About Chamonix ski pass prices

The Chamonix ski season runs from 19 December 2026 to 2 May 2027.

Chamonix ski pass prices for winter 2026-2027

Chamonix uses dynamic online pricing, so there isn't necessarily one price that everybody pays for the same ski pass. Online prices can vary according to the dates, demand and how far ahead you book. Buying earlier is generally cheaper, whilst the standard ticket-office tariff provides the upper reference price.

Chamonix Le Pass or Mont Blanc Unlimited?

Dynamic pricing means there is no single answer, so compare the actual online prices for your dates before buying.

The figures above are the standard high-season reference tariffs rather than the cheapest online prices, i.e. the most you would pay. Online Chamonix passes can be cheaper when bought in advance. Prices are in euros and at time of writing confirmation of the new season's rates was still to be released.

The price difference can look significant, particularly for a family, so it's worth deciding how much of an MBU you're actually likely to use. You don't necessarily have to buy the same product for every day of your holiday. Depending on current prices, someone who wants five days of Chamonix skiing and one Aiguille du Midi day may find it worth comparing a shorter Chamonix Le Pass plus a separate MBU or sightseeing ticket against the price of six days Unlimited. 

Which Chamonix ski pass should you buy?

For a week's holiday, the ultimate decision is Chamonix Le Pass versus Mont Blanc Unlimited. The main difference between them is where you can go, rather than how well you ski. And don't assume the Unlimited is automatically better just because it covers more. The beauty of these passes is you can choose the best area based on the day's weather, snow conditions and type of skiing, then travel there, and the pass lets you choose between them without buying a separate lift ticket for each area. Here's the simplest way to look at the options:

Chamonix Le Pass

Chamonix Le Pass is the standard lift pass for skiing the main Chamonix valley ski areas. Don't think of it as an intermediate or piste-skier's pass - with this pass you get access to some of Chamonix's most challenging skiing. It's the right choice if your holiday is centred on Chamonix itself and you don't expect to use the wider attractions included with Mont Blanc Unlimited.

It covers Brévent-Flégère, Grands Montets and Balme-Le Tour-Vallorcine, together with a number of beginner areas including La Vormaine, Le Savoy, Les Planards and Les Chosalets. The operator currently describes the pass as covering around 110km of marked pistes.

What Chamonix Le Pass does not include is equally important. It doesn't include Les Houches–Saint-Gervais, Courmayeur, the Evasion Mont-Blanc ski areas or the principal sightseeing sites such as the Aiguille du Midi and Montenvers–Mer de Glace.

Mont Blanc Unlimited

Mont Blanc Unlimited, normally shortened to MBU, is the much broader ski-and-sightseeing pass that includes all the skiing covered by Chamonix Le Pass and adds Les Houches–Saint-Gervais, together with access to several other ski areas and major mountain attractions.

For many first-time visitors to Chamonix, the biggest reason to choose MBU isn't simply the additional pistes. It's the inclusion of places such as the Aiguille du Midi, Montenvers – Mer de Glace and Tramway du Mont-Blanc.

Depending on the length of your pass and current partner conditions, MBU also opens up skiing in the wider Evasion Mont-Blanc area, which includes resorts around Megève and Saint-Gervais, as well as Courmayeur in Italy and benefits at Crans-Montana in Switzerland. Some of these advantages only come with passes of two days or more, and some require you to activate an extension or visit a local ticket office before skiing.

It's better to think of the MBU as a pass covering a collection of ski areas and mountain attractions around the Mont Blanc region. 

Does Mont Blanc Unlimited include Courmayeur?

Courmayeur access starts with MBU passes of two days or more. You must first use the pass on a lift in the Chamonix valley and may need to have the Courmayeur extension loaded onto your hands-free card. Once activated, the stay-pass benefit currently provides access to the Courmayeur ski area during the validity of your MBU pass.

It's a particularly appealing option on a week's holiday because Courmayeur provides a completely different day's skiing on the Italian side of Mont Blanc. Just remember that you need to travel there and back by bus or car, the ski areas aren't connected and you wouldn't combine it with a normal Chamonix ski day.

Does Mont Blanc Unlimited include Megève?

MBU passes of two days or more can give access to the Evasion Mont-Blanc ski area, subject to the current conditions. This includes a large area around Megève, Saint-Gervais, Saint-Nicolas-de-Véroce, Les Contamines and the Portes du Mont-Blanc sectors. Again, this involves travelling away from Chamonix rather than skiing directly from one area to another.

For most people staying in Chamonix for six or seven nights, we'd regard this as a useful option rather than something you necessarily need to build into every holiday.

Do you need Mont Blanc Unlimited for the Vallée Blanche?

If you're coming to ski the classic Vallée Blanche from the Aiguille du Midi, Mont Blanc Unlimited is the most useful ski pass, because it includes access to the Aiguille du Midi cable car, which gets to to the starting point.

You should not confuse buying an MBU pass with buying a guided Vallée Blanche experience. Guiding, specialist equipment and any other services are separate. Unless you have the appropriate glacier, route-finding and high-mountain experience, skiing the Vallée Blanche with a qualified mountain guide is strongly recommended.

Les Houches–Saint-Gervais ski pass

Les Houches sits at the lower end of the Chamonix valley and has its own ski area and local lift pass. This standalone product is particularly relevant to day skiers and visitors staying in Les Houches who don't need access to the rest of Chamonix. The official product currently offers four-hour and one-day options with dynamic online pricing.

The ski area has around 31km of marked pistes, with a good mixture of wooded slopes and open mountain skiing. The Les Houches pass also includes the relevant winter access on the Tramway du Mont-Blanc.

If you want to ski both Les Houches and the main Chamonix areas during the same holiday, Mont Blanc Unlimited is the more practical product.

Importantly, Les Houches is not included in Chamonix Le Pass.

Are the ski buses included with a Chamonix ski pass?

Both Chamonix Le Pass and Mont Blanc Unlimited currently include access to the valley's ski shuttle and bus network. This is an important part of how the Chamonix ski areas work: the pass unifies access to several separate areas, while the buses provide the practical connection between them.

You can use the network to reach Brévent-Flégère, Grands Montets, Le Tour-Balme and other areas, but most skiers will normally choose one area for the day rather than trying to ski several areas in succession.

The wider transport benefits attached to an MBU can be more complicated. For example, particular train journeys or external resort connections may require separate tickets, reservations or proof of your ski-pass purchase even where a preferential arrangement exists. Don't assume that MBU functions as an unrestricted public-transport pass. Check the current conditions if you're planning a specific journey outside the normal Chamonix ski-bus network.

What's happening at Grands Montets in 2026 - 2027?

The rebuilding of Grands Montets continues following the 2018 fire. The existing Plan Joran gondola is due to operate again this winter, whilst the first section of the new Grands Montets lift system, the 10-person gondola from Argentière to Lognan, is scheduled to open for the Christmas 2026 holidays.

The new upper lift from Lognan to the Grands Montets summit is not due to open until winter 2027-28, so the summit itself remains inaccessible by lift during winter 2026-27.

Complete beginners don't necessarily need one of the main Chamonix lift passes. If you're taking lessons, check with your ski school before buying one at all. 

Several smaller areas around the valley are well suited to learning and they offer cheaper beginner tickets. Head to La Vormaine at Le Tour, the Savoy slopes in central Chamonix, Les Planards and Les Chosalets. The cheaper rates can save you a significant amount during your first few days. If you're still learning to snowplough on a nursery slope, there's little point paying for access to Grands Montets, Brévent, Italy and high-mountain sightseeing that you won't use.

Once you're comfortable with chairlifts and longer green and blue pistes, Chamonix Le Pass or MBU makes more sense.

The standard Chamonix age categories currently classify adults as 15 to 64, with reduced prices for children aged 5 to 14 and seniors aged 65 to 79. Children under five are entitled to a free pass, although you'll need proof of age and the free ticket normally has to be issued at a lift-pass office.

Chamonix offers ‘Family-Tribu’ pricing. The normal formula is based around two adults and at least two children aged 5 to 14, with provision for additional children under the family tariff up to the stated limit. For families, it's particularly worth comparing the family price rather than simply multiplying the individual adult and child tariffs.

The most reliable way to reduce the cost of skiing in Chamonix is simply to buy online before you arrive.

Compagnie du Mont-Blanc now uses dynamic pricing for its online ski passes. Prices vary with demand, the skiing period and how early you buy, with the operator specifically encouraging advance booking to secure lower prices. Discounted online products can also have stricter conditions and may be non-changeable and non-refundable.

Don't just concentrate on the headline discount, though. The biggest saving can come from buying the right pass in the first place - as discussed in previous sections.

You heard it right, you can use the lift-system for free in Chamonix, but only if you're under five years old.

You'll still need to pay €3 for a hands-free card to get through the turnstiles though, luckily this can be used on subsequent visits to Chamonix as you grow up to be a big kid.

You don't need to be skiing to use many of Chamonix's lifts.

Pedestrian tickets are available for major sightseeing attractions such as the Aiguille du Midi and Montenvers - Mer de Glace, as well as selected mountain lifts where pedestrian access is permitted.

This is particularly useful for mixed groups where some people are skiing and others aren't.

For skiers buying the MBU, many of the major sightseeing sites are already included, which is worth remembering when comparing it with Chamonix Le Pass. A non-skier, however, usually doesn't need to buy a ski pass simply to visit the mountains.

Prefer putting your heart through its paces on the flat? 

A cross-country ski pass in Chamonix lets you ski at any of the four Nordic skiing areas in the valley. 

You’ll also be able to use the swimming pool and ice skating rink in Chamonix. 

You'll need to get your cross-country ski pass online, or at any of the cross-country ski lodges in Chamonix, Les Houches, Vallorcine and Argentière.

If you're planning to spend more than 21 days in the mountains this winter, you've got two options to save money on your lift journeys: 

• buy a season pass (or annual pass if you're planning to stay for the summer)
• buy a Mont Blanc Rapid card 

Season Pass

A season pass costs roughly the equivalent of a three-week ski pass, so it's excellent value if you're staying in the valley for a while. You pay a fixed price and then ride the lifts as often or as little as you like.

To get the best price, you'll need to buy your season pass before the end of November. 

Pay As You Go

A Mont Blanc Rapid card is a pay-as-you-go service where:

• you buy a €50 card upfront and you get around 20% off the cost of a daily lift pass on all of the Compagnie du Mont Blanc lifts
• every seventh day is free
• your account is debited weekly, rather than you having to pay at the kiosk each time you go up 

Ski-pass insurance is generally offered as an optional extra rather than being automatically included in the price of your pass.

Whether you need it depends on the cover you already have through your travel insurance, bank or specialist winter-sports policy. Check carefully rather than automatically buying duplicate cover.

In particular, make sure you understand what your existing insurance says about off-piste skiing, rescue costs and guided or glacial skiing if those are part of your plans. Chamonix has far more accessible high-mountain terrain than a conventional piste-only resort, so appropriate winter-sports cover is worth taking seriously.

Chamonix lift passes can be bought online before your holiday, from resort ticket offices, and electronic kiosks in locations in resort.

If you already have a compatible reusable hands-free card, you'll normally be able to recharge it rather than collecting a new one. If not, a €3 reusable hands-free badge is currently required. Keep it after your holiday to reuse if you intend to return.

Online orders can also be collected from automatic Pick-Up Box terminals dotted around the resort, including in some hotels.

For passes of ten days or more, a photograph is required under the lift-company's current conditions. Some special tariffs, including free child passes, veteran products and disability concessions, may only be issued at a staffed ticket office.