Last Season's Weather in La Giettaz
Wondering what to expect? Here is what last winter and last summer were really like at the chalet's altitude: a very snowy winter and a record hot summer, compared with a normal year.
The figures below are for La Giettaz at 1,200 m, the chalet’s altitude. They come from a historical weather archive rather than a station at the chalet, so treat them as a good picture of each month rather than exact readings. Each month is compared with the average of the previous 30 years.
Winter 2025-26
A very snowy winter at the chalet’s altitude. At the Météo-France station in La Giettaz (1,217 m), the snow on the ground reached 163 cm on 23 February, the deepest since winter 2018-19; in an average winter it peaks at about 126 cm. From mid-January to the end of the season there was never less than 88 cm.
It didn’t start that way. After heavy snow at the end of November, December was very dry and mild, with about 45 cm on the ground at Christmas, a normal amount for the time of year. The only real cold spell came around New Year, with the coldest night at −12 °C on 6 January. Then a storm on 7–9 January added more than 60 cm of fresh snow, and more storms followed from late January: France had its wettest February since 1959, Savoie was put on red avalanche alert on 12 February, and Storm Pedro brought another 15–20 cm above 1,200 m on 19 February. In mid-March there was still about 125 cm of snow at the chalet’s altitude, almost 50 cm more than usual. April was warm, sunny and dry.
Snowy, but not cold: Météo-France ranked it the 4th warmest winter in France since 1900, and daytime highs at La Giettaz were above average every month. Sources: Météo-France winter review, Storm Pedro.
Measured at the Météo-France station in La Giettaz (1,217 m), read every day by the ski area during the season. The average covers the 10 winters with full records (2009–2025). Source: Météo-France (Licence Ouverte).
Temperatures and sunshine, month by month
2025-2026 at La Giettaz (1,200 m), month by month. Under each figure: the average of the previous 30 years (1995–2025).
| Month | Daytime high | Night low | Sunshine |
|---|---|---|---|
| December | 6.3 °Cusually 1.9 | -3.3 °Cusually -6.9 | 200 husually 174 |
| January | 1.8 °Cusually 1.4 | -7.5 °Cusually -7.8 | 189 husually 187 |
| February | 4.7 °Cusually 3.1 | -4.2 °Cusually -6.8 | 162 husually 207 |
| March | 6.8 °Cusually 6.3 | -4.6 °Cusually -3.9 | 282 husually 272 |
| April | 14.4 °Cusually 9.6 | 1.4 °Cusually -0.6 | 345 husually 305 |
Temperatures, rain and sunshine are modelled for La Giettaz at 1,200 m, from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive (CC BY 4.0). Rainy days: at least 1 mm of rain.
Summer 2026
Summer 2026 was the hottest in France since records began in 1900, with three heatwaves: 17–30 June, 4–19 July and 28 July–19 August. At La Giettaz, daytime highs averaged 23 °C from June to September, against 19 °C in an average summer, and 53 days reached 25 °C or more, against about 10 normally. It was also very sunny and very dry: 262 mm of rain against 486 mm on average, and on 5 August the Val d’Arly was put on drought alert. September stayed warm and dry too.
The altitude still made a real difference. The hottest afternoon at the chalet’s altitude reached about 30 °C (30.4 °C on 3 August), and nights averaged 12 °C, cool enough to sleep well while the cities and valleys sweltered.
Sources: Météo-France summer review, Préfecture de la Savoie.
2026 at La Giettaz (1,200 m), month by month. Under each figure: the average of the previous 30 years (1996–2025).
| Month | Daytime high | Night low | Rain | Rainy days | Sunshine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June | 22.5 °Cusually 18.6 | 11.0 °Cusually 8.3 | 80 mmusually 135 | 12usually 16 | 409 husually 361 |
| July | 25.4 °Cusually 20.3 | 13.1 °Cusually 10.2 | 51 mmusually 129 | 9usually 15 | 445 husually 386 |
| August | 24.8 °Cusually 20.4 | 13.4 °Cusually 10.2 | 95 mmusually 119 | 18usually 13 | 394 husually 349 |
| September | 20.9 °Cusually 16.5 | 9.2 °Cusually 6.6 | 36 mmusually 103 | 4usually 12 | 335 husually 290 |
Temperatures, rain and sunshine are modelled for La Giettaz at 1,200 m, from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive (CC BY 4.0). Rainy days: at least 1 mm of rain.
What this means for your stay
- Winter: at the chalet’s altitude the snow is usually at its best from mid-January to mid-March; last winter there was never less than 88 cm on the ground in that period. If you are coming in December, La Clusaz’s higher slopes, up to 2,600 m, are 15 minutes away. See our ski season guide.
- Summer: expect warm, sunny days and cool nights. Even in the hottest summer on record, the chalet’s altitude stayed around 30 °C at most, so La Giettaz is a good escape from the heat. Start long walks early and pack a warm layer for the evenings and the summits.