Used to Chamonix, or perhaps discovering the ski areas that surround the city renowned for its access to skiing, you are looking for where to spend a pleasant ski vacation, letting yourself slide along the snowy slopes enjoying the sun and the view. If the black runs evoke nothing more than a danger reserved for thrill seekers, and if you want to encounter only a few red slopes for sport and spend the rest doing quiet descents, stop here, Balme is your destination.
The most pleasant ski area
The Balme area is therefore particularly suitable for all skiers of low level or for whom vacations do not necessarily rhyme with winter sports. With an area that extends over two sides of the mountain, discover the Charamillon side, with more pleasant tracks that go down to the village of Le Tour, located at an altitude of 1,462 meters, and the Balme side, with very long, more complicated tracks, passing among the fir trees, especially if you combine the tracks of the Belle Place and the Green Forest, which take you up to 2,250 meters to go down to 1,264 meters above sea level, in the village of Vallorcine. Almost a kilometer of altitude difference! On the Balme estate, and in particular on the track to the beautiful place, you will rub shoulders very closely with the Swiss border.
Winter timetables and prices Domaine Balme Vallorcine
The area is open to skiers from December 9 to April 15, with the full season being from February 10 to April 15. For access to all of Balme, you will have to pay:
- For an adult, €28.50 for the return trip from Vallorcine to the ski slopes, or €24 for the one-way trip from Vallorcine to the ski slopes
- For a young person aged 5 to 14, or a senior aged 65 or over, the price is €24.20 for the return trip, and only €20.40 for the one-way ticket.
- For a family of at least two children and two adults, the return trip for the entire ski area will cost you €88.30.
An area also accessible in summer
As with all the ski areas that surround Chamonix, access is open in summer for hiking enthusiasts. You will be able to discover these mountains under the summer sun on foot, or by bike, and explore all facets of the mountain on multiple hiking routes.
In Balme, you will find hiking trails for all levels, such as the ascent to the Albert 1 refuge.Er, or even downhill paths from the heights of the mountains to the village of Le Tour for example.
Summer timetables and prices
In Balme, the Tour — Charamillon estate opens from June 16, and will remain open until September 23, while Vallorcine is only open from June 30 to September 2. Both have a full season, during which the gondola opens earlier and closes later, from July 14 to August 19.
As for prices, the family package stays at €88.30 for two adults and between two and five children included, and the return trip for an adult costs €28.50 and €24.20 for a child or a senior. In addition, you can benefit from a mountain bike pass at €22, or a more comprehensive pass at €32.50 to extend the authorized area to Prarion, Bellevue and Autannes.
Hotel Les Aiglons in Chamonix
If you want to take advantage of Balme, whether for skiing or for hiking, and all the other ski areas that surround Chamonix, the Refuge Les Aiglons is the perfect place to stop. In addition to offering you easy access to any of the areas, the 4-star hotel offers a multitude of services and facilities that you can use at your convenience.
You will therefore be able to discover our Unlimited SPA for hotel guests, our Escape game, our swimming pool, or even the children's area in which they can sit comfortably to read the books from our children's library that we make available to them, or participate in educational workshops from the age of 3 up to adolescents.
Discover the hotel Les Aiglons, and take advantage of all the ski areas and hiking that you want!
