Marie-Lan Nguyen · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Highest mountain of the Massif Central in France
Puy de Sancy is a volcano in the Massif Central (France). Its summit stands 1,885 m above sea level. Its prominence — how far it rises above the highest saddle linking it to a taller summit — is 1,578 m, and the nearest higher ground is 221 km away.
From the lowest point within 5 km (1,047 m), it rises 838 m. The steepest side is the south-west face: 25° on average over the first kilometre. In places the ground near the top reaches 44° — terrain for climbers, not walkers.
The nearest town is Mont-Dore, 5 km away at 1,031 m: 854 m below the summit.
Scores
Two scores out of 10, built only from open data — every part is shown. They describe what the mountain offers, not how safe it is.
Hiking & mountaineering
8.0/10
Difficulty to the top
Hike
Most path sections around the top are T1 on the SAC hiking scale.
Indicative only — never a safety assessment. Conditions change: ask local guides and check the forecast.
Ski score
7.6/10
Runs by difficulty
Snow season on the slopes (estimate)
Around 1,531 m, in the middle of the ski area: snow from November to April.
45 lifts · 152 km cross-country
Ski (where OpenStreetMap has skiing within 12 km): up to 4 points for the length of downhill runs (300 km or more = 4), 1.5 for the number of lifts (40+), 1.5 for the vertical between lift stations (1,500 m) and 3 for the snow season — a month counts when the estimated mean temperature at the height of the ski area is −1 °C or lower and snow falls or lies there (NASA POWER, 2001–2020). Hiking & mountaineering: up to 2.5 for waymarked routes and paths, 1.5 for huts, 2 for the ascent from the valley (2,000 m), 1.5 for prominence (3,000 m), 1.5 for the season (months with summit afternoons above −5 °C) and 1 for via ferratas, climbing and glaciers. OpenStreetMap is built by volunteers: where few things are mapped, a score can be lower than reality.
Plan your visit
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
Snow
At the summit, snow from November to May. Month by month below, at different heights on the way up.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Summit1,885 msnow from November to May | Snow on the ground all month | Snow on the ground all month | Snow on the ground all month | Snow on the ground all month | Snow on the ground all month | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | Snow on the ground all month | Snow on the ground all month |
Halfway up1,458 msnow from December to April (some years from November to April) | Snow on the ground all month | Snow on the ground all month | Snow on the ground all month | Snow on the ground all month | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | Snow some of the time | Snow on the ground all month |
Mont-Dore1,031 msnow from December to March | Snow on the ground all month | Snow on the ground all month | Snow on the ground all month | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | Snow on the ground all month |
Estimate for a normal year: average temperature and precipitation from NASA POWER, carried to each height, in a simple model of snow building up and melting. In a given year snow can come earlier or stay longer. It does not replace the local snow and avalanche bulletin.
Summit weather
Not a forecast: long-term averages (1991–2020), carried up to the summit. The orange line is where an average afternoon reaches 0 °C; above the dashed blue line it freezes even at dawn.
On an average July afternoon the summit reaches about 17 °C; on February nights it falls to about -10 °C. In 3 months of the year it stays below freezing at the top even in the afternoon. In July the 0 °C line climbs to about 4,510 m, above the summit: the top thaws on an average afternoon. Across the region, February is the driest month (38 mm) and May the wettest (83 mm).
| Month | Summit high °C | Summit low °C | Mont-Dore high °C | 0 °C line (m) | Rain & snow (mm) | Wet days | Sun h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | -3 | -10 | 2 | 1,360 | 50 | 12 | 2.7 |
| February | -2 | -10 | 3 | 1,490 | 38 | 10 | 4.2 |
| March | 2 | -8 | 7 | 2,140 | 50 | 11 | 5.5 |
| April | 6 | -4 | 11 | 2,770 | 67 | 13 | 6.2 |
| May | 10 | -1 | 15 | 3,360 | 83 | 14 | 6.8 |
| June | 14 | 3 | 20 | 4,090 | 72 | 13 | 8.6 |
| July | 17 | 5 | 23 | 4,510 | 68 | 11 | 9.0 |
| August | 17 | 5 | 22 | 4,490 | 72 | 10 | 8.1 |
| September | 12 | 1 | 18 | 3,800 | 61 | 10 | 6.9 |
| October | 8 | -2 | 13 | 3,050 | 70 | 12 | 4.8 |
| November | 1 | -6 | 7 | 2,060 | 69 | 14 | 3.1 |
| December | -3 | -9 | 3 | 1,460 | 55 | 12 | 2.6 |
Estimate: the NASA POWER climate of a ~55 km cell (average height 818 m), adjusted to the summit by −6.5 °C per 1,000 m. Rain, wet days and sunshine are those of the region. Mountain weather changes fast — always check a local forecast. ★ = mildest months at the top.
Relief
Two cuts through the summit, 16 km long, from the 30 m Copernicus elevation model. Heights drawn 3× taller than lengths, so the shape can be seen.
Average slope of the first kilometre from the summit. The orange petal is the steepest side.
Around the mountain
Counted around the summit in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. The satellite plate shows 14 × 14 km.
N
5 km
Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 14 × 14 km, north up. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.
A lift reaches Sancy at 1,342 m — just 543 m below the summit.
Buron du Col (1,401 m), Refuge de Merdençon (1,322 m), Le Buron de la Croix Saint-Robert (1,324 m), Chalet du Sancy (1,275 m) and 1 more
Plaine des Moutons, Falaise, Perdrix, Perce Neige and 6 more
Chastreix, Pertuyzat-Montchal, Super Besse, Chastreix-Sancy and 1 more
Ballade autour du Pavin, La Couze de Surains, Circuit La Roche De Vendeix, Tour des volcans et lacs d'Auvergne and 15 more
Via Ferrata du Capucin, Via Ferrata du Capucin: Variante Facile, Via Ferrata du Capucin: Variante Très Difficile
Site d'escalade en falaise, Site d'escalade du Lac Pavin secteur de gauche, Site d'escalade en falaise, Site d'escalade du lac Pavin secteur de droite, Aiguille du Moine, Parcours Xtrem aventure de la biche and 4 more
Puy Ferrand, Puy de Cliergue, Cascade de la Barthe, Estive Bessarde and 40 more
Camping-car park Picherande, Aire de bivouac de Chambon-sur-Lac, Aire de pique-nique autorisé / feux interdits, Aire de Bivouac de Picherande and 28 more
La Marmotte du Sancy, Central hotel, Hôtel Bellevue, Auberge des Mancelles and 156 more
47 path sections within 5 km, by SAC hiking scale (T1 easy walk … T6 difficult alpine).
OpenStreetMap is built by volunteers: a low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet. Places © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Recent years
Afternoon high at the summit (estimate). The first row is the reference, the 1991–2020 average in °C; the years show only the difference.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991–2020 average | -3 | -2 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 12 | 8 | 1 | -3 |
| 2020 | +2.3 | +4.1 | +1.0 | +3.1 | +1.9 | −2.2 | +1.2 | +2.1 | +1.8 | −2.8 | +2.8 | +0.2 |
| 2021 | −2.0 | +3.8 | +0.6 | −1.1 | −2.3 | +0.3 | −2.2 | −1.5 | +1.5 | −0.4 | −2.1 | +1.1 |
| 2022 | +0.1 | +2.4 | +2.0 | +0.2 | +4.2 | +3.4 | +3.2 | +3.2 | +0.6 | +5.0 | +2.3 | +1.1 |
| 2023 | −0.1 | +1.9 | +1.5 | −0.7 | −0.4 | +1.7 | +1.6 | +2.5 | +6.2 | +4.6 | +0.1 | +1.8 |
| 2024 | +1.7 | +3.7 | +1.7 | −0.4 | −1.3 | −1.4 | +0.1 | +2.0 | −2.6 | +1.6 | +2.5 | +0.9 |
| 2025 | +1.8 | +2.8 | +0.7 | +1.9 | +1.8 | +5.7 | +1.8 | +3.9 | +0.2 | +0.8 | +0.9 | +2.7 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Nearby
| Names, elevation, prominence | Wikidata (Q778597) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Relief, 3D view, profiles | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Climate | NASA POWER, 1991–2020 · CC BY 4.0 |
| Around the mountain | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, month by month, in seven languages.
beaches
Find your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit 
lakes
Every lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Coming soonVisit 
mountains
Every summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.You are here
waterfalls
Every waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Coming soonVisit 
islands
Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Coming soonVisit 
rivers
Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Coming soonVisit 
