Les Houches
Chamonix Valley, Haute-Savoie
About Les Houches
Les Houches is the gentle end of the Chamonix valley, and the one sector of it where a family or a beginner belongs. It is lower and heavily wooded, which makes it the place everyone in the valley goes when the weather is bad and the high lifts are shut.
It is also serious when it wants to be: the Kandahar here is a World Cup downhill course, raced most seasons.
Last reviewed 14 September 2026
Best suited to
- Families
- Beginners
- Intermediates
- Advanced skiers
Featured instructors at Les Houches
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Where lessons start
This is where lessons in the Chamonix valley actually happen. Book here rather than at Grands Montets or Brévent unless you already ski well — an honest instructor will tell you the same.
Getting there
Geneva is about an hour, and the free valley bus and the train connect it to Chamonix in minutes.
Qualifications required in France
Teaching skiing or snowboarding for payment in France is a regulated profession: an instructor must hold the Professional card (diplôme d'État de ski). Instructors listed as certified on Alpine Pal have either sent theirs to us for review or are vouched for by the ski school that invited them.
Find instructors in FranceLes Houches: common questions
Should beginners in the Chamonix valley book lessons in Les Houches?
Yes — this is where the valley's lessons actually happen. It is lower, wooded and gentle, a world away from Grands Montets or Brévent, and it is where everyone goes when the high lifts are shut. An honest instructor will tell you the same.
How do I get from Chamonix to Les Houches?
The free valley bus and the train connect the two in minutes, so a car is unnecessary. From Geneva airport the drive is about an hour.
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