Ski resort in Savoie, France

Méribel

Q: Does Méribel have snow at Christmas?

Méribel had at least 2.5 cm (1 in) of snow on the ground on Christmas Day in every one of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025 at mid-mountain. Fresh snow fell during 20 to 26 December in 9 of those years.

Q: Does Méribel have snow at New Year?

Méribel had at least 2.5 cm (1 in) of snow on the ground on New Year's Day in every one of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025 at mid-mountain. Fresh snow fell during 27 December to 2 January in 7 of those years.

Q: Does Méribel have snow in mid-February?

Méribel had at least 2.5 cm (1 in) of snow on the ground on 15 February in every one of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025 at mid-mountain. Fresh snow fell during 10 to 20 February in 9 of those years.

Q: Does Méribel have snow at Easter?

Méribel had at least 2.5 cm (1 in) of snow on the ground on Easter Sunday in every one of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025 at mid-mountain. Fresh snow fell during Good Friday to Easter Monday in 8 of those years.

Q: How many days a year does it snow in Méribel?

It snows on about 87 days a year in Méribel at mid-mountain, counting days with at least 1 cm of snowfall, averaged over 2016 to 2025. January has the most, about 13 days.

Q: What is the snowiest month in Méribel?

January is the snowiest month in Méribel, bringing about 19% of the year's snowfall at mid-mountain, based on ERA5 reanalysis data for 2016 to 2025.

Q: Which recent winter was the snowiest in Méribel?

Of the last ten winters in Méribel, 2017/18 was the snowiest, about 41% above the ten-year average. The leanest was 2016/17, about 28% below average.

Q: How cold does Méribel get in winter?

January is the coldest month in Méribel at mid-mountain, with average daily lows of −11 °C (12 °F) and highs of −3 °C (27 °F).

Q: How high is Méribel?

The village or lowest lift at Méribel is at 1,450 m (4,800 ft) and the top lift is at 2,952 m (9,700 ft), a vertical drop of 1,502 m (4,900 ft).

Q: When does the ski season start in Méribel?

The lifts at Méribel usually open in early December and close in mid-April. Exact dates change each year with the snow, so check the resort's own website before you book.

A resort in the central valley of Les 3 Vallées, with skiing up to Mont Vallon.

Méribel snow forecast at 2,952 m (top lift)

Out of season.

Forecasts for Méribel pause outside the snow season and start again in October. The lifts usually run from early December to mid-April. The snow record below shows when it usually snows here.

Where is Méribel?

Department: Savoie
Country: France
Mountains: Alps, Graian Alps
Area: Les 3 Vallées
Village: 1,450 m
Top lift: 2,952 m
Vertical: 1,502 m
Lifts: 43
Season: Early December to Mid-April
Airports: Geneva (GVA), Lyon Saint-Exupéry (LYS), Chambéry (CMF), Grenoble (GNB)
Official: Lifts open, Webcams, Piste map, Avalanche bulletin
Website: www.meribel.net

About Méribel

Méribel was founded in 1936 by the Scottish Major Peter Lindsay. It lies in the valley at the centre of Les 3 Vallées, which has 600 km of pistes, and Mont Vallon (2,952 m) is one of the highest points in Méribel reached by lifts.

The resort hosted ice hockey and women’s alpine skiing at the 1992 Winter Olympics, and co-hosted the 2023 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships with Courchevel.

The snow

Méribel occupies the central valley of the Trois Vallées, with villages between 1,400 m and 1,750 m and lifts to 2,952 m on Mont Vallon. Its slopes face east and west rather than north, so it gets more sun and holds snow a little less well than Courchevel across the ridge. In our record it snows on about 13 days a month at mid-mountain in December and January, and snow was on the ground every Christmas Day in the last ten years. Late in the season, the north-facing Courchevel and high Val Thorens sides are where the good snow is.

Who it suits

Intermediates who want to cover ground: from Méribel every part of the 600 km Trois Vallées is reachable in a day. Chalet-style architecture and a big British presence give it a particular character. Méribel-Mottaret, higher up the valley, is closer to the best snow.

Getting there

Geneva airport is about two and a half hours, with Chambéry, Lyon and Grenoble as alternatives. The train reaches Moûtiers, 18 km below.

When does it snow in Méribel?

In Méribel, snow falls on about 13 days in January in a typical year, the snowiest month. Snow is regular from September to May.

Average days per month with at least 1 cm of snowfall in Méribel at mid-mountain, 2016–2025
January	February	March	April	May	June	July	August	September	October	November	December
13 days	11 days	13 days	11 days	8 days	<1 days	0 days	<1 days	3 days	5 days	11 days	13 days

Average days each month with at least 1 cm of snowfall at mid-mountain, 2016–2025. Calculated from ERA5 reanalysis data.

Snow in Méribel month by month

Averages for 2016 to 2025 at mid-mountain, from ERA5 reanalysis data.

Average snow days, share of annual snowfall and temperature by month in Méribel, 2016 to 2025
Month	Snow days	Share of the year's snow	Low to high
January	13	19%	−11 to −3 °C (12 to 27 °F)
February	11	11%	−9 to −1 °C (16 to 30 °F)
March	13	15%	−8 to 0 °C (18 to 32 °F)
April	11	9%	−5 to 3 °C (23 to 37 °F)
May	8	8%	−1 to 7 °C (30 to 45 °F)
June	<1	0%	4 to 14 °C (39 to 57 °F)
July	0	0%	7 to 16 °C (45 to 61 °F)
August	<1	0%	6 to 16 °C (43 to 61 °F)
September	3	2%	3 to 12 °C (37 to 54 °F)
October	5	4%	−1 to 8 °C (30 to 46 °F)
November	11	13%	−7 to 1 °C (19 to 34 °F)
December	13	19%	−9 to −2 °C (16 to 28 °F)

Snow in Méribel in September

In September, Méribel gets snow on about 3 days at mid-mountain, and the month brings about 2% of the year's snowfall. Daily temperatures usually run from 3 to 12 °C (37 to 54 °F).

Snow in Méribel in October

In October, Méribel gets snow on about 5 days at mid-mountain, and the month brings about 4% of the year's snowfall. Daily temperatures usually run from −1 to 8 °C (30 to 46 °F).

Snow in Méribel in November

In November, Méribel gets snow on about 11 days at mid-mountain, and the month brings about 13% of the year's snowfall. Daily temperatures usually run from −7 to 1 °C (19 to 34 °F).

Snow in Méribel in December

In December, Méribel gets snow on about 13 days at mid-mountain, and the month brings about 19% of the year's snowfall. Daily temperatures usually run from −9 to −2 °C (16 to 28 °F).

Snow in Méribel in January

In January, Méribel gets snow on about 13 days at mid-mountain, and the month brings about 19% of the year's snowfall. Daily temperatures usually run from −11 to −3 °C (12 to 27 °F).

Snow in Méribel in February

In February, Méribel gets snow on about 11 days at mid-mountain, and the month brings about 11% of the year's snowfall. Daily temperatures usually run from −9 to −1 °C (16 to 30 °F).

Snow in Méribel in March

In March, Méribel gets snow on about 13 days at mid-mountain, and the month brings about 15% of the year's snowfall. Daily temperatures usually run from −8 to 0 °C (18 to 32 °F).

Snow in Méribel in April

In April, Méribel gets snow on about 11 days at mid-mountain, and the month brings about 9% of the year's snowfall. Daily temperatures usually run from −5 to 3 °C (23 to 37 °F).

Snow in Méribel in May

In May, Méribel gets snow on about 8 days at mid-mountain, and the month brings about 8% of the year's snowfall. Daily temperatures usually run from −1 to 7 °C (30 to 45 °F).

Which winters were snowiest in Méribel?

Of the last ten winters in Méribel, 2017/18 was the snowiest, about 41% above the ten-year average at mid-mountain. The leanest was 2016/17, about 28% below average. The biggest single day of snowfall in the record was 4 January 2018.

Snowfall in Méribel for each of the last ten winters, as a percentage of the ten-year average
Winter	Compared with average
2016/17		72% of average
2017/18		141% of average
2018/19		102% of average
2019/20		113% of average
2020/21		105% of average
2021/22		81% of average
2022/23		91% of average
2023/24		124% of average
2024/25		79% of average
2025/26		91% of average

Winters are compared with each other rather than given in centimetres. The ERA5 record is reliable on which winters were big and which were lean, but it underestimates absolute snowfall in the mountains, so the resort's own measured totals are the ones to trust for amounts.

Questions about snow in Méribel

Does Méribel have snow at Christmas?