Les Houches

Les Houches ski area

Although Les Houches, part of the Chamonix Valley, is the regular venue for the Chamonix World Cup Downhill, it is well suited to families, beginners and intermediates, with plenty of enjoyable and easy skiing.

The 70km of almost entirely wooded slopes form the biggest single area of prepared runs in the Chamonix valley. Les Houches’ ski runs are normally quiet and the views from the attractive mountain restaurants (there are several) are superb. Les Houches (6km from Chamonix) has some of the best tree-lined skiing in the Mont Blanc region. This feature offers shelter when the winds are high elsewhere - and it also means you won’t experience white-out conditions in bad weather, with the trees providing cover.

Les Houches is a great area for mixed-ability groups - the slopes at the top of the mountain range from green nursery slopes right through to the famous “Verte des Houches” black run used in the Kandahar World Cup skiing. Les Houches is the regular home of the Kandahar World Downhill Ski Championships.

Lift system

There are two main lifts taking you to the Les Houches ski area. A gondola (Bellevue) takes you from the centre of the ski village up to the far left of the ski area, at 1800 metres. Once at the top, the immediate area is pretty flat – perfect for beginners, but not so great for snowboarders looking to get to the Snowpark (but Bellevue is still the lift you should take if you want to go straight to the park).

The other gondola is the Prarion gondola – an efficient lift which whisks you up to the centre of the Les Houches ski area where there’s a magnificent panoramic view of the surrounding mountains you can enjoy in the plentiful sunshine!

Additional ski fact info, main ski info in resort facts box at top of page (23/24):

You can choose to use the Mont Blanc Unlimited pass which covers a huge area across Chamonix Valley, Les Houches, Megève-Evasion Mont-Blanc, Courmayeur & Verbier. The ski areas and sites are not lift-linked, except for Brévent - Flégère areas in Chamonix, so you need to take the valley shuttle buses or take a car if you have one. It also includes 3 excursion sites: Aiguille du Midi, Montenvers - Mer de Glace & Tramway du Mont-Blanc.

You also have the choice of the local Les Houches area as well which is more suited to families and keeps you in one place.

Les Houches local area - 55km, 15 lifts (9 chairlift, 2 gondola, 3 draglift, 2 other), 35 slopes:

Green slopes: 3
Blue slopes: 11
Red slopes: 17
Black slopes: 4

Les Houches skiing info

Beginners
Although it centres around some tough terrain, the ski resort of Les Houches also has ideal slopes for beginners. There are two nursery areas:

• Le Tourchet nursery area is located not far from main church in the centre of Les Houches. There are 2 drag lifts and 2 pistes here,
• In the main Les Houches area, there are 2 beginner slopes, one served by chairlift and one by drag lift by the Bellevue and Prarion gondolas.

Intermediates
For intermediates, the descents down the front of the Les Houches area - the Table D’Orientation which leads on to the Maison Neuve, and the Mur des Epines - are long runs back down to the village. These front runs are sheltered by trees. The Col de Voza is a lovely red run for intermediate and advanced riders to start their day. The Fontaines red run takes you around the back and through the trees. There are two other red runs down the back towards Saint Gervais that also take you through the trees.

Advanced, off-piste & ski touring
For the advanced skier, skiing in Les Houches wouldn’t be complete without a ride down the Verte des Houches, or as it’s more famously known the 'Kandahar'. This World Cup black run is accessed from the top of the Voza-Prarion or Kandahar chairlifts and takes you straight back down to the village. The Verte, along with the Oreiller-Killy (OK) run in Val d'Isère, are the two French World Cup downhill runs. The Verte is considered to be one of the most beautiful on the World Cup circuit by the best downhillers.

More daring skiers could try ski jumping at Les Houches’ three ski jumps or complete the famous Vallée Blanche in Chamonix. This legendary off-piste trail (guide essential) offers a vast panorama of lofty crags, spires and needles. After a 20-minute ascent by cable car, you set out from the Aiguille du Midi for a descent of nearly 3,000m, ending in the centre of Chamonix. It’s one of the longest glacier trails in Europe (22km), open until May, (conditions permitting) and accessible to very competent skiers in the company of a guide.

Les Houches ski hire & lift passes (pre-bookable)

Pre-book your 6 day+ Les Houches ski hire and/or Les Houches lift pass with Peak Retreats.

To download the ski extras form see 'Helpful links' further down the page. Please note that prices are for indication only. They will fluctuate based on Euro/£ exchange rate. Please call us for the latest prices.

Other lift passes are available to buy in the resort such as half or full-day passes (for those who only wish to ski the odd day) or one-use lift passes for pedestrians. Some resorts also offer specific beginner area passes and cross country passes.

Les Houches group ski school (pre-bookable)

Ski school for children is available to book from 3 years to 12 years, in Les Houches, with Peak Retreats. 3-5.5 year olds will go into the Ski Kindergarten lessons.

To download the ski extras form see 'Helpful links' further down the page. Please note that prices are for indication only. They will fluctuate based on Euro/£ exchange rate. Please call us for the latest prices.

Les Houches private lessons (not pre-bookable)

Private lessons with an instructor can only be arranged directly with the ESF ski school. Peak Retreats cannot pre-book these. Private lessons are usually around €40-60 per hour (depending on resort, time of day and period) and becomes cheaper the more hours you take and the more people you have to share the hours with i.e with family members or friends. Some resorts insist on a minimum of 3 sessions to be booked at once.

Contact ESF Les Houches for private lessons - 0033 4 50 54 48 79

Les Houches childcare (not pre-bookable)

Les Houches has acquired the Famille Plus label for its childcare facilities. Please view here for more information on the Famille Plus label.

The 'Chavants' daycare welcomes your children from 3 to 11 years old. Children are welcomed in a chalet 200m from the ESF ski school and its snow garden, as well as from the departure of the Prarion gondola. It has several playrooms for each group of children (3/5 years, 6/8 years, 9/11 years), a nap room. It is also surrounded by a vast field allowing children to play in the snow in complete safety. Igloo building, snowman contest, sledding and snow foam playground.

Please contact ESF direct as we cannot pre-book this kids club - 0033 6 86 32 56 42.

It is advisable to book before you go and in good time as spaces get filled quickly, especially in Peak times. A childhood vaccination record will be needed. 

Babysitters (not pre-bookable)

A list of babysitters is available from the tourist office.

Nordic skiing in Les Houches

The cross-country and snowshoeing itineraries in Les Houches are divided into 3 sectors:

Les Chavants offers 2 tracks, 2800m in length, edging around the Chavant Lake and descending the summer fitness trail and then there are tracks to be found at the summit of Prarion and of the Bellevue cable car, offering a spectacular 360° panorama.

There is also a circuit groomed but not traced that is accessible for pedestrians, with or without snowshoes, and cross-country skiers.

There are 2 itineraries combining passages through forests and across snowfields. A link with Col de Voza is possible when snow cover permits. Approximately 6 km.

Access to cross-country and snowshoeing tracks is free of charge. Access to the Prarion itineraries is via the gondola lift with the purchase of a pedestrian pass. 

Top snow activities to experience in Les Houches

Please note Peak Retreats do not book any activities and most activities are payable therefore the below is just for information. More detailed information and how to book can be found on the tourist office website.

Sleigh dogs
Initiation into sledge driving, half or full-day outings, trapper evening, seminars, activities for the handicapped, and tours available. 

Sledging
Special sledging runs which you can ride on a disc sledge, toboggan or traditional 'paret' sledge. Three sledging areas specially equipped, maintained and made safe, suitable for all ages – kids will love them! There's something for everyone, with slower runs for the 'tortoises' and faster ones for the 'hares'. There is a 80m sledging run at the top of the Prarion gondola lift, in the area next to the magic carpet.

The Tourchet sled descent
The practice of the sled is possible at the Tourchet: blank area between the Big Lift of Tourchet and the Ice rink, under the responsibility of the practicians or the parents concerning the children.

Les Chavants sledging area
A fitted out, secured and maintained area in Les chavants: one track for 2/6 the years (small turttle) and another one for more than 6 years (small hare).

Snowshoeing
A way-marked route follows the cross-country ski trail from the top of Prarion gondola lift. In the village, above Les Houches railway station, you can explore the Route des Crêts – also known as the “deer path”.

Les Houches night skiing
Free night ski on the Tourchet slope, with hot wine and hot chocolate.

Les Houches skijoring
Drawn by horses, this original form of back-country skiing is respectful of the environment and tremendous fun. Activity adapted to both adults and children (from 7 years old), provided they can use a drag lift. They also propose winter pony trekking in the snow on the forest roads.

Top activities to experience in Les Houches

Please note Peak Retreats do not book any activities and most activities are payable therefore the below is just for information. More detailed information and how to book can be found on the tourist office website.

Paragliding
Open every day, all year round. You can book by telephone or in Intersport shop in Les Houches.

Climbing
The indoor climbing walls in Les Houches have been spruced up and two mountain guides, previous members of the prestigious Chamonix PGHM (high mountain military police group), Frédéric Boidin and Cyrille Gravier, have taken over management of the indoor climbing gym. The gym offers 1250m² entirely dedicated to climbing, with climbing route levels from 4 to 9a, the most difficult route designed by Romain Desgranges, a climber of renown, one of the world’s top 5. 

Sightseeing by Helicopter
Chamonix Mont-Blanc Hélicoptères. Flights of 10-30 minutes to admire the most beautiful peaks in the alps. Inter-resort flights from Geneva and Chambéry Airports also available.

Les Houches tree adventure
Two routes in the trees - Indiana’ventures

‘La Forêt du Mont-Blanc’ - Coupeau

70 activities taking you from tree to tree in a new layout of this three-hectare park facing the Mont-Blanc massif.

Technical equipment provided.

Kid Adventure - Les Chavants

For 4-9 year olds. Children are attached by rope and harness on a continuous safety line making it 100% safe.

Les Houches Saint Bernard Dog Breeding Centre
In a guided tour one-hour tour, Jean Pierre and Renée Dumont will tell you about this breed of dogs, which were first bred as guard dogs and then trained to find lost travelers by the monks of Grand St Bernard. Kennels can also mind your dogs during your leisure activities. 

Les Houches Walking with Donkeys
Donkeys love children, and with their pace they can easily discover the nature around them. Different walks are available throughout the year depending on snow. Reservation only.

Les Houches artificial ice rink
The artificial ice-skating rink in Les Houches has undergone a 180° rotation in order to free space for the creation of an outdoor multiactivities venue open to all (Basket-ball, hand-ball, volley-ball, etc.). Entry is free of charge and ice-skates are available for rental at a charge.

Chamonix Valley events

Events taking place in the 2024/25 season:

• Christmas Magic 18th December 2024 - 3rd January 2025: during the Christmas holidays, enchanting decorations and magical parades will bring the streets of Chamonix town centre to life, where a Christmas village will be set up. Children’s performances will also be offered in Les Houches, Servoz, and Vallorcine,
• Downhill Slalom 4th-5th + 11th-12th January 2025: the best male and female skiers are meeting on the Planards stadium for night slalom competitions,
• Kandahar Junior 10th-12th January 2025: International Downhill Ski competition – U14 organized by Les Houches,
• La Trace des Grands 8th-9th March 2025: ski mountaineering race taking place on the Grands-Montets site. A choice of three races allows the expression of all forms of ski touring,
• Chamonix Unlimited Festival 26th-30th March 2025: skiing and music on mountain tops! The event’s DNA: an impressive electro scene program set in intimate, open-air venues at the most beautiful sites in the Chamonix-Mont-Blanc Valley.

Les Houches après-ski, restaurants & bars

Bars-restaurants in the village and others in the mountains.

The lively town of Chamonix is only 4km from Les Houches, offering a wide range of bars, restaurants, nightclubs and shops. 

'Les Vieilles Luges' - originally from Finland and having spent 40 years in Switzerland, Serge Sozonoff took over the reins of this magnificent mountain farmhouse in 2022. It was transformed into a mountain restaurant several years ago and is located on the slopes of the Houches ski area (easily accessible by skiing on the blue slope ‘Aillouds’). For those who prefer to hike up, Les Vieilles Luges can be reached on snowshoes (a 20-minute easy ascent) from the Maison Neuve parking lot. The restaurant welcomes guests from Thursday to Sunday. 

Les Houches amenities

Les Houches is served by a range of amenities including doctors, chemist, dentist, post pffice, sports equipment shops, tabac and a cash point. 

Getting to Les Houches, France

Les Houches by Road:

Driving distance from Calais to Les Houches: 552 miles or 7hrs30. Arrival directly from the A40

Les Houches by Rail: 

The TGV station at St Gervais/Le Fayet is 17km from Les Houches

Train station of Les Houches +33 450 55 50 07

Airports neat to Les Houches:

Getting to Les Houches, France

Geneva Airport is 93km from Les Houches (1 hour)
www.gva.ch 

Chambery Airport is 125km from Les Houches (1 ½ hours)
www.chambery-airport.com 

Turin Airport is 176km from Les Houches (2 hours)
www.aeroportoditorino.it

Grenoble Airport is 212km from Les Houches (2 hours)
www.grenoble-airport.com 

Lyon Saint-Exupery is 213km from Les Houches (2 hours)
www.lyonaeroports.com

Public shuttle bus transfers from airport

Geneva Airport - Les Houches (www.coach-station.com). 

Getting around the Chamonix Valley area

(Le Tour, Chamonix, Les Houches, Vallorcine etc)

The Chamonix Valley has very good shuttle bus links throughout all its resorts so it’s easy to hop on the resort shuttle to whatever ski area you desire. Link up to Chamonix town, Les Houches, Vallorcine; buses run from early in the morning to late afternoon and the night bus runs between 10pm-12pm, returning latest 12.30am.Les Houches – see lines 1, 15 & 15s.

The Mont Blanc Express train also provides access between the Chamonix Valley resorts.  

Les Houches Airport Transfer

For pre-bookable private transfer rates with Peak Retreats, view here. 

Les Houches Opening Dates

Les Houches opens from 17/12/22 - 16/4/23