Chamonix lifts: opening dates, hours and closures 2026-2027

"Chamonix opens on 12 December" is both true and misleading. It is the general opening date announced in the press kit, but La Flégère reopens two weeks earlier, the Aiguille du Midi a week later, and Les Houches waits until 19 December. In Chamonix, you check the date for your lift, not for the resort.

This page gathers the calendars published for winter 2026-2027, lift by lift: openings, hours, last rides, off-season closures and pedestrian fares. These are scheduled dates: wind, snow and maintenance decide the rest.

When do the Chamonix lifts open for winter 2026-2027?

The valley's general opening runs from 12 December 2026 to 18 April 2027. Not every ski area opens every day over the whole period, and their dates depend on snow cover.

What are the hours for each lift?

Hours generally change on 6 February, when the days get longer, then again in March or April.

Watch the wording: depending on the page, the end time is when the line closes, the last ride down or the ticket desk closing. At the Aiguille du Midi, the line runs until 4:30pm but the last return leaves at 3pm. At Le Brévent in the autumn, the last return ride up was at 3:45pm for a 4:15pm closure.

When are the lifts closed in the off-season?

• Flégère: from 14 September to 27 November 2026.
• Balme-Charamillon: from 21 September to 11 December 2026.
• Bellevue, in Les Houches: from 14 September to 18 December 2026.
• Brévent: from 2 November to 11 December 2026, after a late autumn when only the Planpraz gondola was running.
• Aiguille du Midi: from 2 November to 18 December 2026.
• Montenvers: from 2 November to 4 December 2026.
• Mont Blanc Tramway: from 28 September to 11 December 2026.
• Les Bossons chairlift: from 14 September 2026 to 11 June 2027, as it is a summer lift.
• Panoramic Mont-Blanc: from 28 September 2026 to 16 May 2027, with the page noting "dates to be confirmed".

No lift announces a closure on a public holiday: in France, public holidays tend to be very busy days. And no additional technical closure is published for the season, which does not mean there will not be any.

What happens in wind, storms or fog?

The published hours are theoretical. The Aiguille du Midi is a high-mountain installation: it can be within its opening period and not go up on the planned day. No wind threshold, storm procedure or fog rule is published: we do not make them up.

Fog does not have the same effect everywhere: it can ruin the panorama without stopping the lifts, whereas wind or storms force a safety stop. The Balme and Vallorcine pages state that their hours apply "subject to favourable weather conditions".

The only reliable method: check the Compagnie du Mont-Blanc or tourist office opening report that same morning, then again just before heading to the station. A weather closure is neither an anomaly nor an automatic right to a refund.

How much is a pedestrian trip on each lift?

Children under 5 ride free on most lifts. For the Index, above La Flégère, two tourist office pages disagree: one shows €31 return, the other €43 for the combined Les Praz-Flégère-Index ticket. Buy the combined ticket, sold at the Les Praz ticket office.

For the Aiguille du Midi and Montenvers, see Aiguille du Midi tickets and the Montenvers train.

These are pedestrian fares, not ski passes: lift passes are in our lift pass guide. A pedestrian ticket does not give access to every lift in a ski area.

What should you check before going up?

• The date for your lift, not the resort's.
• The time of the last ride up, which is not the same as the line closing.
• The day's report, for wind and partial openings.
• The upper lift: the Brévent summit, the Index or the top of Les Grands Montets can be closed while the lower part runs.
• Your means of payment: ask about accepted cards, cash and refund rules at the ticket desk.

Choosing a lift for your plans is covered in our guide to skiing in Chamonix for skiers, and in things to do in Chamonix for pedestrians. Each site has its own page: Le Brévent, La Flégère, Les Grands Montets and the Aiguille du Midi.

Are the lifts wheelchair accessible?

The published information is partial. The Balme-Charamillon gondola is described as fully accessible, but the way in from the car park involves a stony slope, and going with a companion is advised.

In Vallorcine, a lowered ticket desk is reached through the neighbouring ski school office. La Flégère advertises an adapted gondola, the Aiguille du Midi access everywhere except the ticket desks.

For the rest (gate widths, boarding in a powered wheelchair, transfers, lifts, toilets), nothing is published lift by lift. Ask the operator directly for confirmation for your wheelchair and your date. The Mobil'bus on-demand service is covered in getting around Chamonix.

Which date and timetable traps should you avoid?

• Confusing ski area and lift. An "open" ski area may be running only part of its lifts.
• Paying for the top section for nothing. Planpraz at €25 against €43 for the Brévent summit, Charamillon at €25 against €41.50 for the Col de Balme.
• Arriving for the last ride. It is the slot most exposed to an interruption or a missed connection.
• Assuming the tramway is running because Les Houches is. The Mont Blanc Tramway has its own calendar.
• Buying outside official channels. Check the website address before paying, and do not mistake a parking or shuttle listing for a lift ticket.

What about the end of the season?

Closures are staggered: Les Houches in early April, Balme and Vallorcine around 11 April, Brévent-Flégère on 18 April, Les Grands Montets on 2 May. The Aiguille du Midi carries on until 30 May, Montenvers until 30 April.

Two grey areas: the press kit mentions an end date of 11 April for one sector or product alongside 18 April, and the end date for Les Houches varies between pages (26 March, 4 April or 11 April). April skiing is detailed in skiing in Chamonix in April, and the best month for your plans in when to go to Chamonix.

To park at the foot of the lifts, see parking in Chamonix, and to place them, the map of Chamonix. Our other useful guides are in the Practical section.

Sources

Sources: Chamonix Tourist Office (pages for the Aiguille du Midi, Le Brévent, La Flégère, Les Grands Montets, Balme-Charamillon, Vallorcine, Bellevue and Le Prarion, and the Les Bossons chairlift, updated in October 2026), Compagnie du Mont-Blanc (Panoramic Mont-Blanc, Montenvers), Chamonix winter 2026-2027 press kit, Tramway du Mont-Blanc (2026 calendar).

Wind thresholds, payment methods, refund rules and accessibility lift by lift are not published. The Panoramic closure is announced as "to be confirmed", and the end of the season for Les Houches varies between sources. Research carried out on 27 October 2026.