France
Ski France
Forget frogs, snails, berets, perfume, and the Eiffel Tower. France should be renowned for the fabulous skiing instead! OK the French didn’t pioneer skiing, but they’ve sure taken it on with grand enthusiasm.
With nearly 200 ski resorts in France, it’s surprising that this many can exist in one country without going broke. This speaks volumes for the popularity of skiing amongst the French as well as the Brits and other international holiday makers.
Many of the France ski resorts are massive and are accessed via super sophisticated lift infrastructure. Increasingly, French ski resorts, like other ski areas in Europe are becoming lift, piste and ticket interconnected with each other, making the skiable terrain even bigger.
Snow quality in the French Alps resorts is general very good. Much of the skiing in France is at high altitude, which contributes to improved snow conditions and long seasons. Ski areas near the soaring Mont Blanc on the French-Italian border, as well as the high peaks of the Tarentaise are known for being very snow sure.
Ski resorts in France are in three main areas to the country’s SW. The French Alps stretching from Switzerland near Lake Geneva down the coast near Nice has the lion’s share of the ski resorts. The Pyrenees on the border with Spain and Andorra and the Massif Central (between the Alps and the Pyrenees) are the other two main areas.
French Alps Ski Resorts
The French Alps that border Switzerland and Italy offer some of the most extensive skiing opportunities in Europe, and are home to the most well-known and largest ski resorts in France and the world.
Les Trois Vallées (the 3 Valleys), incorporates an immense area lift and piste interlinked ski resorts including
Val Thorens, the upscale
Courchevel ski resort, the party scene of
Meribel plus the high altitude Orelle (so it should be called 4 Vallees, but the Swiss have scored that name for the Verbier area!). The 3 Vallees has a combined 600km of ski runs. Wonder how long it takes to do them all? The Powderhounds will try and find out.
Chamonix at the foot of Mont Blanc is synonymous with superb off-piste and extreme skiing. It is really a collection of disparate ski resorts rather than one large interlinked ski area, yet contrary to popular belief, Chamonix is just as good for intermediate skiers as it is for experts. The impressive resort of Megève is also nearby.
To the north of Chamonix, very close to Geneva, is the Portes du Soleil ski area. This huge ski resort is a combination of 8 smaller French ski resorts including Morzine and Avoriaz, plus several Swiss ski resorts including Morgins and Champery. Portes du Soleil is the closest major ski destination to the UK, so it might be a tad popular! Due to its location, it can get huge dumps of snow in a good year. Another nearby snow magnet is the extensive and less known Flaine and Samoens interlinked ski area, the Grand Massif. To give a sense of the size of the resort, Le Grand Massif has a piste trail that runs over 1700m vertical - gobsmacking for a ski area most people in the world have never heard of.!
South of Chamonix several mega sized interconnected ski resorts exist in the area broadly described as the Tarentaise. Now just known as Tignes-Val d’Isere, the ski area formerly known as Espace Killy links the resorts of
Tignes and
Val d'Isère. High mountain off piste skiing, glacier skiing and hundreds of kilometres of well-groomed piste, Tignes is perfect for intermediates whilst Val d’Isere is ritzy and frequented by the rich and famous. Heliskiing is also available in Tignes.
The Paradiski area is another huge Tarentaise ski resort interlinking La Plagne and Les Arcs with 8 other smaller resorts .
In the southern Alps, the huge resorts of Alpe d’Huez, Les Duex Alpes, Le Grave and
Serre Chevalier dominate. Another cluster of smaller ski resorts (remember previous definition of small!) are in the mountains further south toward Marseille. The largest of them is Risoul-Vars and whilst you haven’t heard of it, rest assured the ski resort is bigger than most – go figure!
French ski resorts with international links include
La Rosiere (linked with
La Thuile in Italy – Espace San Bernardo),
Montgenevre (linked with
Oulx and
Sestriere in Italy -
Via Lattea) and of course Portes du Soleil.
An incredible number of smaller ski resorts abound in French Alps. Smaller being a relative term in that it might best refer to the size of a resort’s reputation as opposed to its size. Valfrejus, Bonneval, La Norma, Sainte Foy, Sybelles and Galibier Thabor, plus a host of others, provide ample alternatives to the mega resorts. On a powder day, these resorts are equal to or better in terms of skiing and snowboarding quality.
Pyrenees Ski Resorts
There are plenty of ski resorts in the Pyrenees, including Ax, Saint Lary and Peyragudes. Some of these ski resorts are relatively unknown to non-Europeans, however the intrepid skiers and snowboarders from the UK have usually staked a claim in them at some point. Pyrenees resorts tend to be smaller, less developed, less crowded and less expensive than those in the Alps.
Massif Central Ski Resorts
Over 30 ski resorts are in the volcanic mountainous region known as the Massif Central in France. All have summits lower than 1900m elevation, but skiable vertical is still over 700m in some resorts. The larger Massif Central ski resorts have up to 60 piste trails and include Super Besse, Le Lioran and Le Mont Dore.
Summer Skiing and Snowboarding in France
Summer skiing is available in France at 3 ski resorts.
Tignes,
Val D’Isere and Les Deux Alpes provide glacier based skiing in summer. Tignes has the highest and most extensive variety of terrain (including advanced runs) and lifts available in France on the Grand Motte glacier. Val d’Isere has at least 6 easy and intermediate trails on the Glacier du Pissaillis open during summer. Les Deux Alpes has a small number of easy and intermediate trails but also an impressive terrain park operating for the summer season.
Skiing in France - Characteristics
Some of the older French ski resorts have a town or associated villages. These traditional towns have evolved into ski towns and they continue to ooze rustic charm. Examples include the charming
Chamonix or the chalet prolific
Meribel. However, many of the French ski resorts were purpose built at a time when the architectural style hasn’t quite stood the test of time. They may lack quaintness and the traditional European look, but they possess advantages such as the convenience of ski-in ski-out accommodation, self-contained apartments and a generally at higher resort base altitude.
As a rule, many of the French ski resorts are incredibly busy over the Christmas break (Christmas to end first week in January) and during school holidays in February. However, many of the larger resorts cope well with the numbers, and the huge variety of smaller provides options if forced to visit during these busy times.
One key attraction for skiing in France is the ease of access. Many of the ski resorts are close to gateway airports in regional France, and the flights from the UK are short. For international travellers from further afield, airports in Paris, Geneva and Milan provide relatively easy access to most of the French Alps resorts. Many ski areas are accessible by train, including fast TGV from Paris or Milan.
The popularity of skiing in France in some respects also contributes to most of the mainstream France ski resorts being rather expensive relative to other ski resorts in Europe.
The term “apres-ski” might be French, but ski resorts in France aren’t as vibrant after skiing when compared to some of the famous Austrian and Italian ski resorts where partying continues on until the wee hours. Party animals shouldn’t lament though. There’s still plenty of apres-ski action at resorts such as Chamonix and Val d’Isere.
More Reasons to Ski France
Massive interconnected ski areas, a range of ski terrain including tree skiing and high altitude snow should be enough reasons in themselves to ski France, but of course part of skiing in Europe isn’t about the skiing or snowboarding at all. A major priority should be the food and alcohol. “Cuisine” was invented in France, and some would say France is the wine capital of the world, so France definitely comes up trumps in the foodie stakes!
Ski Tours that include France
Safari (Road Trip) Tours
GUIDED OFF-PISTE ADVENTURE
8 Days | 7 Nights | 7 Skiing | 3+ Resorts
From price based on twin/double-share room occupancy.
Base/invoice currency is in EURO inc taxes.
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USD 1,814
Ability: Strong Intermediate to Expert
Skiing between the French and Italian alps over the southern alpine glaciers, this exceptional tour begins in La Grave, France, passes through Serre Chevalier and ends in Sestriere, Italy. Great off-piste combination of high alpine and tree skiing, plus beautiful villages and accommodation.
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Single-Base, Multi-Ski-Area Tours
GUIDED OFF-PISTE ADVENTURE
8 Days | 7 Nights | 7 Skiing | 3+ Resorts
From price based on twin/double-share room occupancy.
Base/invoice currency is in EURO inc taxes.
*Displayed price may vary due to currency fluctuations.
USD 1,882
Ability: Strong Intermediate to Expert
Ski some of the most famous ski areas in the world in France with an experienced guide riding vertical descents of up to 2,000 metres in untracked powder even days after a snowfall. Join a "fixed date" tour or get your own group of 4+ together for a custom tour.
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HOSTED & GUIDED OFF-PISTE TOUR
8 Days | 7 Nights | 6 Days Skiing
From price based on twin/double-share room occupancy.
Base/invoice currency is in GBP inc taxes.
*Displayed price may vary due to currency fluctuations.
USD 1,929
Ability: Advanced to Expert
Safely experience the best that Chamonix has to offer. This tour is for advanced riders interested accessing Chamonix's famous off-piste terrain with expert guides.
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GUIDED SKI TOUR | MIXED GROUP
8 Days | 7 Nights | 6 Ski Days
From price based on twin/double-share room.
Base/invoice currency is in USD ex taxes.
*Displayed price may vary due to currency fluctuations.
USD 3,495
Ability: Strong Intermediate to Expert
Ski 3 countries in one week based in the legendary Chamonix. Experience the Grands Montets, Aiguille du Midi, the Valley Blanche, Verbier and Courmayeur in amongst the highest peaks of the Alps.
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Single-Base, Single-Ski-Area Tours
HOSTED & GUIDED OFF-PISTE TOUR
8 Days | 7 Nights | 6 Days Skiing
From price based on twin/double-share room occupancy.
Base/invoice currency is in GBP inc taxes.
*Displayed price may vary due to currency fluctuations.
Enquire Enquire
Ability: Expert
This tour is for expert riders wanting to ski some of the best off-piste terrain in the world. With 2,100 m of vertical you will ski chutes, 50 deg pitches whilst avoiding couloirs, cliffs & crevasses. Join a "fixed date" tour or get your own group together for a custom tour.
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Backcountry Skiing Tours
GUIDED BACKCOUNTRY TOURING
8 Days | 7 Nights | 6 Days Ski Touring
From price based on twin/double-share room occupancy.
Base/invoice currency is in GBP inc taxes.
*Displayed price may vary due to currency fluctuations.
USD 1,671
Ability: Advanced to Expert
This trip is for serious, fit, expert backcountry skiers. This tour links the best known resorts of Chamonix and Zermatt with 6,000 m of ascents / descents and over 120 km of touring. Join a fixed date tour or wrangle your own group together for a private custom tour.
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