Val Cenis Skiing & Snowboarding
Val Cenis is the best place to ski during storms in the Haute Maurienne. It spans a wide part of the valley with north to south-westerly aspect slopes providing a total of 1,500m skiable vertical across sub-alpine & forested freeride terrain that will suit all off-piste ski abilities, The resort’s 125km of piste trails are heavily weighted toward novices & intermediates, but that shouldn't dissuade more advanced riders from coming here. Horizontally the resort is split into two distinct sectors - what we refer to as the Lanslebourg-Mont-Cenis sector & the Termignon sector. Vertically, the mountain is split into three distinct zones, each with their own lifts: valley (perfect for novices); mid-mountain forest (full range of trails plus steep off-piste gullies & trees); alpine (mostly broad, mellow rolling pitches with intermittent steeps). There is also expansive backcountry available.
Check out the ski trail map for Val Cenis below.
Ski Lifts
Val Cenis has invested heavily in lift infrastructure, with modern gondolas & chairs providing the heavy lifting out of the valley, particularly in the Lanslebourg-Mont-Cenis sector. Thankfully that investment hasn’t impacted the lift pass price across the entire resort. It is still at super bargain basement levels. The most recent lift installed was in 2024 is the Roches Blanches high-speed quad which replaced a slower, 35-year-old quad in the same location.
Val Cenis Ski Terrain
Lanslebourg-Mont-Cenis Sector
Of the two main sectors at Val Cenis, the Lanslebourg-Mont-Cenis sector has the widest variety of terrain in the resort. For novices it is a paradise in which to learn sliding on snow. The best learn-to-ski slopes are around Lanslevillard utilising the Le Haut gondola & Colomba chair. When confident, the long Escargot trail (the summer D1006 road up to the pass!) provides up to 10 kilometres of easy skiing to perfect one’s skills - maybe not so good for snowboarders though - too flat is parts. Progressing beginners & intermediates have trail options across the mountain. The mid-mountain sector below 2,100m has several ripping intermediate trails, the best of which are Ramasse & MJ St Genix.
The highest lifts in the northern sector of the resort [Met (2,800m), Solert (2,540m) & the old Plan Cardinal 2-seater (2,520m)] all have similar alpine/sub-alpine on & off-piste providing lovely turns on a reasonably easy-going pitch. The 6-seater Arcellins chair is important when skiing the area during a storm. It serves a broad scope of mixed alpine, sub-alpine, forest & gullies, whilst avoiding the sometimes painfully long ,flat journey all the way to the bottom of the resort. The advanced piste trails at Val Cenis are light grey at best! Nothing too steep. Crowds (what little there is) tend to avoid them on powder mornings, so reap the harvest early. Experts will enjoy the mid-mountain off-piste trees & gullies where one doesn't have to search too hard to find the goods.
Termignon Sector
One area easy to overlook, but in many respects the best in the resort, is the Termignon sector. Connected to Lanslebourg sector via the Turra chair, it is all but deserted during a storm. The sector’s lifts nay be vintage, but it has fun piste trails & marvellous off-piste. An expansive area of sub-alpine forest can be accessed via the Sources chair & Grand Coin teleski (J-bar surface tow). Whilst one needs to know the entry & exit points, it was easy enough for us to do a great run in the zone below Sources chair the first time we tried, even though technically the top area is protected and skiing off-piste there is prohibited - whoops! It is easy to access without impinging the wildlife closure though. If the snow is deep, the ski under the Turra chair through the trees back to Lanslebourg can be awesome. Otherwise, swallow your pride & download on the chair because the long, flatter than flat ski trail back into town is just not worth it - particularly if a snowboarder. Different if heading into Termignon, where the Bois de Coqs piste cuts through the worst of the interminable zig-zags.
Backcountry
There is a mass of backcountry at Val Cenis, above the lifts in both sectors & east of the Plan Cardinal chair, that given time & weather would no doubt be wonderful to explore during an extended stay. Future lift projects out toward the Cime du Laro seek to utilise this vast resource, but time will tell if they ever come to fruition.
Lift Passes
Whilst remarkably affordable already, the resort has massively discounted lift passes when purchased in advance online. Get Val Cenis lift passes online.
Worth knowing too is that the adult lift pass rate includes children from 12yr & over. Also, passes of 6-days or more duration include one day at each of the Haute Maurienne ski resorts (Aussois, Bonneval-sur-Arc, La Norma and Valfréjus).
Nearby Ski Resorts
The Haute Maurienne has some very fine ski resorts within a bus ride or short drive from Val Cenis. It would be churlish indeed to not go and taste their delights! The highest lifted elevation in the valley is glorious Bonneval sur Arc, just up valley from Val Cenis. Down valley is La Norma plus sun-soaked Aussois on the opposite side. Across the motorway Valfrejus packs in more than meets the eye.