Avoriaz snow history

10 years of snow depth, snowfall and conditions at Haute-Savoie, France · 1800m to 2466m

Over the last 10 seasons Avoriaz, France has averaged 528cm of snowfall, a peak snow depth of 165cm, 9 powder days and 23 bluebird days a year, with skiable cover from around 5 December to 10 May.

Snow history & climate

10-year averages for Avoriaz

528 cm
Snowfall / season
Nov-May total
165 cm
Peak depth
typical season high
9
Powder days
15cm+ in a day
23
Bluebird days
sun after snow
47
Rain days
1mm+ of rain
162
Skiable days
30cm+ cover

Month by month

Monthly averages

Average snowfall, snow depth, rain, sunshine and day counts by month at Avoriaz, over the last 10 seasons.
MonthSnowfallAvg depthRainSun/dayTempPowderBluebirdRain days
Jan110 cm103 cm16 mm6.0 h-3° / -10°2.54.33.0
Feb75 cm130 cm17 mm7.1 h0° / -8°1.13.52.9
Mar89 cm136 cm19 mm8.4 h1° / -7°1.44.03.7
Apr48 cm105 cm35 mm10.2 h4° / -5°0.63.06.8
May28 cm32 cm128 mm10.5 h8° / -1°0.01.718.7
Jun0 cm1 cm139 mm12.4 h14° / 5°0.00.018.5
Jul0 cm0 cm124 mm12.9 h15° / 7°0.00.016.5
Aug0 cm0 cm119 mm11.6 h15° / 7°0.00.016.3
Sep8 cm0 cm118 mm9.5 h11° / 3°0.10.214.6
Oct17 cm1 cm110 mm7.8 h8° / 0°0.30.611.5
Nov69 cm16 cm52 mm6.0 h1° / -6°0.72.66.8
Dec110 cm64 cm40 mm5.4 h-1° / -8°2.34.24.8

Averages across the last 10 seasons. Powder, bluebird and rain columns are the average number of such days per month.

Season by season

SeasonSnowfallPeak depthPowder daysBluebird daysSkiable days
2025/26460 cm305 cm821180
2024/25454 cm140 cm1118150
2023/24604 cm125 cm722177
2022/23420 cm92 cm619145
2021/22497 cm133 cm922157
2020/21559 cm147 cm725172
2019/20573 cm200 cm931170
2018/19534 cm155 cm731170
2017/18best771 cm217 cm1632185
2016/17leanest412 cm137 cm612118
How these numbers are calculated
  • Powder day — at least 15cm of new snow in 24 hours.
  • Bluebird day — sunshine for at least 60% of daylight, following at least 10cm of snow over the previous 3 days.
  • Rain day — at least 1mm of rain (not snow) at this elevation.
  • Skiable day — at least 30cm of settled snow on the ground.
  • Snow depth is modelled from Open-Meteo / ERA5 reanalysis at 2133m, not measured at the resort. Use it to compare seasons and resorts; use the resort's own report for today's conditions.

How Avoriaz compares

Measured against 40 other resorts across 18 countries, each analysed exactly the same way. The line down the middle of each bar is the median.

Snowfall per season
well above average
528 cm
Ahead of 88% of resortsMedian 283 cm

Total new snow between November and May.

Peak snow depth
well above average
165 cm
Ahead of 85% of resortsMedian 84 cm

How deep the settled base gets at its yearly high.

Powder days
among the very best we track
9
Ahead of 95% of resortsMedian 2

Days with 15cm or more of new snow.

Bluebird days
among the very best we track
23
Ahead of 98% of resortsMedian 10

Sun and fresh snow on the same day.

Rain days
above average
47
Drier than 35% of resortsMedian 32

Days with 1mm or more of rain, not snow.

Skiable days
well above average
162
Ahead of 80% of resortsMedian 115

Days holding 30cm or more of settled snow.

The season at Avoriaz

Typical stretch holding 30cm or more of settled snow, averaged over the record.

SepOctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAug
Cover arrives
5 December
Season ends
10 May
Days of cover
158 days

When to go

These rarely land in the same month, so it is worth deciding which one matters most before you book.

Deepest base
March
136cm average depth
Most new snow
December
110cm and 2.3 powder days
Best bluebird odds
January
4.3 bluebird days, 6.0h sun a day
Wettest month
May
18.7 rain days

Is Avoriaz a good place to ski?

heavy snowfalla deep, reliable basefrequent powder daysplenty of bluebird daysa long season

On 10 years of record, Avoriaz stands out for heavy snowfall, a deep, reliable base, frequent powder days, plenty of bluebird days and a long season.

All of these figures come from 2133m, the mid-mountain height, and describe an average year rather than the one you are about to book. Snow depth here is modelled from reanalysis rather than measured on the hill, so treat it as a guide to how Avoriaz usually behaves, not as a forecast.

Avoriaz snow record in detail

How much snow does Avoriaz get?

Avoriaz averages 528cm of snowfall over a full season, measured from November to May across the last 10 winters. That is well above average: more snow than 88% of 40 resorts we have analysed the same way, where the median season brings 283cm.

Season to season the spread is wide. The best of the last 10 winters was 2017/18 with 771cm, and the leanest was 2016/17 with 412cm — a difference of 359cm between a good year and a poor one. The most recent complete season, 2025/26, delivered 460cm.

December is reliably the snowiest month, averaging 110cm and 12 days with fresh snow.

How deep does the snow get at Avoriaz?

Snowfall totals flatter resorts that lose their snow quickly, so the more useful number is how deep the settled base actually gets. At Avoriaz the snowpack peaks at an average of 165cm each season. That is well above average, deeper than 85% of 40 resorts we have analysed the same way, against a median peak of 84cm.

The base is deepest in March, averaging 136cm through the month and topping out around 160cm in a typical year.

How many powder days does Avoriaz get?

Counting any day that delivers at least 15cm of new snow, Avoriaz averages 9 powder days a season. That is among the very best we track, more powder days than 95% of 40 resorts we have analysed the same way, where the median is 2 a season.

Powder days are not spread evenly. December averages 2.3 of them, which is the single strongest argument for timing a trip around the middle of the season rather than the edges.

How often does Avoriaz get bluebird days?

A bluebird day means sunshine for at least 60% of daylight on the back of at least 10cm of snow in the previous 3 days — fresh snow and clear skies together, which is the combination people actually travel for. Avoriaz averages 23 of them a season. That is among the very best we track, more than 98% of 40 resorts we have analysed the same way, against a median of 10.

January is the best month for it, averaging 4.3 bluebird days and 6.0 hours of sunshine a day.

Does it rain at Avoriaz?

Rain is the thing that ruins a ski week, and at mid-mountain height Avoriaz sees an average of 47 days a season with at least 1mm of rain rather than snow. That is above average: 65% of the 40 other resorts we have analysed the same way see fewer wet days, against a median of 32.

May carries the most of it, with 18.7 rain days and 128mm in an average year. Bear in mind these figures are for the middle of the mountain: the base area will be wetter and the top drier.

When is the best time to ski Avoriaz, and when does the season end?

Avoriaz typically holds at least 30cm of settled snow from around 5 December through to 10 May, which works out at roughly 158 days of skiable cover in an average year. 162 of those fall inside the November to May season. On season length that is well above average compared with the 40 other resorts we have analysed the same way.

In practice that means the snow is usually gone, or going, by 10 May. Anyone booking late in the season should be looking at the highest terrain here rather than the base, and anyone booking early should expect the upper mountain to open before the valley runs do.

If you want the deepest base, go in March. If you want the best chance of fresh snow, go in December. If you want fresh snow and sunshine together, January gives the most bluebird days. Those rarely fall in the same month, so it is worth deciding which one matters most to you before you book.

Comparisons use 40 resorts across 18 countries, each measured over 5 recent seasons at mid-mountain height. Glaciated locations, where the model never melts the snow out, are excluded. Figures for Avoriaz are taken at 2133m. Corpus last rebuilt 2026-09-02.

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