Ski Lift Passes for Chamonix – Which one to buy & when?

‘Any advice on which lift pass I should buy?’ is a question our drivers hear many times during the winter season. If you’re going skiing, deciding which pass to buy can be a real headache.

Here’s our guide to help you buy the right ski pass for you when you ski in the Chamonix valley:

• Chamonix Le Pass or Mont Blanc Unlimited?
• Other passes available – ideal for beginners & families
• When & where to buy your lift pass
• Other lift pass tips, advice & FAQs

Chamonix Le Pass or Mont Blanc Unlimited?

The two main lift passes sold in the Chamonix valley are the ‘Chamonix Le Pass’ and the ‘Mont Blanc Unlimited’.

Chamonix Le Pass:

Covers the resorts from Le Tour to Brevent and all the beginner areas too.

The Mont Blanc Unlimited (MBU) adds on:

Les Houches ski area
Aiguille du Midi lifts
Montenvers scenic railway
The very top lift at Les Grands Montets
Tramway Mont Blanc scenic railway

For 2 – 9 day Mont Blanc Unlimited passes you can also download an ‘Advantage Booklet’ which gives you free access and discounts to activities (such as the Chamonix swimming pool etc) as well as:

• Skiing in Courmayeur + access the Skyway lift to Helbronner
• Skiing in Evasion Mont Blanc (Megeve, St Gervais (including the Valleen lift from Le Fayet), Les Contamines etc)
• One day skiing in Crans Montana

Transport:

All lift passes Give free access to all the ski buses (but not night buses) throughout the valley.

If you have a carte d’hote guest card (ask your accommodation provider for it) you get free access on the Mont Blanc Express trains from Vallorcine to Servoz.

If you have a two-day or more Mont Blanc Unlimited pass, you can catch the train to St Gervais les Bains Le Fayet to take the Valleen lift up to ski St Gervais. You MUST get a travel voucher from either the train ticket office in Chamonix or find and ask the controller on the train (don’t wait until they come to you!).

The most convenient & flexible lift passes:

If you have a Chamonix Le Pass or Mont Blanc Unlimited pass for the duration of your stay, it’s definitely the most convenient as, once you’ve got your lift pass, you can just go straight up the lifts each day – no queuing for tickets – and you can come and go as you please, including going to different ski areas in one day.

Our insider tip:
If you have a Chamonix Le Pass and the weather is really snowy/windy, the lift company sometimes announces on the day that Chamonix Le Pass will be valid at Les Houches (you must validate your pass at a Les Houches cash desk before going up).

Other lift pass options in the Chamonix Valley

The Chamonix Le Pass and Mont Blanc Unlimited are not the only lift pass options. There are other ski passes available that might be better suited to you – and cheaper!

Beginners:

If you’re a total beginner skiing in Chamonix there really is no point in buying the Chamonix Le Pass straight away. All the beginner areas on the valley floor sell their own lift passes (4hrs, morning/afternoon or day) that are considerably cheaper:

Les Planards (at the entrance to Chamonix) – two drag lifts & one chairlift

Le Savoy (behind the Folie Douce hotel) – magic carpet & two drag lifts

Les Chosalets (behind the roundabout in Argentiere) – two drag lifts

La Vormaine (behind the Olympique restaurant in Le Tour) – four drag lifts

La Poya (opposite Le Buet train stop in Vallorcine) – two tow ropes (ideal beginners) & two drag lifts

Le Tourchet (behind Solerey brew pub Les Houches village)  – one drag lift (restricted opening hours)

Beginner lift prices example: full-day la Vormaine 24,70€, full-day les Planards from 28,00€

Our advice for beginners:
On your first day buy your local pass at the beginner area for your choice. Once you feel confident, then you can buy Chamonix Le Pass to give you access to all the ski areas, or even buy a day pass for the area direct from the cash desks on the day.

Families:

Not a lot of skiers coming to Chamonix know that there is a Family ski pass option for both the Chamonix Le Pass and Mont Blanc Unlimited.

The Family (‘Tribu’ in French) Pass is:

• For two adults (15-64 yrs) + two children (5-14 years), with 3rd, 4th and 5th child free!
• You do not need to all take the lifts at the same time or even ski together in the same area, each person gets their own pass for the duration, from one to 10 days+ of skiing

Family lift pass example: one-day Chamonix Le Pass saves you nearly 50€ when you buy a family pass rather than individual tickets.

Children under 5?

Children ski free in Chamonix until they reach their 5th birthday. However, you need to go to the cash desk each day to get a physical hands-free badge for them to use the lifts.

Our advice on under 5s:
If you’ve got a kid who already skis well enough to go to the main ski areas, the queue to get their free lift pass in the Feb school hols & Xmas/NY might mean it’s more convenient just to buy a 5-14 year old pass in advance!

When & where to buy your lift pass?

Once you’ve decided what ski lift pass is best suited for you, the next question is where and when to buy it.

Buy on the day or buy in advance? 

Buying in resort on the day:

Conveniences:

• Buying a pass just for the local area can be cheaper (especially for beginner areas)
• If, for whatever reason, you don’t ski, you’ve not lost any money!

Inconveniences:

• Having to queue up for a lift pass – at weekends and during school holidays lift pass queues can be horrendous and it can take time if you buy a pass each day

Buying in advance online:

Chamonix, like many other ski resorts in the French and Swiss Alps, operates ‘dynamic pricing’. That’s to say the price of a pass on each date varies according to expected demand.

When you buy a Chamonix Le Pass or Mont Blanc Unlimited pass in advance on-line from the official Mont Blanc Natural Resort ticketing website, you can see the price, including any discounts available, for each day.

Make sure you click on the edit buttons to pick the right type of lift pass you want and then the number of days. (It’s not immediately obvious, so here’s a screengrab!).

Already have a Chanmonix hands-free badge?

You can recharge your badge when you buy your lift pass online.

No hands-free badge?

Buy your lift pass online and then go to any cash desk or use one of the automatic machines to print your pass out (badge costs 3€).

Conveniences of buying in advance:

• Better prices (depending on the demand/day of the week/time of the season)
• No need to queue at the cash desk

Inconveniences of buying in advance:

• If you buy a pass in advance and for whatever reason you don’t ski, you have probably lost your money!

Other lift pass tips, advice & FAQs

Chamonix Rapid Card

Although the ‘pay as you go’ Rapid Card doesn’t give you the price advantages it once did, it is still a convenient way to avoid the lift queues!

How the Rapid Card works:
Simply register online, get your hands-free badge and when you go skiing, the first lift you take activates a day pass and the price is debited from your nominated bank account.

Rapid Card validity:
Valid for use in the Chamonix Valley (including Les Houches, but not attractions like Aiguille du Midi & Montenvers) and Megeve (you must start from here, but you can access St Gervais too).

Our Rapid Card advice:
Remember that you will be charged a full day full rate (about the same price as a one-day Chamonix Le Pass) so if you’re skiing at a small area like Les Planards, leave the Rapid Card at home and buy a pass directly from the cash desk/machine as it will be cheaper!

Read more about the Rapid Card and signing up for it  on the Chamonix Rapid Card lift pass website.

Season passes :

On average, we’ve worked out that if you ski at least 15 full ski days, it might be worth it to buy a Chamonix Le Pass or Mont Blanc Unlimited season / full year pass.

October is when the super promo sale period is, which gives you the cheapest possible long-term passes. Keep an eye on the Mont Blanc Natural Resort Season & Annual Pass page.

Ski pass FAQs:

• Is a photo needed for a ski pass in Chamonix?
  Only passes for 10 days or more need a photo. However, passes of one to nine days are personal and not transferable.
• What is the ‘hands-free’ badge?
  All lift passes are charged onto a credit card-sized plastic badge that you keep in your pocket to pass through the turnstiles of the lifts. It costs 3€ and is non-refundable, but keep it as you can recharge your badge next time you ski in Chamonix.

Our tip on hands-free lift badges:
Most lift turnstiles are on your left, so pop your badge in a left-hand cuff pocket or breast pocket of your ski jacket for a nice, smooth start to your ski day!

• Are there any online offers for ski passes?
  If you’re flexible on when you can come, scroll through the calendar on the Mont Blanc Natural Resort lift pass page to see which dates are cheapest.Those already lucky enough to live in Switzerland might want to sign up to deal websites like BuyClub.ch – they often have promos with pre-bought day pass vouchers coming in at around 47chf…that’s nearly 40% off!
• Full day or 4 hours?
  If you buy a lift pass from the cash desk on the day, you might see there are options for four-hour passes (these have generally replaced the half-day or from 11:00am passes). Check the prices and there’s very often very little difference in price, so it might be just as well to go for a full day and enjoy yourself up there for longer!

Our guide to buying lift passes in any ski resort

This lift pass guide focuses on the Chamonix valley and its neighbouring resorts, but the information can help you focus on what lift pass to buy wherever you’re going skiing, be it in the Three Valleys, Espace Killy, Portes du Soleil or beyond. happy skiing!