What a delightful ski resort is Ovronnaz. It is one of the many Swiss ski hills that international visitors either don’t know about or simply ignore. Their loss!
Splendid monolithic mesa-like peaks unlike just about anywhere in the Alps provide an exquisite backdrop for ski-touring. Beautiful piste trails, larch forest skiing, no lift lines, and a relaxed feel round it out nicely.
Ovronnaz has a pleasant village. Quiet and not in any hurry. It is in no way a true Swiss Alps beauty, and actually feels a little tired, but its sunny disposition is nice on a blue-sky day. Quite spread out along the mountainside, the local bus certainly gets a workout to get around. The ski area is just far enough from the village to warrant the bus over walking.
Off-piste tree-ski terrain is steep, open larch woodland graduating into heavy pine forest down low. The larches represent a potentially fun powder day experience but were heavily tracked when I visited. Overall terrain aspect is from north, through east and partly south, avoiding the worst of the afternoon sun.
Ski lifts have been recently upgraded to include the new Petite Pré quad chair, which replaced an old surface tow of the same name. The pistes in this sector are largely easy in nature, but its main role for Powderhounds is to provide a comfortable return journey at the end of a sidecountry adventure. The main Jorasse chair from the base to Jorasse serves the entire 500m vertical of the lower mountain. The two other chairs (Col-Express & Bougnonne) serve around 300m vertical of pleasant, mainly larch-lined pistes for intermediates & advanced riders. Surface tows include the long Tsantonnaire J-bar which comes with a hefty bend as it approaches the highest lifted altitude of 2,427m. One old surface tow, A beginner J-bar tow near the top of Jorasse serves a small beginner area. Other than that, the resort has very little for novices. A rope tow (called the ‘baby lift’) is in town near the Croisée du Centre bus stop but is essentially just a flat space for first timers.
Of 3 possible eating locations only two were open. Amongst other things, the Petit Pré has a ‘grill your own sausage’ option in its splendid sunny location. The main restaurant at Jorasse is well decked out with all facilities including a self-serve and full-service restaurant option. Food options were fabulous. The terrace is bathed in sunshine only until midday in mid-winter. A good spot for a morning coffee and pain au chocolat, but bracingly cold in the afternoon. A nice picnic room is available too for brownbaggers. The other eatery is located near the top of the Tsantonnaire tow, but it appears to be a minor one.
Worth knowing is that there are relatively few toilets in the ski area, so if you need to go often, plan your skiing accordingly. Effectively, toilets are only at the two eateries mentioned above.
So many off-piste options that require short walks, long traverses or skinning. Surrounding peaks are fully decked out in skinning trails and powder lines. There are a plethora of easy (and a few not so easy) lift-assisted ski tours starting from both the Petite Pré chair or Tsantonnaire J-bar. Ski-tours around the Grand Chateau, Six du Doe & the prominent Tête Sèri, plus ascents of the 2,969m Dent de Morcles via the Col de Fenestral are all part of the Ovronnaz experience.
The piste trails are mostly gentle rolling gorgeousness that will delight all. Steeper options lower down the mountain into the car park exist. Whilst not the blackest advanced pistes in the world, non-daily grooming makes them more challenging than they otherwise might be.
Snowboarders will need to push hard at the bottom of Tsantonnaire and on the piste beyond it. That section of the upper valley is flat as a pancake. Fine for skating, not so fine for boarders.
I used the bus and train to get around the region. Seamless from Martigny train station to the route 311 bus direct to my last-minute accommodation at the excellent Hôtel des Bains de Saillon. Down in the Rhône River valley, this hotel was fantastic and is linked to a massive thermal bathing complex (if you are into that kind of thing …… I’m not). Food and drink were excellent. Truly enjoyed staying here. Caught the early morning 311 bus to the Leytron, anc. Poste in the centre of Leytron village, where the route 312 bus to Ovronnaz arrived shortly after to complete the journey. At the Croisée du Centre bus stop in Ovronnaz, its time to get off and catch the local free ski bus to chairlift. Sounds a little complex, but it’s really not! Still arrived in time for first lifts! Worth knowing is when I departed the region, I took the route 312 bus to Riddes railway station then caught a train to Sion. The major station at Sion has buses going to so many places. My next target was Nendaz & the 4 Vallèes, so off I went. I say it often, but how good is the Swiss public transport system? Answer = very, very good.
Even though I skied Ovronnaz midweek in the last half of January, the previous very heavy snowfall appeared to be attracting a few people. Despite lots of tracks in the off-piste from the weekend, and the car park at the ski area base always appearing full, it didn’t translate to any feeling of people on the slopes. The only place one noticed fellow skiers was on the long Tsantonnaire tow.
Ovronnaz is another small Swiss Alps ski resort that everyone should visit. Along with nearby Arolla-Evolene, Anzère & Nax-Mont Noble, these ski areas remind one why you love skiing. No rush, no hassle, just a good time sliding on snow and taking it all in. Merveilleux!
Read more about the pros & cons of this ski resort on the Ovronnaz overview page.
