The Most Beautiful French Ski Resorts
There are more than 64 million people skiing nowadays in the world. With more than 350 ski resorts, France is the world leader in terms of winter sports’ crowd. During the 2009-2010 winter seasons, France welcomed 9 million of snow lovers, 2 million of them being foreigners. France is the 3rd world market for skis after US and Japan. With many mountains (The Alps, Pyrenees, Vosges, Jura and Massif Central), every year mountain activities create around 130,000 jobs and a 6 billion turnover.
Here is a selection of the most beautiful French ski resorts.
The Family resorts
Certain ski resorts offer particularly adapted services to families, such as animations for youth (game rooms, nurseries…), slopes for beginners, familial activities and a close medical service.
Morzine
Situated in the Alps between the Leman Lake and the Mont Blanc, Morzine is THE familial resort. It is an authentic resort, festival and convivial, mixing kids in sleds, families, and extreme sport lovers. This area comprises of really nice properties.
Abondance
Families love Abondance for its conviviality and its amazing environment in the heart of the Portes du Soleil ski resort, in the Alps. Youth will enjoy the boarder cross and the snow park. Abondance is also a small mountain village that grew touristicaly but kept its identity.
Les gets
Situated at the beginning of the slopes, Les Gets resort offers an immense ski domain, integrated to the Portes du Soleil. The center of the village offers a really pleasant and cozy atmosphere and typical familial chalets.
The classy resorts
The luxury resorts will allow you to enjoy the comfort of luxury hostels, gastronomic restaurants, spas and helicopter transports.
Courchevel, a luxury station
Courchevel
Located in the Alps on the Trois Vallées ski domain (The bigger of the World), Courchevel is the most luxurious French ski resort. It is also the most visited and expensive one of the Three Valleys. It offers an amazing range of activities, (karting, ballooning, climbing frozen waterfalls); Courchevel is also an amazing place to party.
Méribel
Also located on the three valleys ski domain; Meribel is one of the biggest ski-villages of France. This prestigious resort combines the charm and the tradition of mountains, preserved for ski activities.
Megève
Megève is one of the oldest ski resorts of the Alps, but also one of the most beautiful in Europe. Famous due to the Rothschild dynasty at the beginning of the 20thC, it is a prestigious place, visited by the wealthier families. The town has kept its rustic charm.
Charming ski resorts
Medium or low altitude ski resorts have really authentic villages and a preserved environment. They offer a diversified ski domain, adapted to every ski level and offering activities to non-sportive visitors.
Enjoy the authenticity of the mountain village of Saint-Martin-de-Belleville
Saint-Martin-de-Belleville
On the road to the Ménuires and Val-Thorens (in the Alps), Saint-Martin-de-Belleville offers a really different countryside than the rest of the three valleys. Unlike its close neighbours, now really touristic, Saint-Martin has kept the authenticity of a traditional Savoy village. Chalets, narrow streets, baroque chapels, Saint-Martin-de-Belleville is a charming resort, that will please visitors that are looking for calm and stunning views.
Valmorel
Located in the Alps at the edge of the forest, Valmorel is one of the most beautiful French ski resort. In a sumptuous area, the village comprises of huge stones and wood chalets. Valmorel is a resort with no cars, offering a respectful architecture of the natural environment.
Saint-Lary Soulan
Saint Lary Soulan is one of the biggest ski resorts of the French Pyrenees. The resort combines charm and conviviality of the splendid Aure Valley. It offers many animations and has one of the best Pyreneans snow parks.
The sportives ressorts
High altitude resorts offers a ski domain reserved to train skiers and extreme sports lovers, with plenty of off-pists possibilities and a wide range of sports activities
(Icefall, snow park, half pipe, etc.).
For trained skiers and extreme sports lovers
Tignes / Val-d’Isère
The Killy Space comprises of 300 kilometers of slopes, including Tignes and Val-d’Isère in the Alps. Two international level resorts, for their quality and installations as well as their extreme slopes.
Chamonix
Located on the edge of the Mont-Blanc, Chamonix is the bigger resort of the Haute Savoie Department. It offers a unique panoramic view over the highest European peaks! The resort comprises different ski zones, such as La Flégère / Brévent, Balme and Grands Montets domains that are referred to as the “The Ski Mecque”.
Les Arcs / La plagne
Since December 2003, the Paradiski domain comprises of the Arcs and la Plagne resorts, linked by the Vanoise Express telepherique. Located in the Alps, the domain offers 425 km of slopes, a vast playground for ski and off-pists lovers.
Enjoy your winter time and don’t forget your helmet!