Ski Les Houches

Vital Statistics

Resort Height: 1000m | Highest lift: 1860m
Slopes: 24
Blacks: 2 | Reds: 12 | Blues: 6 | Greens: 4

The ski area of Les Houches extends from an altitude of 950m to 1900m and from the summit you have a spectacular 360° view of the Mont Blanc massif. There are two main cable cars in the village, Bellevue and the Prarion, taking you up to the pistes at the top. You can see half of the pistes as you descend the valley towards Les Houches, but the other half are over the other side of the mountain, leading down towards Saint Gervais (although you can’t reach the town via the pistes).

Les Houches is lovely for building confidence and advanced skiers will definitely want to try the black Kandahar run! There are green slopes at the top of the Bellevue and Prarion lifts, so that groups of mixed abilities can still head up the mountain together and once you progress to the blues you’ll find that these pistes are usually quieter than other beginners’ areas in the Chamonix valley. A lot of the reds are wide, making them great for improving your technique without feeling too much pressure. There are some marked out snowshoeing and cross-country ski tracks in Les Houches as well, so it’s the perfect destination if there are non-skiers in your group for a day out with something for everyone.

The black Kandahar piste plays host every two years to the World Downhill Ski Championships, which combine downhill and slalom skiing, making the competition one of the most prestigious in the world. Les Houches also hosts free night skiing every Thursday at the Piste du Tourchet on Avenue des Alpages.

Les Houches is also very proud of its privately owned mountain restaurants and refuge huts. They are nearly all family-run so there is excellent variety and as well as serving superb food and wine they all have individual charm. Check out our Mountain Restaurants guide for the best places to eat on the slopes.

View Les Houches piste map.

Local tips

Local tip 1: With pistes meandering through the forests, Les Houches is ideal when visibility is poor.
Local tip 2: Snowboarders will want to study their piste maps carefully to avoid the drag lifts (téléskis) which are scattered throughout the Les Houches ski area, especially the long and “très difficile” Plancerts lift.

Lift passes

To ski in Les Houches, you’ll need to have the Mont Blanc Unlimited lift pass, or for only local access you can buy Les Houches lift pass. Read more about them in our winter guide or go straight to our Chamonix Resort Shop to book now online.