Loi montagne

You can leave Moûtiers in mild plus four degree drizzle, and by the time you pass Les Menuires you are suddenly in the middle of a howling minus eight degree blizzard with zero visibility, snow drifting across the tarmac and sheet ice on every corner.

That extreme alpine climate is exactly why the French government introduced the Loi Montagne II, the Mountain Law.

And if you are planning on driving yourself up that road, you need to listen very carefully to this because the authorities do not mess around.

Yes Under the Loi Montagne, from the 1st of November to the 31st of March, it is a strict legal requirement in the Savoie department for every single vehicle to either have four proper winter tires fitted bearing the official three-peak mountain snowflake symbol, or you must have metal snow chains or textile snow socks in your boot ready to fit.

But on the French side, they'll happily rent you a car with standard summer tires and charge you a massive daily premium to add snow chains or winter tires as an extra.

And you absolutely must have them because of the French Loi Montagne 2, the Mountain Law.

Yes, the Loi Montagne is serious business now.

From the 1st of November to the end of March, it is a legal requirement in the French Alps to either have four proper winter tires fitted, and they have to have the official three-peak mountain snowflake symbol on them, or you must have snow chains or snow socks in your boot ready to go.

If the police stop you without them, it's 135 euro fine.

But the real kicker with the Loi Montagne is your insurance.

If you have an accident on a snowy mountain road and the insurance company discovers you weren't carrying chains or driving on winter tires, they can legally void your entire claim.

You could be left with a bill for tens of thousands of euros for a damaged hire car.