In January, Megève brings its horses out onto the snow. What it actually is, how to place yourself, and why it’s the best week to come without skiing.
There are things you don’t believe until you see them. Horses at full gallop on a groomed snow field, a thousand metres up, with the Mont Blanc massif behind, is one of them. It’s spectacular, it’s incongruous, and it’s one of the great fixtures of Megève’s winter.
Snow polo is played in late January, on a field laid out on the esplanade of the Palais des Sports, in the heart of the resort. The dates of the 2027 edition have not yet been published, they usually appear in the autumn, and I confirm them as soon as they do. The rules are adapted (a more visible ball, a shorter field, smaller teams) and the game is faster and more legible than on grass, which paradoxically makes it easier to follow for someone who knows nothing about it.
What happens around the field
Let’s be honest: a good share of the crowd isn’t there for the polo. It’s a social fixture as much as a sporting one: champagne at the edge of the field, lunches that stretch, and that very particular Megève atmosphere in January, when the village is full without being crowded.
That’s precisely why I recommend it. For a client who doesn’t ski, or skis little, this week offers a reason to be in the mountains that has nothing to do with the pistes. And for a family, seeing horses up close on the snow fills a whole afternoon without argument.
The other curiosity: golf on snow
In the same spirit, Megève turns its golf course into a winter course on snow: coloured balls, groomed greens, and a game that has little to do with summer golf but is enormously entertaining. It’s short, it’s unusual, and it makes a perfect morning between two days of skiing.
How I place this week
- January is already my favourite window in Megève: settled snow, empty pistes, sensible rates. These events simply add a reason to come.
- Access to the edge of the field is open to the public along part of the perimeter; hosted areas are bookable, and they book early.
- Dress to stand still outdoors for an hour and a half. It’s mistake number one: people dress as if to ski, when they won’t be moving. You need more.
- Village tables fill on those days like a holiday weekend. Book before you arrive.
- The exact dates change each year and are announced in the autumn, we confirm them before building the stay.
