Ski Resorts In France
What's The Big Deal about Chamonix?
Of the Ski Resorts in France, the one we consider best value is Chamonix France mostly because of the co-partnering with the Italian and Swiss ski resorts.
Les Grands Montets
Now, this is a legendary ski region!
We returned to this very black, very long, vast and very steep ski region again and again.
Long!
Exhausting!
Awesome!
For Intermediates and Beginners
About France informs that together with Megeve (which is just down the road), the skiable area is one fifth of all the ski resorts in France. While Cham has been termed the "Death Sports Capital of the World" for its reputation for adrenalin fueled mountain sport, the vast groomed terrain means there's choice for beginners and intermediates. The south-facing sun blessed slopes at Brevent-Flegere and the open bowl at Le Tour make for a
delightful experience for those who have no desire to experiment on the steep deeps..
The resort is so vast and the terrain of each ski region is extensive that you could ski a different piste each time and not repeat it for the entire week. Explore:
- Domaine de Balme - an open sunny bowl
- Les Grands Montets mid and lower levels
- Brevent - Flegere - the best location ever, accessible from town
Tethered Descending A Particularly Tricky Part Of Vallee Blanche
Vallee Blanche
In your research for ski resorts in France, you'll find there's the amazingly unique and iconic off-piste Vallee Blanche. This is the famous 22 km, 2800 descent, down the glacier, the Mer de Glace. It is an awesome ancient tongue of ice and rock carving its way from the tops of the Alps into France.
This is not just exciting, it really is an adventure. Skiing on the glacier is not like going down a smooth slope. You ski through forests of ice towers, moraine fields of massive boulders, across snow platforms that have accumulated sufficient snow to form bridges over the deep crevasses.
The Valle Blanche is an absolute must for any skier.
Now, you’ll hear skiers talk up the adventure. But if you’re not an advanced skier, don’t worry. Your ski guide will take you down routes that are suitable. Your ski guide will ask what sort of skiing experience you’d like – easy, medium or difficult and he’ll then choose the route to give you the experience you want.
But… be sure to take a guide. He’ll have with him the ropes, ice picks, avalanche locators. All you have to do, is bring lunch, hire crampons and enjoy a most unique experience.
The World Cup Piste
Ski Les Houches!
The
home of the World Cup Downhill Competition is in France, at Les Houches, the
southern most ski region in the Valley. When you’re here to ski Les Houches,
it’s really all about the Kandahar. (That’s the name of this
competition piste). It’s fantastically long, steep and fast.
This is world class stuff at its best. We thoroughly recommend the Kandahar.
Incidentally, the 1924 first winter Olympics was hosted here at Les Houches.
We’ve found the best value ski pass is the Mont Blanc Unlimited Ski Pass. The cost is more than the Le Pass but the increase in accessible ski terrain in Cham alone was more than worth it. Additionally, skiers, for no additional cost, have full access to the whole resort of Courmayeur, Italy and to all the 4 valleys of Verbier, Switzerland.
Read More: Resorts Ski Passes
Courmayeur Italy
Transport between the resorts on the ski bus, previously free now costs. It’s incredibly popular as the
skiing in this northern Italian resort is FAN-TAS-TIC.
Travel time between resorts is about 20 minutes through the Mont Blanc Tunnel and the buses are filled days in advance.
We found the co-ticketing between resorts seamless. When you get to Courmayeur, the ticket office validates your Cham proximity pass for the duration of its validity, so you can ski here as many times as you choose.
Verbier Switzerland
You’ll know of Verbier
as the elite Swiss resort favoured by the European Royals and
celebrities. The resort is vast, spread over 4 valleys and is sufficiently small to be interconnected by lifts.
Verbier is about one and a half hours drive away. There's a bus on Thursdays to Verbier, subject to a minimum number of passengers.
Link To: Bus Excursions
There was a bit of hassling around at the Verbier ticket office, so it would seem they don’t see many co-ticketed skiers from resorts in France.
Of
the winter resorts in France, the unique and best value feature is its
ticketing, with access to the extended ski territory to include not just France but also Italy and Switzerland.
You may be interested in these related articles:
- In Cham for just a week?
- Top 10 Ski Tips
- Top 10 Resort Tips
- Review of Each of the 5 Regions
- How To Get To The Slopes
- Region Maps
This is one of the ski resorts in France where there’s so much skiing to do and so many off-piste excursions to enjoy in France and Switzerland, that you’ll have to plan ahead so as to maximize the experiences on offer.
Plan ahead...buses and guides are booked out early!
Our Vote
We’ve been to many terrific ski resorts all over the world, so we know a great one when we come across them.
We consider this the best of the ski resorts in France for the extensive skiing in 3 major resorts, in France as well as Italy and Switzerland and there's loads of interesting activities for non-skiers.
Enjoy!
Read more about orientation in the Valley:
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