It’s that time of year when the ⛸ seasonal ice-skating rinks begin to appear in town centres throughout the 🏔 Pays du Mont-Blanc . . . a lovely way to spend some time en famille . . . 

Sometimes, next to the ice-skating rink, you might find yourself rewarded with 🥃 a vin chaud stand or a small 🎄 Christmas market!

Some of these ⛸ seasonal ice-skating rinks will be open for the whole winter, from December until March, some just for the Christmas holiday season.

[ note: the opening dates and hours of these ⛸ ephemeral ice-skating rinks are subject to change – 🌧 weather, 🧊 quality of the ice, etc . . . please do check before heading there ! ]

[ ⇒ for more information about the 🏔 Pays du Mont-Blanc indoor ice-skating rinks, see separate MBFF article here ]

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Colour code for listings:

Pays du Mont-Blanc

Chamonix Valley (Chamonix, Argentière, Les Houches & Servoz) and Vallorcine

Passy & environs

Sallanches, Combloux, Cordon & Domancy

Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, Le Fayet, Saint-Nicolas de Vérone & environs

Megève, Praz-sur-Arly & environs

Les Contamines-Montjoie & environs

🇫🇷 Further France 

🇨🇭 Switzerland 

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What to WEAR . . . 

• ✅ it is a good idea to dress very small skaters in their ❄ WINTER SKI SUITS, in order to keep them warm and water-proofed (in case or when they fall!);
• ✅ GLOVES – very important to avoid a skate injuring the hand, and to keep hands warm and dry!
• ✅ HELMET for little ones;

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AU PAYS du MONT-BLANC & CHAMONIX VALLEY

Stade Olympique (Chamonix)

[ NOT currently open ]

The stade olympique’s ⛸ anneau de vitesse (a reminder of Chamonix’s 1924 Winter Olympics!) sometimes opens for ice-skating (weather dependent) over the winter season!

Located in front of the indoor ice skating rink, it has FREE access every day from 14h to 17h30 (in maintenance in the morning). You can take your own skates, or rent them at the rink (indoors).

website

Patinoire des Houches (Les Houches)

Located in the heart of Les Houches village, next to the Tourchet pistes, this is ⛸ an outdoor ice-skating rink with a stunning view! It measures 26m x 56m. It used to be entirely natural, though these days it is artificial!

🗓 FRIDAYS during the holidays: « Nocturnes Givrées » – FREE ice skating from 20h to 22h;

💶 price & opening dates: see website;

good to know: during the warmer months, it is used for roller-blading and roller-skating . . .

🅿️ parking: Le Tourchet / Olca – bus stop: Le Tourchet / La Griaz – train stop: Gare des Houches;

website

address: (next to the Le Tourchet pistes) 25 avenue des Alpages, 74310, Les Houches

Résidence & Spa Vallorcine (Vallorcine)

Non–residents can also skate here for an entrance fee . . .

address: 44 route des Confins du Valais, 74660, Vallorcine

Patinoire de La Grenette (Sallanches)

[ note: open for the Christmas holidays, for the month of December ]

The ice-skating rink sets up in the old grain market – La Grenette. In the evenings and on December weekends, you’ll find a small and festive Christmas market here: mulled wine, pretzels, concerts . . .

🅿️ parking: La Frasse car park opposite (FREE) or paying underground car park, or Sallanches parking spots;

address: La Grenette, 74700, Sallanches

Patinoire de plein air de Megève (Megève)

We experienced ⛸ Megève’s outdoor 1600 m² ice-skating rink for the first time just before Christmas a few years ago. Our then 6–year old elder son had a great time; he could have kept going for hours, and we eventually had to drag him away to pick up his younger brother from crèche!

🗓 price & opening hours: see website;

🅿️ parking: Le Casino (paying);

website

address: place de la Résistance, 74120, Megève

Patinoire Jean-Christophe Simond (Contamines-Montjoie)

Located near the centre of Les Contamines-Montjoie, in Les Loyers, you can skate at this semi-natural outdoor ice-skating rink (1400m2) with views of 🏔 les Dômes de Miage! / 🌠 themed events and nocturnes during the holidays;

💶 price & opening dates: see website;

NEW since 2019 – a new playground and pumptrack (when not covered in snow!). Also new is the hut, so that you can put on your skates in comfort and warmth!

🅿️ parking: centre of town OR car park at junction of route de Notre Dame de la Gorge and route de Nant Fandraz;

website

address: route de Notre Dame de la Gorge, Les Contamines-Montjoie / tel: +33 (0)4 50 47 06 23

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🇨🇭🇫🇷 FURTHER AFIELD SWITZERLAND and FRANCE NATURAL ICE-SKATING

None of the accessible 💦 LAKES au Pays du Mont-Blanc freeze over solidly enough to allow for ⛸ ice-skating fun au nature during the winter months . . .

However, look at these fabulous photos of skaters a couple of years ago up at Lac des Cheserys (Tristan Shu Photography). I’ve also seen some photos of skaters up at the Lac d’Anterne!

[ disclaimer: you should NOT attempt to skate on an outdoor lake, unless you are with professionals! / the ice could easily break if not thick enough! ]

If ice-skating on a natural lake is something you would like to try out, then website Loisir.ch has a detailed list of some of the offerings of 🇨🇭 lake skating in Switzerland (among other artificial ice-skating rinks); see « Où patiner en Suisse Romande? » for more details: Lac de Joux (VD); Lac des Taillères (NE); Lac Noir, Schwarzsee (FR);

At nearby 🇨🇭 Lac de Champex (Champex-Lac, VS), when weather permits, the lake ❄️ freezes for ice skating . . . and there is an artificial rink too! It is nicknamed “ petit Canada ” / dimensions: 70m x 150m;

website

address: 1938 Champex-Lac / tel: +41 (0)27 775 23 83

In the 🇫🇷 French Jura mountains, several lakes ❄️ freeze over for skating, at the ⛷ ski station Les Rousses for example! / ⇒ see here for more information;

⛸ Happy and Safe Skating! ⛸