I'm looking at hiring a car to do a DIY airport transfer next weekend. Had a quick look online and seems to suggest the roads are kept clear of snow. Anyone seen how they maintain the roads in winter?

Cheers

Roads are kept well ploughed if snowing generally.

all rental cars come with snow tires as mandatory (and most have a pair of chains in the boot) the rental company likes to put this little extra on your bill.

you will be fine

I've done it loads of times. They talk you round to 4wd and snow chains but all their cars come with snow tyres in winter.

to be honest, I'm quite happy to be given a 4wd golf or something when I go now. On the way up there it's nothing but if I need to drive around town or nip across to another resort to see friends, that's when the 4wd earns its money. Obviously the weather conditions vary but out of 4 years of drivnig up there from geneva, I've been glad I've had 4wd and snow tyres for three of them and the extra cost is pretty small.

Alright I was an airport transfer driver out there for a season regulary doing the Geneva Morzine run. You should have no problem getting up the roads if it hasn't snowed recently as they grit and clear them quickly. However, the Gendarme do make random stops if it does snow and they WILL stop you carrying on up the road if yout dont have chains. No persuasion!!!!!!

Best thing to do is to hire them if you hire a car, make sure you get a demo of how to put them on if you have never used them before. They are seriously painful to put on! Especially if your trying to figure them out in -10 with no gloves and a some French cop bollocking you!!!!

Good luck!

aye, as long as it don't snow you can do it in any car. snow chains as a precautionary essential however!

chains aren't that hard to put on – once you've been shown and had a go or two in the dry.

that is a road well travelled and as such, generally not an issue to drive up, but yes, chains are an "essential".

also, if you are planning to drive the next day and snow is forecast overnight, put the chains on before the snow comes. saves a crap load of time and effort, and only a 5 min job to get them off if not needed, rather than digging the snow out, trying to get them on when not easy etc

Airport transfer- your paying for a car thats sat doing nowt and a local driver will know the road better than you as he'll be driving up and down the same stretch?

Thanks for the advice. 4wd seems to be an expensive option, don't think being under 25 helps.

Hora, I know the road well, I've driven the route in the summer many times. I'm only going for two and abit days, the cost of a hire car is going to be cheaper than a transfer.

We drove from Les Gets to Avoriaz. Mandatory snow chains with police stops checking everything going up.

The weather was horrendous and although winter tyres are great, you never know when you'll need chains. As above, try fitting them in a carpark – i.ee brfore you need them just to get the hang of it. You don't need 4wd.

We drove from Les Gets to Avoriaz.

Hmmm I'd have driven to Ardent or SuperMorzine and take the gondola up.

Only time we've needed chains is in Les Gets itself getting up from main road to the chalet. Even then we had to take a slight detour from the usual route to save having to do a "floor it up a 1 in 4 hill with a sharp 90deg at the top".

Although I have heard that the gendarmes do stop cars on the Les Gets – Morzine section if it's just dumped and they forgot to get the snow plough out.

done geneva to chamonix a couple of times with easy rent-a-car. cheap and easy. give yourself extra time to get the car back (eating, traffic, getting lost etc) as if you're late they start charging, we cut our first trip a bit tight, had about 30 seconds to spare ❗

4wd not really necessary – you'll see out there many locals will drive low powered FWD cars (fiat pandas are a favourite) with skinny tyres.

That said, roads rarely so bad that you can't get thorugh with snow chains.

I'd rent one of the cheaper cars as they are more likely to have skinny tyres and not too much power.

Take a few pairs of latex mechanics gloves. Put on a couple of pairs before you fit teh chains. The grit and salt makes the front end pretty mucky. If you can , take a decent torch too , as putting on chains , in the dark , in the snow , without a torch is tricky and time consuming. I had to do it in Petersfeild last month, something I never thought i would ever have to do