Dropped into Saint Foy on a snowy day in early February 2025 whilst staying down in the original Sainte Foy village at Hotel Monal. Whilst our mission on this trip was more aboutLa Rosiere, Tignes & Val d'Isere, it would have been churlish to not head up to Sainte Foy for a morning.

It is still the petite paradise we know so well. Stormy weather meant limited lifts & terrain open on the morning we went, but had we skied here the day after it would have been 'game on'! Relatively few people were out and about, but it was super pleasant cruising the pistes, even with no visibility. Thanks fully the lower half of the mountain is tree-lined! We ate lunch in the usually good La Maison a Colonnes, but found the food poorly prepared and, despite there being few people in the restaurant (or perhaps because of it), the staff surly & distracted.

Staying at the nearby Hotel Le Monal proved a great decision. Typically French, well-priced and comfortable, the hotel's greatest issues are a little internal noise (get a top storey room) and lack of car parking. The restaurant & bar are absolutely first class. There is always something of interest on the menu. On this occasion I finally ate a meal of frog's legs. Tasty, but heavy on the garlic and fiddly to eat. As a base (and with a rental car) to visit Sainte Foy, Val d'Isere, Tignes, La Rosiere & Les Arcs it is fantastic. if one doesn't have a rental car, using the local buses is possible, but pay very careful attention to the timetable as it can quite limited. As bus stop to Sainte Foy Station ski area is a 100m up the orad from Hotel Le Monal

We adore the Haute Tarentaise region, and Sainte Foy is always high on our list of priorities to ski. Affordable, mostly quiet, and with wonderful inbounds & sidecountry adventures just a few chairlifts away, it should be on your list of priorities too. Just avoid driving in the region on weekends, and avoid it all together during French school holidays.

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It had snowed some days before we arrived and it was snowing a bit on our first morning. On piste conditions were really good, most of the easily accessible off-piste had already been skied. Sainte Foy is a quiet resort, no real queues for the lifts. I loved the skiing there some steep challenging reds and cruisy blues although you could ski everything in a couple of days. I am learning to ski off piste and this is where Sainte Foy comes into its own. The opportunities there are huge both in terms of lift accessible areas and in the back country if you are prepared to put skins on and hike. I had some great lessons from the ESF one of them an off piste afternoon on my last day. I will be returning I did not want to leave.
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With fresh snow, this place is hands down the most open and freeride place I've ever been in Europe. Previously I had Grindelwald on the top of my list just based on snow quality, alone...but the chalet we were in combined with the amazing slope conditions we experienced shot Sainte-Foy to the top of my list.

If I'm ever in the area again, I'll come here before even considering another location.
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We stayed in Sainte Foy Station which is a small alpine village just above the township of Sainte Foy on the road to Val-d'Isere.
This resort is the antithesis of Tignes/Vald'Isere. It's small, uncrowded, has great diverse terrain and did I mention it is uncrowded.
We skied here 3 times over a week and enjoyed the terrific high alpine bowls which on this day were covered in knee deep powder that lent itself to the tequila lay back and cruise approach to powder skiing
Overall a fantastic point of difference to the mega resorts nearby.
Would revisit.
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Whether it is heaven or a haven one is looking for in the magnificent Tarentaise valley, Sainte Foy is the place.

One of France’s snowiest locations, Sainte Foy is a great ski resort in its own right. It’s other advantage being the delightful resort village perched on a forested bench above the valley. Sainte Foy’s compact alpine village provides the perfect base for quick and easy access to the mega ski areas of Tignes, Val d’Isere and Les Arcs, plus the smaller combination of La Rosiere and La Thuile.

Sainte Foy terrain is served by 4 quad chairlifts (2 older fixed grips and two detachables) and two surface conveyors for beginners. The on piste trails are best suited for intermediates but everyone will find a trail to have some fun on. The off piste and freeride options provide a gentle powder playground for intermediates off the Marquis chair. The Aiguille chair is Sainte Foy’s pièce de résistance and provides more serious extended fall line freeride options as well as backcountry touring access. In a good season it is possible to ski full descents of nearly 2000m vertical to the valley. There is also access to some lift served tree skiing on the resort’s lower slopes. 

The ski resort village is small but has all the required services plus a multitude of bar, restaurant and self-catering options. Three ski schools provide lessons and guiding services. At least five ski rental and service shops, restaurants including tapas, pizza, café, brasserie and fine dining options, 2 food markets, bakery, pharmacy, 2 delicatessens plus other odds and sods make it good enough for everyone there to ski. Not so great for shopaholics though!

We loved Sainte Foy, a haven in the Tarentaise.
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I spent 3 weeks in around Sainté-Foy in the upper Tarentaise valley in Jan/Feb 2018. Sainté-Foy village is on the main road between Bourg St. Maurice (Les Arcs) and Tignes with some self catering private rental accommodation, a 3 star hotel and restaurant (La Monal) and a small boulangerie/alimentarie, so local services options are somewhat limited in the town itself.

The beauty of Sainté-Foy village for skiers is its location within a thirty minute drive of the French linked mega resorts of Tignes/Val d'Isere, Les Arcs/La Plagne (accessed via a 10 minute drive to neighbouring Villaroger or 20 minute drive to the Bourg St. Maurice funicular) and La Rosiere/La Thuile - over the Italian border in the Aosta Valley. Buses run up and down the valley between Bourg St. Maurice train station and Val d‘Isere but these tend to be somewhat infrequent so it’s better if you can organise your own transport. If possible try and avoid travelling Saturdays during the ski season as change over day traffic on the main highway servicing ski resorts between Albertville and Val d’Isere can be horrific.

Sainte Foy ski station/resort is accessible via a free shuttle bus or a 15 minute drive up the hill from the village. The resort development is built in traditional Savoie style which matches in well with the few remaining original piste-side farmhouse/restaurants, with ample accommodation and restaurant options.

The skiing area on the north western facing slopes between Cols du Granier and l’Aiguillle is between 2600 – 1500 m and is covered by 4 modern chairlifts giving access to a variety of pisted trails through forest and above the treeline, controlled but unpisted << Natur’ >> parks, routes and tree runs suitable for advanced free skiers and extensive off-piste touring routes best access with local knowledge and /or a guide. While the pistes are relatively limited compared to surrounding mega resorts the extensive and easily accessed off-piste terrain makes it a favourite with tourers and free skiers, particularly when bad weather closes down higher altitude stations. The limited lifts and pistes however means that cost and prices for lift tickets are kept low – 2018 adult day pass was €31.50 and €25.40 for a card carrying student.
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