Snow Sure Resort

Well, there's no such thing as a sure thing but Les Contamines has got a reputation as a snow sure resort.

Why is this ?

Well, many theories abound the smart money is on its close proximity to the Mont Blanc massif which means that the resort has a micro climate giving it lots of snow !

Other reasons include the direction of the pistes themselves as the Les Contamines bowl is predominantly North and East facing. With low winter sun this means that whilst it is often beautifully sunny the angle at which the sun hits the slopes ensure no harm is done.

Click on picture to enlarge.

Another benefit is that much of the ski area is on summer pasture land so there are not many rocks and even a relatively small amount of snow gives a good base.

All in all, including the extensive infrastructure of artificial snow makers combined with considerable piste management, this relatively low resort (1200 to 2500 meters) has a deserved reputation for exceptional snow cover and plenty of sunshine from December to late April.

So, whilst many of larger and better known resorts are struggling in poor snow years, Les Contamines never has this problem.