
2.0 cm
2 days ago
1.0
clear light snow light rain clear clear
Mid station 1775 m
1400m 1350m 1650m 1900m 2600m

(600m — 1220m)

snow report 15 days ago

2.0 cm
15 days ago
clear clear clear clear clear
Mid station 910 m
1200m 950m 1200m 2300m 2700m