Winter & Ski Home Ski Resort Reviews Alps Crest-Voland

Small (with a big ski area) is beautiful...

Freshly-groomed snow distracts morning skiers from the mountain restaurant terraces above Crest Voland.

Located just south of Megève (with which it might one day become linked), the Espace Diamant brings together the ski areas of the Val d’Arly with those around Hauteluce and Les Saisies in the Beaufortain. The result is currently one of the best-kept secrets in the French Alps, with a wealth of varied terrain and great snow record, thanks to the nearby presence of Mont Blanc. Like its Espace Cristal Predecessor, the name might not sound too familiar, but this is an area about which you’re going to be hearing a lot more as it continues to expand and develop.

Early morning, en-route for Les Saisies and a relaxed tour around the Espace Diamant’s varied terrain.

The Espace Diamant’s great advantage over other larger French ski areas is undoubtedly the possibility of skiing a full circuit around the mountains and back to your starting-point in a day. Much like the famous Sella Ronda in Italy, in fact – only here you’ll have time for a relaxed lunch along the way. For intermediates there’s great cruising terrain, and the varied scenery brings a sense of getting right away from worldly cares. Closer to home, Crest Voland’s gentle beginners’ slopes are easily accessible right above the village, yet still with inspiring views across the valley. And if you don’t want to do the whole circuit, you still have the choice of skiing a different area each day.
On paper at least, the only downside is the high number of drag-lifts. Things are steadily improving, though, and anyway we think there’s something to be said for being towed through forest glades where the only sound is the crackle of snow beneath your skis...

Fresh snow covers the rooftops of Crest Voland’s individual chalets.

Accommodation-wise, while the larger-scale developement (but attractive) around Les Saisies has much higher capacity, the traditional village feel of Crest Voland and its neighbors in the Val d’Arly (Flumet, Praz sur Arly, Notre Dame de Bellecombe) have much to offer those looking for something more authentic. In fact, MGM Constructeur has added new luxury slopeside apartments close to Crest Voland – clear evidence that the area is on the up. And with a high-proportion of privately-owned chalets, it’s unlikely that the village will lose its low-rise/high-quality appeal.

You can cover some distance and see the sights during the course of a complete circuit of the Espace Diamant.

Back-to-nature skiers, and anyone looking for a low-impact, traditional mountain style, will love this place. Families, and mixed-ability groups will also appreciate the area’s reassuring novice and early-intermediate terrain, in addition to the wealth and diversity of long, scenic cruising on offer. Naturally, there are some steeps here and there, to add variety to a day’s skiing, without anything sudden to put-off those who are building their technical abilities and fitness levels. All-in-all, an attractive option for those in search of a substantial ski area without the pressures of overdevelopment or any sense of being priced-out. Your friends might not have heard of it (yet), but don’t let that put you off.

Our approach from the Val d’Arly, past venerable, unmodernised mountain chalets, suggests that this is going to be interesting. Sure enough, the sinuous route up to Crest Voland requires a steady hand — not easy when there’s so much dramatic scenery to distract the eye at every turn.

Crest Voland is at first glance the classic mountain ski village, with a cheerful, welcoming style and a refreshingly strict low-rise planning policy. The ski-lifts are also located close to the heart of the village. And for us, snow conditions are perfect when we arrive, so next morning we set off early with Alexis, our ESF moniteur, on our own grand tour of the terrain above the Val d’Arly.

The circle game

We begin 1767m above Notre Dame de Bellecombe on Mont Rond, swooping down through silent wooded glades and heading back up to the exposed vastness of Mont Vores (2069m). The sheer scale of the terrain becomes apparent as we work our way systematically around the mountain and down into Praz sur Arly, almost 900m below. By now it’s clear that today is going to be a high-mileage day – which is how we like it, particularly when the journey reveals a succession of new and varied surroundings.

Fresh snow above Hauteluce, en-route for Les Saisies.

Our lunch stop looks, feels and smells like an authentic chalet restaurant should, and La Montagnette enjoys a tranquil setting below the Roc des Evettes, between Praz and Flumet. Copiously warmed and refreshed, we press onward to tackle the assortment of drag lifts serving this area. Low-tech it may sometimes appear, but the system works, and gets us where we're heading, back up to Mont Rond for a final run back into Notre-Dame de Bellecombe, right where we started.

Bonus time

So, we’ve made a full circuit around the mountains in a single day and seen something of what the various areas have to offer. But we know that there’s a lot more enjoyment to be had by digging a little deeper to exploring the many hidden valleys and glades we overlooked in the quest for the grand tour. Not that we’ve done that just yet.

Cohennoz is an authentic mountain village little touched by time.

Next morning we set off from Crest Voland to familiarise ourselves with another side of the Espace Diamant’s engaging personality, namely the area extending into the adjoining Beaufortain valley. From Mont Lachat (1650m) we work our way through more pristine forest to the Chard du Beurre (1889m) and La Legette (1865m) for the exhilarating steep plunge between ancient mountain chalets above Hauteluce. Things get gentler as we approach the visibly popular ski village of Les Saisies, for the onward run over Mont Bisanne, whose 1940m summit offers an impressive panoramic viewpoint. After the inevitable photo-pause we press on, and drop into the developing ski hamlet of Bisanne 1500 on the Blue-graded Le Planay piste. After riding the Rosières chairlift back to Mont Bisanne we’ve gained the altitude we’ll need to make the long schusse which would normally take us back into Les Saisies. At the half-way point, though, we peel off and maintain enough speed to carry us onto the Green-graded forest trail for the long, winding cruise back to Cohennoz. Along the way the silence and beauty of it all is haunting, adding yet another dimension to the remarkable Espace Diamant.

The last of the day’s skiers make their unhurried way back to the village of Crest Voland.

At Cohennoz our journey is almost over. One final haul back up to Mont Lachat allows us to descend once again towards Crest Voland for a welcome lunch break on the restaurant terrace of le Vent Volet. High above the village, we gaze back at the pistes and try to take in all we’ve seen and done in just two days. Our conclusion: this place really has come up with just the kind of unique package it takes to amaze us.

© Roger Moss