Trains have begun running to the Swiss resort of Zermatt, where more than 13,000 tourists have been trapped for two days because of heavy snow.
The local railway firm said services resumed on Wednesday evening after tracks had been cleared of snow.
The unusually heavy snowfall has caused havoc across the Alpine region, and led to several casualties.
Dramatic photos showed workers cutting through a 7m (22ft) wall of snow to clear a road in south-east France.
Taken by Alain Duclos, they showed the ice corridor reconnecting Bessans and Bonneval-sur-Arc in the Savoie region.
Mr Duclos said the area had been hit by a huge avalanche.
Image captionAn avalanche had isolated the 250 inhabitants of Bonneval-sur-Arc
Image captionWorkers cut through 250m of snow to reach the village, creating walls 4-7m high
Up to 1.8m (6ft) of snow fell in 36 hours in parts of Savoie, leading French forecasters to describe the snowfall as the kind that is only seen “once in every 30 years”.
It led to a number of avalanches and caused power cuts and road closures, disrupting transport services.
Skiing has not been possible with the avalanche risk level set at maximum for the first time in 10 years.
One skier was killed and another injured during an avalanche in the French Pyrenees. A British skier, John Bromell, remains unaccounted for after he was last seen on the slopes in the French Alpine resort of Tignes on Sunday.
