Best ski resorts in January for sunshine & bluebird

Ranked on what actually fell, not on marketing copy. Chamonix comes out on top for sunshine and bluebird days in January: 5.8 bluebird days and 6.3 hours of sun a day.

  1. 1

    Chamonix

    Haute-Savoie, France · 3,396ft – 12,605ft

    100
    match score

    Chamonix in January: 5.8 bluebird days and 6.3 hours of sun a day.

    Bluebird days
    5.8 in January
    Sunshine
    6.3h a day
    Rain days
    0.4 in the month
    Snow history9 off-piste zones
  2. 2

    Courchevel

    Savoie, France · 3,609ft – 8,983ft

    92
    match score

    Courchevel in January: 5.1 bluebird days and 6.2 hours of sun a day.

    Bluebird days
    5.1 in January
    Sunshine
    6.2h a day
    Rain days
    0.9 in the month
    Snow history5 off-piste zones
  3. 3

    Méribel

    Savoie, France · 3,609ft – 9,685ft

    91
    match score

    Méribel in January: 4.7 bluebird days and 6.2 hours of sun a day.

    Bluebird days
    4.7 in January
    Sunshine
    6.2h a day
    Rain days
    0.3 in the month
    Snow history5 off-piste zones
  4. 4

    Verbier

    Valais, Switzerland · 4,921ft – 10,925ft

    88
    match score

    Verbier in January: 4.3 bluebird days and 6.2 hours of sun a day.

    Bluebird days
    4.3 in January
    Sunshine
    6.2h a day
    Rain days
    0.1 in the month
    Snow history8 off-piste zones
  5. 5

    Val Thorens

    Savoie, France · 7,546ft – 10,597ft

    88
    match score

    Val Thorens in January: 4.4 bluebird days and 6.1 hours of sun a day.

    Bluebird days
    4.4 in January
    Sunshine
    6.1h a day
    Rain days
    0.3 in the month
    Snow history4 off-piste zones
  6. 6

    Alpe d'Huez

    Isère, France · 3,609ft – 10,925ft

    87
    match score

    Alpe d'Huez in January: 4.3 bluebird days and 6.3 hours of sun a day.

    Bluebird days
    4.3 in January
    Sunshine
    6.3h a day
    Rain days
    0.5 in the month
    Snow history3 off-piste zones
  7. 7

    Les Deux Alpes

    Isère, France · 4,265ft – 11,811ft

    87
    match score

    Les Deux Alpes in January: 4.3 bluebird days and 6.3 hours of sun a day.

    Bluebird days
    4.3 in January
    Sunshine
    6.3h a day
    Rain days
    0.5 in the month
    Snow history4 off-piste zones
  8. 8

    La Plagne

    Savoie, France · 4,101ft – 10,663ft

    87
    match score

    La Plagne in January: 4.3 bluebird days and 6.3 hours of sun a day.

    Bluebird days
    4.3 in January
    Sunshine
    6.3h a day
    Rain days
    0.6 in the month
    Snow history5 off-piste zones
  9. 9

    Mürren

    Bern, Switzerland · 5,413ft – 9,744ft

    86
    match score

    Mürren in January: 4.4 bluebird days and 6 hours of sun a day.

    Bluebird days
    4.4 in January
    Sunshine
    6h a day
    Rain days
    0.6 in the month
    Snow history
  10. 10

    Serre Chevalier

    Hautes-Alpes, France · 3,937ft – 9,186ft

    85
    match score

    Serre Chevalier in January: 3.8 bluebird days and 6.7 hours of sun a day.

    Bluebird days
    3.8 in January
    Sunshine
    6.7h a day
    Rain days
    0.4 in the month
    Snow history

Other months and trip styles

Sunshine & bluebird in another month

NovemberDecemberFebruaryMarchApril

A different kind of trip in January

Powder & backcountryFamilyAprès & nightlifeSnow-sureFirst-timers

How this ranking is built

Bluebird days and sunshine hours in your month, penalised for rain.

Snow figures come from the same ten-year ERA5 record shown on each resort's snow history page, measured at mid-mountain height. Terrain splits come from each resort's own trail breakdown. Scores are relative to the other resorts searched, not absolute quality marks.

We ranked 48 resorts with a full climate record, out of 253 on the site, against a benchmark of 40 resorts across 18 countries. A resort without a record is left out rather than guessed at. Search it yourself.