Birthplace of ski mountaineering, Chamonix is a vibrant mountain town at the base of Mont Blanc, the highest summit in the Alps. Otherwise known as the French Alps, bordering both Switzerland and Italy, the incredible, jagged mountain chain towers over the town, offering spectacular scenery and snow-capped peaks reaching blue-bird skies. Famous for its world-class ski resort and ski touring, it draws visitors year-round for its alpine sports. The area boasts high glaciers, couloirs and famous peaks providing plenty of leisure activities in this quaint mountain setting with some of the world’s best après-ski spots to boot. Explore glacial terrain, amazing scenery, tough climbs and big ski descents every day with the help of experienced Chamonix ski guides. Find out more about the best backcountry skiing locations in Chamonix or see why your next family trip should be backcountry skiing in Chamonix from amateur backcountry skier and mountaineer Nika Marohnic.
Discover vast glaciers, wide powder slopes, steep couloirs and tree skiing
Lots of well-connected terrain means endless route options
Plenty of activities beyond skiing and exceptional French cuisine
Enjoy a customized day to suit your goals and skiing ability with an experienced Chamonix ski guide. Go alone or with one to three of your friends and explore the best stashes the legendary area has to offer. Whether you’re enjoying classic descents or secret powder spots, the Mont Blanc massif provides vertical drops you’ll be dreaming about for years to come.
Rob is a AMGA/IFMGA guide who runs ski and climbing trips all over the world — from the Rockies to the Dolomites. We tour at least once a year with him because he always brings out the best in us wherever we go and whatever the objective. Rob is the owner of Vetta Mountain Guides, based out of Boulder, Colorado.
Mountaineering for the last 20 yrs, Mike has spent time climbing and skiing in America, the Himalayas, Europe and the UK. He’s been guiding and teaching clients in the mountains for 10 years, with a strong emphasis on teaching skills. He has a life-long passion for adventure in the mountains with good friends. He also holds IFMGA, BMG, and MIC/ WMCI certificates.
57hours is committed to providing safe outdoor adventure experiences. We require all guides using our platform to have a COVID-19 safety plan and to make the details of that plan accessible to travelers. In most cases, group sizes will be reduced, guides will avoid overcrowded locations, and other safety measures will be met depending on the location and activity.
We also expect clients to respect local regulations and take measures to protect themselves, guides and the communities they’re travelling to. For more information on COVID-19 measures in Chamonix and Mont Blanc, France, please refer to the official advice for foreign nationals in France and sanitary rules in Chamonix and Mont Blanc.
Please contact us if you have any questions or require further information. We are happy to provide you with the most up-to-date information!
What you get in this adventure:
What’s not included:
To enjoy this off-piste adventure, you need to be in excellent physical shape. You will be on your feet for 5-7 hours a day for 6 full days, covering 6-10 miles (10-15km) of terrain every day. You will need to manage controlled descents in variable conditions. All participants should feel comfortable on challenging blue or black-level resort runs and be able to carry a loaded daypack while skinning up variable degrees of terrain.
For the enjoyment and safety of everyone involved, participants must be approved to participate in advanced skiing tours either through a previous trip with the guiding service or through recommendations.
Off-piste skiing isn’t just for pros looking for the ultimate thrill ride, it’s also beginner friendly, meaning anyone with solid blue level resort experience can have fun in the backcountry. If you’ve never off-piste skied before, heading out with a Chamonix skiing guide is your best bet. They’ll take care of the planning, introduce you to the basics, like skinning uphill, and teach you how to manage the terrain. They also have the experience and avalanche training to keep you safe.
If you’ve never been on a set of skis or it’s been multiple years, consider taking some in-bounds lessons before heading out in the backcountry in order to get the most enjoyment out of a guiding adventure.
For technical backcountry ski touring gear, you will need to bring:
For personal items, we recommend bringing:
In most cases, a guiding service can set you up with the equipment and technical gear you need to adventure safely. Prior to your trip, your guide will let you know what gear and equipment you’ll need to bring and what can be provided.
All mandatory gear can be rented from one of the manifold rental shops in Chamonix. if you don’t have your own. You can rent:
Ski rental locations are in Chamonix and should be picked up the night prior to your outing. If you need to rent gear, let us know and we can help make arrangements.
Group sizes and pricing:
Ski touring in Chamonix can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements.
Min. age requirements:
If your group has skiers under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.
To get to Chamonix, most people fly into Geneva International Airport (GGV) just over an hour away by car. To avoid driving on mountain roads, consider hiring a driver to the site or taking a Shared Transfer in a minibus. Take note, the Geneva airport is also split between Switzerland and France allowing for confusion for first-time fliers to Chamonix. Passengers on flights to or from France don’t need to go through Swiss customs, as long as they remain in the French sector of the airport.
Once you and your guide agree on the details of your itinerary, your guide will suggest the best place to meet, whether that’s at the guide shop or a predetermined location. The guide will choose the appropriate terrain dependent on conditions and the ability of the group.
