French Alps Ski Weekend Trip To Chamonix, France

Aiguille du Midi: Ski Weekend Trip To Chamonix

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With a group of friends coming from all over the world we went for an incredible ski weekend trip to Chamonix in France to celebrate New Year’s Eve, a birthday and our friends reunion.
In this post French Alps Ski Weekend Trip To Chamonix, France we will share our winter activities and other useful information from our friends ski weekend in Chamonix, France.

SKI WEEKEND TRIP TO CHAMONIX, FRANCE

Table Of Contents

Cable Car To Aiguille du Midi
Skiing In Chamonix
More Activities In Chamonix
Chamonix Airbnbs & Vacation Rentals
Hotels In Chamonix

SPENDING A WEEKEND IN CHAMONIX IN WINTER

TAKING THE CABLE CAR TO AIGUILLE DU MIDI

Besides skiing, the most popular tourist attraction in Chamonix is the Aiguille du Midi. Aiguille du Midi is a 3,842 m tall (12,605 ft) mountain in the Mont Blanc massif. You can get up to the top of the mountain by cable car. On top you have an amazing panoramic view of the alps and the Chamonix valley.

The journey up to Aiguille du Midi with the cable car is an experience in itself. You literally go straight up the mountain, especially on the second section. At 2,317 m (7,602 ft) altitude, you change cable cars on the Plan de l’Aiguille platform. From here the second gondola takes you directly to the upper station at 3,777 m. Without any support pillars in-between!!! It’s a bit scary and exciting at the same time! You just hang there up in the air and speed up the front of the mountain. Equally as exciting was taking the Peak 2 Peak Gondola in Whistler, Canada which used to hold the world record for the longest free span (3.03 km / 1.88 mi) between towers.

To this day the Aiguille du Midi gondola holds the record as the highest vertical ascent cable car in the world.

Aiguille du Midi panorama platform with view of Chamonix Valley

On the summit of Aiguille du Midi you will find platforms with incredible panoramic views of the Alps, a café and a gift shop. It is very cold up there and during sunny days it gets super bright. So bundle up and don’t forget your sunglasses.

On the way to the top you notice a lot of people with skis and snowboards. From the top of the platform mountaineers go through an ice tunnel and over an incredible thin mountain ridge down to the glacier that lies below to ski Vallee Blanche ski run which is about 20 km (12 mi) long.

Descending to Valle Blanche from top of Aiguille du Midi

The ticket to Aiguille du Midi costs around 60 Euro. This Chamonix activity is not cheap, but worth it and one of a kind experience. A must when visiting Chamonix.

SKIING IN CHAMONIX

Ski break and soaking in the sun from the slopes in Chamonix

One reason we came to Chamonix was to go skiing, of course, next to celebrating New Year’s, a birthday and have a friends reunion. Unfortunately, when we went to go skiing in Chamonix there wasn’t much snow at all jet. However, we still went for it and the amazing view of Chamonix valley from the top of the slopes and the French ham and cheese baguettes made up for the lack of snow.

There are a lot of ski areas for every kind of skier and snowboarder in Chamonix and the surrounding area. In Chamonix itself there are three main ski resorts: Brévent & Flégère, Balme and Grand Montets. Check out Chamonix’ website to find your resort of preference.

Ski passes in Chamonix are fairly inexpensive when compared to American resorts. A day pass to all of the above mentioned Chamonix ski resorts together only costs around 60 EUR / 70 USD. When you get a pass to only one resort you pay even less. So basically you pay half of what you would pay at a major resort in the US. That is something!

MORE ACTIVITIES IN CHAMONIX

There are many more outdoor activities to do in Chamonix. One incredible activity is tandem paragliding in Chamonix. A friend of ours did a tandem paraglide into the valley and loved it.

CHAMONIX AIRBNBS & VACATION RENTALS

Airbnb chalet perfect for a ski weekend trip to Chamonix

There are a ton of vacation rentals and chalets in Chamonix. Especially when you are a group of people, you can afford a really nice Chalet. Some have a jaccuzi or even come with a swimming pool.

We went with a big group of friends and had an amazing time staying at a chalet in Chamonix. Check out Airbnbs in Chamonix here.

If you are planning to go skiing in one of Chamonix’ ski resorts, it’s best to stay around town or near the ski resort. There is a ski bus going between the towns and within town, but they get very crowded and it takes quite a while.

HOTELS IN CHAMONIX

Alpine style hotel perfect for a ski weekend trip to Chamonix — Cute alpine style hotel in Chamonix

If you don’t have a group of people, booking a hotel in Chamonix might be a better option. There are plenty of hotels in Chamonix, from lower priced hotels to high end luxury hotels. Try to book as early as you can, since Chamonix is very popular during ski season.