45.285563, 6.88277
006°52'96"E | 45°17'13"N
Val Cenis, Haute-Maurienne
Altitude: 1300 - 2800m
Downhill ski terrain: 125km
56 Pistes:
10 Green | 18 Blue | 23 Red | 5 Black
Snowpark | Boarder-cross
27 Lifts:
2 Gondolas | 11 Draglifts
9 Fixed Chairlifts | 5 High-Speed Chairs
Beginners/Families
Intermediates- Advanced/Expert
The Advanced score reflects the off-piste opportunities found locally.
- Value
- Accommodation
- Dining Out
Nightlife
- • Friendly, traditional villages with cosy, welcoming restaurants.
- • Terrain for most tastes, with good snow record, too.
- • More skiing – 125 km – thanks to the connection between the Val Cenis and Termignon ski areas.
- • Wide range of accommodation.
- • Superb scenery, particularly above the frozen Lac du Mont Cenis.
- • Short transfers from Chambéry & Modane (TGV high-speed rail link).
- • Most of your friends won’t have heard of it (but it’s their loss).
- • Village nightlife not exactly riotous.
- • Requires a quality, rather than quantity mindset.
- • Ski and visit Bonneval-sur-Arc — the definitive mountain village.
The Cols eventful history
is told on this colourful panel.
As one road closes another piste opens...
Go by Train!
The annual international dog-sledding competition La Grande Odyssée, starts on the 10th January 2010
in the Portes du Soleil.
See the races from the 16th - 2oth January in Val Cenis Lanslebourg, Haute-Maurienne.
Information:
www.grandeodyssee.com
Tried and tested
Les Alpages de Val Cenis
Val Cenis, Maurienne Valley
www.les-alpages.com
Les Alpages de Val Cenis is a ski in, ski out residence with 221 apartments across 5 independent chalets built to a very high standard. Guests benefit from access to many facilities within the residence including free access to the outdoor heated swimming pool & fitness room, with sauna, solarium, jacuzzi and hammam also available at an additional charge (payable in resort). The residence also features a bar and lounge with log fire and a restaurant where full and half board packages can be booked (payable in resort) and a spa facility ‘Aqua-Spa’ with various treatments available (payable in resort).
Enquiries and bookings:
MountainPassions Ski Holidays
Tel: 0845 863 0540 (UK)
Chalet Hotel Nanook
Lanslevillard
+33 04 79 05 91 24
www.hotelnanook.com
Welcoming and affordable hotel restaurant popular with British visitors. The 9 en-suite rooms are comfortable and warm and the shuttle service stops just a few steps from the front door.
It's a 5-10 minute walk into the heart of the village where there are bars, restaurants and shops. The picture of Lanslevillard (main column) was taken from our room at Nanook.
L'Auberge Do Ré
Lanslebourg
Deservedly popular auberge in the main street which was packed with contented diners when we visited one lunchtime.
HIGH IN THE HAUTE-MAURIENNE, south of the Col de l’Isèran and Val d’Isère, Val Cenis is centred on the villages of Lanslebourg, Lanslevillard and (newly-linked in 2008/9) Termignon. There’s further good downhill skiing further up the valley at Bonneval sur Arc, plus 80km of groomed cross-country terrain around Bessans. Terrain varies from Europe’s longest Green piste to some surprisingly demanding terrain around Bonneval. Any lingering doubts about this being a fully-fledged ski area were removed a couple of seasons ago by the addition of luxury ski apartments by prestige Savoyard developer MGM. 
It was already snowing steadily as we emerged from the Gare TGV at Modane, leaving the high-speed train to continue its onward journey to Turin without us. Minutes later we were on the road and climbing through snow-laden landscapes past the brooding mountain fortress of l’Esseillon.
By the time we passed through the villages of Bramans, Sardières, Sollières and Termignon the thickening snow was cutting visibility and slowing our progress dramatically — just the kind of welcome we like, in fact. After all, we’d come to ski. That evening we spent quite awhile gazing from the window of our hotel room, taking in the simple beauty of it all and reflecting on our good fortune.
The higher pistes bring extensive views along the whole of the valley.
Daylight revealed the mountains awakening in their accustomed style, with lifts hauling the pisteurs up for their tours of inspection, ahead of the first of the day’s earlybird skiers. Soon we were aboard the Vieux Moulin gondola ourselves and heading up to see what lay in store for us. As the valley, still half cloaked in chill shadow, slipped away below us we were soon basking in glorious sunlight, and decided to work our way over towards the Col du Mont Cenis for the big views. Two lift changes got us up to the 2880m Ouillon de la Tomba, from which we schussed eagerly over to a panoramic viewpoint above the half-frozen lake shimmering beyond the Col. The old cross-border route into Italy was hidden from view, but there can be few more impressive natural gateways than this.
The classic overview of the vast, partly-frozen expanse of the Lac du Mont Cenis.
Dropping down to the Col, via a couple more lift-rides, made for some entertaining skiing on bracing Red-graded pistes — our choice, since the Blue options deposit skiers some way short of the Col itself. The old frontier point is marked by a France/Italia stone, plus a large monument to the Alpine troops who perished in various armed struggles in defence of their national borders. Happily, times have changed, and visitors are welcomed as new friends.
A Snail’s Pace
The old road (constructed in 1805 by order of Napoleon) by which the Col is accessible for much of the year lies buried under snow during the winter months, which transform it into Europe’s longest Green run, the aptly-named l’Escargot. It begins beside the Ramasse six-seater chairlift, and while the Red-graded alternative provides a much more direct route back to the valley floor, sooner or later, you know you’ll try the Snail trail — we are, after all (just) in France. When you do you’re going to have plenty of time (particularly on fresh snow) to ponder the fact that you might well be following in the footsteps of Hannibal and his army, who are believed to have passed this way in 218BC. Although probably not on skis...
A snowy dawn greets early-risers in the village of Lanslevillard.
By now it will have dawned on you that Val Cenis is not only beautiful, but a fun place, and becoming more so. From this season it’s possible to ski the terrain which has been opened up above Termignon by the six-seater Turra high-speed lift. Sadly, this wasn’t an option during our visit, but we did make our way some distance further up the valley to the rugged, stone-roofed village of Bonneval-sur-Arc, officially one of the Most Beautiful Villages in France and which looks extraordinary at any time of the year, and even more so when almost subsumed in winter snow.
The Back of Beyond
So it’s with some surprise that we discover on the opposite side of the valley a modern, high-speed ski-lift. The groomed ski terrain tops off at a highly-respectable 3000m and includes some surprisingly steep descents, along with enough gentle Green-graded runs to provide a reassuring (and cost-effective) debutant area for the local ESF ski-school. Skiing Bonneval’s higher terrain brings a real sense of drama, thanks in no small part to the scenery, effectively the ‘other’ side of the legendary 2770m Col de l’Isèran and the world-renowned pistes of Val d’Isère. The village of Bonneval itself sits at 1800m, certainly qualifies as a real find in any season, and for skiers a visit can feel more like a pilgrimage.
We enjoyed our days in Val Cenis, timed to coincide with the Grande Odyssée international dog-sledding event. Our evenings, too, were just as enjoyable, thanks to the warmest of welcomes we encountered in the cosy local restaurants. It’s quite true what they say: the smallest places often have the biggest hearts. Which is why we’ll be going back.
© MountainPassions.com
By car
Autoroute A43 Lyon - Chambéry, then follow direction Turin, exit at Modane. Follow the RN 6 to Val Cenis.
By air
The nearest airport is Chambéry, with transfer a time of 2 hours. Lyon, Grenoble and Turin are all possible but transfer times and occasional delays make them less convenient.
By train
We took advantage of the TGV service from Paris direct to Modane, a great option. You could also travel from Lille Europe via Lyon.
Transfers
Altibus offers bus services from Modane throughout the Maurienne and to and from Chambéry airport. Visit the website to reserve and pay for your journey. Expect to pay around 21 euros for a return journey between Modane and Val Cenis.
There is a free shuttle service for skiers which runs up until about 1800hrs. It is worth checking the timetables as frequency varies throughout the day.
5 DAYS OF A LA CARTE SKIING (consecutive days or not) FOR 85€
Take the train...
Rail Europe, the UK subsidiary of SNCF French Railways, provides rail travel right into the heart of the French Alps.
Flights to the Alps
Discover the new and exclusive route to Sion airport in the Swiss Alps.
Ferry Travel
Norfolkline - low prices, quality ferries, convenient schedules
Transfers
Need a lift?
Holiday Taxis offer private transfers from airports to ski resorts in the Alps. Whether it's just you or a bunch of friends, they have transport to suit your needs.
Car Hire
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