Worldwide Ski Resorts • France • St Francois

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Overview

Marketed primarily as an intimate ski area, proud of its architecture and layout, it comes as a pleasant surprise to find that the Ski area incorperating St. Francois, Longchamp, and Valmorel is so big, with 165km (103 miles) of runs stretching across the Maurienne and Tarentaise Valley.

Profile

Marketed primarily as an intimate ski area, proud of its architecture and layout, it comes as a pleasant surprise to find that the Ski area incorperating St. Francois, Longchamp, and Valmorel is so big, with 165km (103 miles) of runs stretching across the Maurienne and Tarentaise Valley. Such a ski area is not huge by the standards of the French super resorts but it’s certainly as big as anywhere else you will find in the world. Known as the Grand Domaine area, it inevitably links to neighbouring resorts, in this case St François-Longchamp, as well as the smaller traditional villages of Doucy and Les Avanchers en route. The two major resorts are at each extreme of the skiing area so there’s a good sense of travelling to get from one to the other and its best to allow a full day to make the return trip.

More than 100 snow guns help to ensure that the link stays complete throughout the season. Naturally the ski area has been well designed as the village is. Pistes run right down in to the village itself. Beginners have an excellent purpose designed area, separate to the main skiing and allowing first timers to build up confidence before hitting the greens (very easy runs) out in to the great white yonder. There is even a slow chairlift so you can get used to going up, as well as down, in an unintimidating way — an idea common in North America but invariably ignored or forgotten elsewhere in Europe. Intermediates will have the most to enjoy in Valmorel’s skiing, with the vast majority of trails graded blue or red to suit their standard.

You get an enjoyable sense of travelling by taking the half dozen series of lifts and runs across to St Francois Longchamp and with slopes facing in all directions it’s possible to stay in the sunshine all day by moving around the mountain. Expert skiers are most likely to head for reds and blacks of the Col du Mottet and the Massif de la Lauzière above Longchamp. Powder fans will find huge expanses within easy reach of the lift system. The smartest thing to do is to hire a guide who’ll lead you on a long run down the Belleville Valley to St Jean below Les Menuires. The ski school employs ninety instructors able to instruct in all major languages and all the snow sports including competition skiing, powder snow, snowboarding or ‘surf’ as the French prefer to call it, cross-country skiing, skwall, parabolic skiing and telemark. For group lessons there is a single meeting point in front of the ESF (French ski school) building in the hamlet of Mottet. Courses of lessons are normally for two and a half hours per day, six days a week, commencing Sundays or Mondays.

Mountain Information

With over 50 lifts Valmorel, linked with St Francois, offers 162km piste both below and above the tree line. Served mainly by a network of chairlifts for major access it also has a single gondola from just above the village to aid congestion. Beginners are well catered for with approx 10 drag lifts scattered around the village of Valmorel. Note that in past years beginners and children have both required a full area lift pass to access even the nursery slope lifts. With over 162km of piste there is something for all in the area. Close to the Village there is a purpose built beginners area. Above the village, slopes face in many directions, making it possible to search out good conditions throughout the day. For advanced skiers, a powder bowl accessed from the top of the Col du Gollet is said to offer superb off piste when conditions are right.

Apres Ski

Après ski is relatively quiet in St Francois but most après ski activities are centred in Valmorel on the pedestrianised main street through Bourg where street cafés can be lively as soon as the lifts close. Popular spots include bars like the Petit Savoyard and the Perce Neige, which is usually the busiest in the resort. Later on there are cocktail bars. Late night dancing is offered at the Clover disco.

French Resort Guide

Resort Information • St Francois

Resort Height Resort Height 1450m
Top Station Top Station 2550m
Bottom Station Bottom Station 1200m
Vertical Descent Vertical Descent 1100m
Drag Lifts Drag Lifts 13
Chair Lifts Chair Lifts 4
High Capacity High Capacity 0
Opening Dates Opening Dates Dec - April
Rating Expert Rating Expert 5
Rating Intermediate Rating Intermediate 6
Rating Beginner Rating Beginner 7
Apres Ski Rating Apres Ski Rating 5
Snow Reliability Snow Reliability 6

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