Les Saisies snow history

10 years of snow depth, snowfall and conditions at Savoie, France · 1650m to 2040m

Over the last 10 seasons Les Saisies, France has averaged 450cm of snowfall, a peak snow depth of 160cm, 8 powder days and 19 bluebird days a year, with skiable cover from around 29 November to 11 May.

Snow history & climate

10-year averages for Les Saisies

450 cm
Snowfall / season
Nov-May total
160 cm
Peak depth
typical season high
8
Powder days
15cm+ in a day
19
Bluebird days
sun after snow
53
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 Les Saisies, over the last 10 seasons.
MonthSnowfallAvg depthRainSun/dayTempPowderBluebirdRain days
Jan97 cm101 cm26 mm6.0 h-1° / -10°1.84.23.8
Feb67 cm122 cm20 mm7.1 h2° / -8°1.22.83.1
Mar79 cm125 cm32 mm8.3 h3° / -7°1.43.26.2
Apr37 cm89 cm53 mm10.2 h7° / -4°0.22.18.9
May16 cm29 cm149 mm10.7 h10° / 0°0.01.119.0
Jun0 cm1 cm129 mm12.6 h16° / 5°0.00.017.3
Jul0 cm0 cm103 mm13.1 h18° / 7°0.00.013.5
Aug0 cm0 cm103 mm11.7 h18° / 7°0.00.013.1
Sep3 cm0 cm104 mm9.6 h13° / 3°0.00.013.8
Oct9 cm1 cm109 mm8.0 h10° / 0°0.00.411.6
Nov57 cm16 cm66 mm6.2 h3° / -6°0.62.17.2
Dec98 cm65 cm50 mm5.5 h0° / -8°2.33.45.0

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
2025/26426 cm175 cm817133
2024/25376 cm124 cm713154
2023/24456 cm135 cm423190
2022/23372 cm94 cm616148
2021/22396 cm146 cm519159
2020/21459 cm154 cm618172
2019/20495 cm221 cm1025176
2018/19448 cm178 cm620175
2017/18best711 cm229 cm1625176
2016/17leanest357 cm145 cm713135
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 1845m, not measured at the resort. Use it to compare seasons and resorts; use the resort's own report for today's conditions.

How Les Saisies 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
450 cm
Ahead of 85% of resortsMedian 283 cm

Total new snow between November and May.

Peak snow depth
well above average
160 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
8
Ahead of 90% of resortsMedian 2

Days with 15cm or more of new snow.

Bluebird days
well above average
19
Ahead of 85% of resortsMedian 10

Sun and fresh snow on the same day.

Rain days
well above average
53
Drier than 20% 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 Les Saisies

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

SepOctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAug
Cover arrives
29 November
Season ends
11 May
Days of cover
165 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
125cm average depth
Most new snow
December
98cm and 2.3 powder days
Best bluebird odds
January
4.2 bluebird days, 6.0h sun a day
Wettest month
May
19.0 rain days

Is Les Saisies a good place to ski?

heavy snowfalla deep, reliable basefrequent powder daysplenty of bluebird daysa long seasonit sees more rain than most

On 10 years of record, Les Saisies stands out for heavy snowfall, a deep, reliable base, frequent powder days, plenty of bluebird days and a long season. The trade-off is that it sees more rain than most.

All of these figures come from 1845m, 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 Les Saisies usually behaves, not as a forecast.

Les Saisies snow record in detail

How much snow does Les Saisies get?

Les Saisies averages 450cm of snowfall over a full season, measured from November to May across the last 10 winters. That is well above average: more snow than 85% 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 711cm, and the leanest was 2016/17 with 357cm — a difference of 354cm between a good year and a poor one. The most recent complete season, 2025/26, delivered 426cm.

December is reliably the snowiest month, averaging 98cm and 11 days with fresh snow.

How deep does the snow get at Les Saisies?

Snowfall totals flatter resorts that lose their snow quickly, so the more useful number is how deep the settled base actually gets. At Les Saisies the snowpack peaks at an average of 160cm 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 125cm through the month and topping out around 149cm in a typical year.

How many powder days does Les Saisies get?

Counting any day that delivers at least 15cm of new snow, Les Saisies averages 8 powder days a season. That is among the very best we track, more powder days than 90% 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 Les Saisies 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. Les Saisies averages 19 of them a season. That is well above average, more than 85% of 40 resorts we have analysed the same way, against a median of 10.

January is the best month for it, averaging 4.2 bluebird days and 6.0 hours of sunshine a day.

Does it rain at Les Saisies?

Rain is the thing that ruins a ski week, and at mid-mountain height Les Saisies sees an average of 53 days a season with at least 1mm of rain rather than snow. That is well above average: 80% 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 19.0 rain days and 149mm 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 Les Saisies, and when does the season end?

Les Saisies typically holds at least 30cm of settled snow from around 29 November through to 11 May, which works out at roughly 165 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 11 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 Les Saisies are taken at 1845m. Corpus last rebuilt 2026-09-02.

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