Skiing in France

FRANCE SKI INFO

Getting there

International airports for transfers to the Alps include Geneva, Chambéry, Grenoble and Lyon. For resorts in the southern French Alps like Isola 2000 and Serre Chevalier, you can also fly to Nice, Turin or even Marseille. For the Pyrenees, Pau and Toulouse are the major gateways, but you can also fly to Perpignan for resorts in the eastern Pyrenees and Biarritz for resorts furthest west.

When to go

French resorts tend to open early to mid-December and close mid to late-April. The tourist office in each resort will communicate the actual opening dates which can change depending on snow conditions. In the Pyrenees the snow tends to come in fits and starts with big dumps coming from Atlantic storms that can melt away quickly in a warm southerly wind.

January and February tend to have the best overall conditions, but there can be big queues for the lifts and crowded pistes during the February half-term holiday. Bear in mind as well that prices rocket during February and March and accommodation needs to be booked well in advance.

If it’s been a good season for snowfall, skiing in April is hard to beat. No more frozen zips and numb fingers, on a sunny day in April you can often be quite comfortable skiing in a t-shirt.

December can be good if there’s been a good coverage of early snow – the slopes are generally quieter and there are some great deals to be had on accommodation and lift passes. In high resorts such as Val Thorens, you can pretty much guarantee good snow from November. In fact, many of France’s top freestyle skiers head to Val Thorens for early season training as the snowpark stays intact all year and is ready to ride from November.

Climate change

Snow conditions in France can vary greatly from year to year, but despite some glorious winters in recent years, the French Alps face a warmer world. Snow cover is gradually receding with a trend of less snow at lower altitudes. To compensate, many resorts now have snow canons can spray artificial snow over problem areas, but these require below zero temperatures to work.

Venturing off-piste

France has some of the world’s best lift-accessed off-piste skiing combined with a refreshingly relaxed attitude to danger. That means there’s little restriction when it comes to accessing the backcountry. Resort boundaries are clearly defined and you can duck under the ropes without being penalised. You are responsible for your own actions though, and accidents happen all the time. Avalanche risk is often high, especially on those days when fresh powder beckons.

So the advice is simple – take a guide. You’ll be kitted out with an avalanche rescue kit and shown how to use it. And, your guide will show you the best, safest runs on the day. Make sure as well that you have insurance. For basic accident insurance that will cover getting you off the mountain, buy a Carte Neige when you get your pass.

Best value ski holidays in France

Smaller, low-altitude resorts, which include resorts like Chamrousse near Grenoble, La Clusaz near Annecy, or the resorts in the Pyrenees and the Massif Central, are much cheaper than the popular international resorts in the Alps. The trade-off being that if you need to book your skiing holiday a long time in advance, you risk not getting great snow.

Still one of the cheapest ways to have a skiing holiday in France is to buy a package deal from a tour operator before you leave home. Packages generally include flights, transfers, accommodation, ski hire and lift pass. At the beginning and end of the season, as well as in January, many resorts offer promotional deals and you can find great discounts on accommodation and lift passes.