 Poster: A snowHead
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Val Cenis, January 2026
It's time to go back!
We're returning to the Maurienne Valley after spending nearly a fortnight there in January. In January we were based in the lower half of the valley, and mostly skied in that area; this time we'll be staying in Modane in the upper half of the valley, with easier access to the ski areas up there. Snow conditions seem OK; the first half of February was exceptionally snowy but warm sunshine has predominated since then. The weather forecast is similarly "OK" - a little mild, perhaps cooling a little mid-month, and a lightly unsettled weather pattern which might bring some clouds and rain / snow showers depending on altitude.
A reminder of all the Maurienne ski areas from west to east (* denotes a day spent there in January):
1. *Le Grand Domaine (St François Longchamp / Valmorel)
2. ***Les Sybelles (La Toussuire / Le Corbier / St-Jean-d'Arves / St-Sorlin-d'Arves)
3. Albiez-Montrond
4. *Les Karellis
5. ***Galibier Thabor (Valloire / Valmenier)
6. *3 Vallées (Orelle / Val Thorens only)
7. Valfréjus
8. La Norma
9. *Aussois
10. *Val Cenis (Termignon / Lanslebourg / Lanslevillard)
11. Bonneval-sur-Arc
For some of the time we'll continue using our Skiogrande lift passes (more info about this in the January trip report). But for a 7-day period early in the trip we'll be using a Val Cenis ski pass, which due to dynamic pricing undercuts even the Skiogrande rates. This allows one day in each of the other Haute Maurienne areas, as well as unlimited access to the Val Cenis lifts. We'll also probably revisit the Bauges region on arrival day, and perhaps departure day if the snow's still OK.
Tips / suggestions / questions about the upper Maurienne very welcome.
As always, I'll add the cost breakdown and photos after the trip.
Links to all trip reports
Feb 2014: Soll (SkiWelt), Austria
Jan 2015: Alpe d'Huez & Les 2 Alpes, France
Jan 2016: Les Carroz (Grand Massif), France
Mar 2017: Belle Plagne (Paradiski), France (no TR yet)
Jan 2018: Notre Dame de Bellecombe (Espace Diamant), France
Mar 2018: Ponte di Legno +Ponte di Legno-Tonale, Pejo, Monte Altissimo (Borno), Aprica , central Italian Alps
Jan 2019: St Gervais (Evasion Mont Blanc) +Cordon, Megeve-St Gervais-Combloux-La Giettaz, Les Contamines , France
Mar 2019: Varena, southern Dolomites +Alpe Cermis, Passo Rolle, Latemar, St Martino di Castrozza, Alpe Lusia, Pozza di Fassa / Buffaure, San Pellegrino / Falcade, Carezza, Jochgrimm, Catinaccio / Vigo di Fassa , Italy
Jan 2020: Abondance (Portes du Soleil) +Portes du Soleil main circuit, Abondance, Cret Beni (La Chapelle d'Abondance), Bernex, Praz de Lys, Thollon , France
Mar 2020: Embrun, Provence Alps +Les Orres, Foret Blanche (Risoul-Vars) , France
Jan 2022: Vizille, Grenoble Alps +Le Collet d'Allevard, Lans en Vercors, Alpe d'Huez, Alpe du Grand Serre, Chamrousse, Villard de Lans-Correncon, Meaudre, Autrans, Les 7 Laux, Gresse en Vercors , France
Mar 2022: Aosta Valley +Espace San Bernardo (La Thuile-La Rosiere), Pila, Courmayeur, Monterosa Ski, Skyway Monte Bianco , Italy
Jan 2023: St Jean d'Aulps (Portes du Soleil) +Portes du Soleil main circuit, Morzine-Les Gets, Roc d'Enfer, Praz de Lys , France
Mar 2023: Valtellina +Piani di Bobbio, Valchiavenna (Madesimo), Livigno, Bormio, Cima Piazzi, Santa Caterina, Ponte di Legno-Tonale, Valmalenco, Aprica , Italy
Jan 2024: Aravis & Tarentaise +Le Grand Bornand, La Clusaz, Valmorel, Arêches-Beaufort, Pralognan la Vanoise, Sainte Foy Tarentaise, Courchevel , France
Feb 2024: Trentino +Folgaria, Paganella, Monte Bondone, Rittner Horn, Campiglio Ski, Lavarone , Italy
Jan 2025: Magic Pass +Lélex-Crozet, Mijoux-La Faucille, Evolène, La Forclaz, Leysin, Les Mosses, Villars-Gryon-Les Diablerets, La Dôle-Tuffes, La Serra, Vercorin, Unterbäch, Eischoll, Anzère, Grimentz-Zinal, St Luc-Chandolin, Moosalp, Lauchernalp, Visperterminen, Rosswald, La Berra , Switzerland
Mar 2025: Magic Pass +Rochers de Naye, Saas Fee, Evolène, Arolla, Ovronnaz, Jeizinen, Saas Almagell, Nax, Anzère, Vercorin, San Domenico, Glacier 3000, Leukerbad, St Luc-Chandolin, Grimentz-Zinal, Les Marécottes , Switzerland
Jan 2026: Maurienne & Bauges +Le Semnoz, Les Sybelles, Galibier Thabor (Valloire-Valmeinier), Aussois, Orelle-Val Thorens, Les Karellis, Val Cenis, St François Longchamp, La Feclaz, Le Revard , France
(Scotland: 2026 Glenshee)
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Mon 9 Mar - arrival & Aillons Margeriaz
Aillons Margeriaz piste map
Airport and flight times this morning were a carbon copy of our January trip: early morning Monday easyJet flight from Edinburgh to Geneva. The flight was punctual with no issues until we arrived at the car hire desks - where picking up the keys from Unirent / Europcar took 90 minutes and featured a very long queue. The process also involved an extremely hard sell for upgrades, with the person at the desk trying to imply that if we didn't have a 4x4 or snow chains in addition to our winter tyres then the police would stop us. We resisted and were given a VW Polo with 11k miles on the clock. £376 for 13 days through Autoeurope, booked almost a whole year ago to get the lowest rate!
We hired skis from the same ski shop in Annecy (40 mins from Geneva), making sure to get the level of equipment we'd actually ordered this time. Then another 50 mins, via Lidl, to Aillons Margeriaz for some skiing. Thanks to the car hire delays it was nearly 2.30pm by the time we got on a lift, though they close nice and late at 4.45pm. The shortest lift pass is a four hour one and costs €25.50 including a small online discount - pricey for the Bauges but inexpensive using most other metrics.
Aillons Margeriaz is the most snowsure ski area in the pre-Alpine Bauges range: it faces northeast and is all between 1400 and 1830m altitude. There is still a deep (albeit old) snowpack on and off piste, despite no new snow for nearly 3 weeks and zero artificial snowmaking. The shady slope aspect wasn't enough to prevent slush; it was above freezing at all levels and the sun is pretty warm at this time of year. But the slopes were quiet so didn't bump up much.
There are (a real) 20km of slopes. Almost all are blue and served by a very useful top-to-bottom fast quad chair. There are several drag lifts dotted about, with three on skier's left accessing steeper reds and blacks. Some lifts are closed on low season weekdays, but all but one of the pistes remain accessible.
It's a very pleasant area for cruising (of the skiing variety...), with pretty and fairly long pistes mostly in the trees. Some of the blues could be green. Mont Blanc is visible, as is the abandoned Aillon le Jeune ski area nearby to the east (still with a decent cover of snow). Lots of noisy choughs flying around on the mountain and at the car park.
The quieter pistes are at the extremities. We especially liked the quiet, gently winding Coqs (blue) on far skier's right, and also the benign black on far skier's left marked as Lynx on the piste map but with another name on the piste markers. Lots of other very pleasant runs elsewhere..
Now off to Modane to check into our Airbnb.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Tue 10 Mar - Val Cenis day 1
Val Cenis piste map
Our 7-day Val Cenis lift pass started today. Bought in September, the resort's dynamic pricing system meant we paid only €151pp (about €21/day), undercutting the Skiogrande rates. Over the 7 days, we're allowed one "away day" in each of Aussois, Bonneval sur Arc, La Norma and Valfrejus.
But today we headed to Val Cenis, parking at Termignon 20 minutes up the valley from Modane. We came here already on an unpleasant weather day in January so you can read more about the ski area in that trip report.
The weather and snow today was very mixed: we had snow (sometimes heavy) above about 1600m, rain below, drier periods, some sunshine, periods of good visibility, thick fog around the Col du Mont Cenis and variable wind strengths. We skied on powder, sticky snow, slush, hardpack and bare patches.
Due to the rain lower down, we mostly stayed on the upper mountain. I think the skiing here is better than the lower mountain - not so many traverses and busy intersections - but there is still a distinct lack of cruising pistes for a ski area of this size.
I especially enjoyed Cupules (blue) + Arcelle (red) starting from Plan Cardinal (lots of bends and changes in gradient); Met, Tomba and Bec Rouge (reds) in the Met / Solert sector (quite quiet, good snow), and Madeleine (blue) through the trees to the Ramasse chair (quiet, maybe because it's a bit camouflaged on the piste map!).
Most pistes face northish, but Goulet (red) to the Col du Mont Cenis faces west and had much worse (heavier) snow conditions than all the other high runs. It probably has great views but we were in thick fog at this point!
We had a perfectly OK lunch (without it being memorable) at the Chalet des Essart, by the foot of the Essarts drag lift near Lanslevillard. €18 poire du boeuf plat du jour; €22 veal escalope. It was good to dry out a bit too!
For the last hour we skied the highest part of Termignon with blue sky increasing overhead. The fast reds off the Grand Coin drag were my favourite runs of the day, and joining them up with the gentler lower slopes made for some exceptionally long runs (at a real 9km, rivalling the Sarenne in Alpe d'Huez).
Two more days planned at Val Cenis, and hopefully at least one will be during nice weather.
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@denfinella, I wondered why you had missed out Les Aillons on the previous trip. I have only skied Le Jeune, not been to Margeriaz yet. There was a France TV news segment back in January on the other things that Le Jeune was trying now that the lifts are shut.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Interesting that you've twice not found favour with one of the better rated resorts in the valley, hopefully you will get it in good weather yet. Ski pass exceptional value! Maybe save Bonneval for after fresh snow fall this weekend as I think its supposed to be good for off piste with otherwise limited piste kms?
Interested in the West facing report, would have hoped it would be ok at altitude still....
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@rjs, we left Aillons Margeriaz for March with the assumption that the other areas in the Bauges would have poor snow by then. Which may be the case? Not sure, haven't checked, but they'd certainly have been very slushy.
@8611, yes, Val Cenis just hasn't quite clicked for me yet, but I'm keeping an open mind.
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Wed 11 Mar - La Norma
La Norma piste map
Today we visited La Norma, and loved it! At only 10 minutes drive away, the resort is the closest one to our Airbnb, with the few hairpins up to the lift base starting from the outskirts of Modane. The ascent intertwined with the metallic supports of the Norma Loops Alpine Coaster. We tried it at the end of the day and it's one of the better ones (long and quite steep!): decent value at €8 for a two-person sled.
The purpose-built but partly pedestrianised and fairly attractive resort (1350m) is on a sunny shelf but the slopes are anything but sunny. Nearly the whole ski area is steeply north facing, and the resort even publishes an infographic detailing which parts of which slopes receive bits of sun during midwinter. Now spring has sprung, there is adequate sunlight but the snow stayed in good condition with a less pronounced freeze-thaw cycle than the other places we've been this week. Some hard-pack around early on, still.
There are two main lift axes. On skier's left, a modern gondola and two slow quads eventually reach 2750m; on skier's right, a fast quad chair and two slow triples top out at 2550m. There are lots of trees; nearly to the top on the latter axis.
The upper mountain is all of red / easy black gradient, and to be honest so is the lower mountain - but with well-designed easier runs snaking back and forth here, to keep more cautious skiers happy.
Arlette and Foret (reds) are some of the best, fast wooded runs I've skied, and easily tagged onto the Norma II (black) motorway piste which looks directly down the Maurienne Valley. Chalets (red) was also a nice piste in the same vein, though officially closed due to bare patches which we were able to side-slip around.
In the middle of the area, Arcosses (black) had seriously large moguls - probably the trickiest black we've found so far in the Maurienne. The green and blue traverses are very enjoyable too, but have some sharp drop-offs and narrow sections so perhaps suit intermediates better than beginners.
There are a few drag lifts dotted around serving short but worthwhile, easier runs such as the quiet Myrtilles (blue) and two fun boardercrosses.
All the lifts close at the same time (4.30pm), so if you're keen to eke out as many km as possible, make sure you're on one of the top ones at closing time for a long final descent.
We'd skied all the runs by early afternoon, leaving lots of time for several 1400m vertical, non-stop laps. All the main ways down are excellent, but my favourite was probably Norma 1 (black) - Crêtes (red) - Arlette (red) - boardercross - Sainte Anne (green).
Hazy sunshine hung on until last lifts, but clouds were thickening further down the valley and we might get some snow tonight (though the weather is coming from the northwest and the Haute Maurienne is pretty sheltered from this direction).
After surviving on a rather meagre packed lunch, we tried the Antalya kebab restaurant in Modane tonight. €16-18 mains, good quality kebab meat, would recommend.
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Thu 12 Mar - Valfrejus
Valfréjus piste map
Last night's snow mostly fizzled out before it reached us, with the mountains around Modane picking up just a few cm to around 1400m. The snowline meant a (minor) powder day today in Valfréjus (altitude 1,550m), a 20 min drive up 16 hairpins from Modane. Free parking near both lift bases.
Low cloud and drizzle / snizzle began to break up at lift opening times, with blue sky soon appearing around the upper slopes and low-level fog mostly gone by late morning. Feeling warm again by the afternoon.
The ski area is fairly simply laid out, with a modern but rather skeletal lift system. A gondola climbs to the Plateau d'Arrondaz at 2,200m, with steep black and red options though trees back to town (west facing and not particularly enjoyable). A short, worthwhile blue offshoot (Charmasson) leads to a separate lift base at the north end of the resort, with a slow quad chair back up. There's an exhilarating-looking luge run here too which we planned to try, but it was closed due to lack of snow.
From Plateau d'Arrondaz a six seater fast chair rises, in imposing concave profile, to the summit of Punta Bagna at 2,730m. The mountain looks seriously impressive from below, and very snowy; the terrain under the chairlift is craggy and has obvious exciting off-piste terrain, while also being popular with ski-paragliding. There are blue, red and black options back down, of which the mogulled blacks weren't particularly steep but had a nice wild feel away from the lifts.
From Punta Bagna there is a narrow view through the Col du Fréjus to Italy, where the ski area of Bardonnechia is just about visible.
There are further scenically stunning intermediate runs off the back of Punta Bagna. If you like, you can return to the front side via a slow six seater chair to a minor col. Or you can continue all the way down to village level on the exceptionally long and scenic Jeu (blue), with a red alternative for the middle section. The piste is a little like the Grand Paradis red in Champéry (Portes du Soleil), with a sunny and open start before following a long valley in the forest.
At mid mountain there's also a weird area of very closely packed runs served by a drag lift or longer Petit Vallon slow chair: about 8 pistes but all very short and a bit sunny, and quite a few funnel onto the unpleasantly narrow / steep / busy Arolles blue.
So how to summarise Valfréjus? Visually it's one of the most arresting areas in the Maurienne, with a proper high Alpine feel. The lift system is good, and altitudes are too. However, a lot of the pistes are surprisingly sunny (a lot of west facing stuff) despite the main lift axis running from north to south, which affected snow quality; perhaps a better midwinter bet? Some major runs are also prone to avalanche closure (fortunately not today), and a couple of blues didn't exist on the ground (Lagopède & Dolce Vita), so I'd say you need to time your visit carefully otherwise the area may feel a bit small. And finally - there are a lot of flat areas, particularly around the central plateau, on the red home run and on Jeu. So perhaps one to avoid in powder, very hot weather or if you're a snowboarder.
Despite all those caveats, we had a good day!
For dinner we ate at Le Point d'Arrêt. €19 burger, €14 potage du chef (very strikingly presented), €6 pear panacotta, €6 chocolate mousse. A nice spot, possibly worth going back to.
Last edited by After all it is free  on Fri 13-03-26 9:13; edited 2 times in total
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Valfrejus is the youngest ski resort in France I believe!
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Modane & our Airbnb
Our base for the week, Modane, is a medium-sized valley town at about 1,050m above sea level, close to the entrance to the Fréjus motorway tunnel to Italy. It seems to have mostly developed as a border post (especially with the building of the Fréjus rail tunnel in the late 1800s, with associated wartime activities.
We did a little local sightseeing after the lifts closed yesterday. The quirky Maison Penchée is next to the road down from Valfréjus: this concrete blockhouse was thrown 30 metres by a wartime explosion and landed fully intact on a tilt. Wikipedia says it's the most popular free tourist attraction in Savoie, which surely can't be true?!
We then looked around Modane briefly. The main drag where the railway station and most of the restaurants are is separate from the old centre, which still isn't notably attractive but includes an ornate mairie and a mostly modern church containing an altar mural which looks like a Dalek is abducting groups of humans.
Our Airbnb (£465 for 12 nights) is on a south facing hillside a couple of minutes' drive uphill from town. The apartment block is an eyesore and was easily visible from La Norma the other day, but has great views across the town and valley from its sunny, elevated position. On the uphill side is open countryside, and we saw a deer in front of the apartment block one morning.
The apartment itself is mostly great: spacious, well heated, well-equipped with a full kitchen, washing machine, separate double bedroom, sitting and dining area, TV and lots of places to hang clothes. Two drawbacks: no WiFi, and it's on the fifth floor with no lift!
It cost about £100 less than our January apartment, and the proximity to several ski areas (5 within a 20-min drive) is a big plus.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Sounds good @denfinella. Two weeks today we had out albeit overnight ferry and drive so won't be skiing until the sunday. Can't wait. How are you finding the car parking at lift stations? I've read its a charge at Orelle but what about the others? Convenient? Been a bit spoiled in Aosta valley doing multi resorts with the car as the parking was always so convenient and free.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| MHskier wrote: |
| Sounds good @denfinella. Two weeks today we had out albeit overnight ferry and drive so won't be skiing until the sunday. Can't wait. How are you finding the car parking at lift stations? I've read its a charge at Orelle but what about the others? Convenient? Been a bit spoiled in Aosta valley doing multi resorts with the car as the parking was always so convenient and free. |
Apart from Orelle (there are a number of places close to the lift alongside the road you can park for free if you’re lucky) there is plentiful free parking at all the Maurienne Valley resorts and usually pretty close to the lifts
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@alasdair.graham, I didn't know that, interesting!
@MHskier, yes, everywhere has been free apart from Orelle (and I've been everywhere except Albiez Montrond now!). Parking is almost always close to the lifts; Valloire town centre is a little more awkward with a 5 min walk, but you can park at Armera in Valmeinier instead, or at Moulin Benjamin / Verneys in Valloire.
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You know it makes sense.
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Fri 13 Mar - Bonneval sur Arc
Bonneval piste map
An early start this morning to drive an hour up the valley to Bonneval sur Arc: the easternmost of the Maurienne resorts. The drive is scenic, passing through the cross-country haven of Bessans in a broad flood plain, where drivers are diverted through the town centre because the ring road becomes a XC trail in winter! A large avalanche hit the road between Bessans and Bonneval last month, and the walls of avalanche debris on either side of the road are still quite impressive when you pass between them.
Free parking by the piste just above the lift base. We arrived far too early; the interactive piste map advertised an 8.45am opening but nothing opened until 9.10am (and the lifts above the first one that took a while longer).
The ski area is smallish (real slope extent 20km), high and predominantly north facing, so snow conditions were excellent with not even a hint of slush despite full sunshine and temperatures above the seasonal average. The best snow quality so far this week, pushing La Norma into second place.
The lift system is essentially a chain of four lifts: a shortish quad chair from the valley (1800m) to a hub at 2050m, then a medium-length quad chair, a pair of parallel drags and finally a long quad chair to an impressively high 3,000m. None of the chairlifts are detachable, but you don't need to be in a rush here.
As a general rule, the higher up you go, the better the pistes are! The wide Bartavelle (blue) from the top chair (3000) was my favourite, winding all the way across the hill with amazing views down the Maurienne over snowy Bessans, but the direct red and black are excellent too; the black had serious moguls, especially near the top where it passes through a narrowish halfpipe.
The twin drags (Lacs) serve pistes which are all quite short but with a surprising variety of terrain, including lovely blue cruises (with lots of mini rollers), a tough red, fun little black and the best boardercross we've done all week.
The middle chair (Andagne) had a steepish blue and three ungroomed reds / blacks - hard work to lap these. The lowest chair (Vallonet) is quite short but has the only wooded terrain: a direct blue (possibly ice prone) and a narrow green road which has wonderful views but steep edges which might intimidate beginners. I don't think this is a good area for nervous skiers as a lot of the pistes have sections traversing above very steep terrain.
There are a couple of other short drags dotted about, including Mulinet which serves some worthwhile further blues.
You can ski from top to bottom in a single descent, entirely on blue runs - this was great fun and I'd rate it as one of the best long descents in the Maurienne, though it takes a while to get back to the top!
After the lifts closed we had a quick look around Bonneval village, which had pedestrianised, snow-covered streets and lots of old wooden buildings; it simultaneously managed to have both an end-of-the-world and very touristy feel.
Takeaway from Danos Pizza tonight; pizzas priced ~€10-14 but they were a littl disappointing, especially given the proximity to the Italian border!
Tomorrow could be interesting: quite a big snowfall forecast through daylight hours with the snowline all the way down to the valley. It could be an interesting transfer day for some, and it could be an interesting drive home to Modane after skiing for us too...
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Bonneval sounds otherworldly, I have to get there some time
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Poster: A snowHead
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| 8611 wrote: |
| Bonneval sounds otherworldly, I have to get there some time |
Probably my favourite ski area in the whole valley, will probably grab a day up there when we are over next week. As described above some lovely runs and greats views and the charcuterie board at the on mountain restaurant is well worth it.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Nice report, does anyone know if the blue from the top is a new piste, I remember a red and black but not a blue but may well be misremembering it's a while since I was last there.
Lovely little area. First time I went we had a really cheap Easter fortnight istaying in Bessans and skiing Val Cenis and Bonneval.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| T Bar wrote: |
Nice report, does anyone know if the blue from the top is a new piste, I remember a red and black but not a blue but may well be misremembering it's a while since I was last there.
Lovely little area. First time I went we had a really cheap Easter fortnight istaying in Bessans and skiing Val Cenis and Bonneval. |
We’ve been every year for the last 5 years and it’s always been a blue back down to the village…it is shaded in the afternoon so can be quite icy but it’s a nice run back to the village/bottom lift.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@8611, it was very nice!
@T Bar, thanks. I can't answer your question but the blue piste doesn't look like it's new.
@andmelffion, I can see why you like Bonneval a lot, it has an isolated, raw feel about it that you don't get from many places (Pralognan la Vanoise was similar).
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Sat 14 Mar - Val Cenis day 3
Val Cenis piste map
Today had the potential to be "interesting" due to the weather forecast, but everything fell into place very smoothly.
It was still dry albeit overcast when we drove up to Termignon, with precipitation starting on the dot of 9am as we passed through the first lift turnstiles. It continued all day, mostly of moderate intensity but with some heavier bursts in the morning and easing off a little after lunch.
On a snowy Saturday, I can't think of a better place to be than Val Cenis. Lots of trees for shelter / visibility if required, and the pistes were nearly deserted with almost everyone arriving or leaving the resort. With no cities within a 120km radius, this isn't really a weekend day tripper destination either.
Snow above 1800m was lovely light powder, then increasingly heavy going down to the lift bases, where the precipitation transitioned from rain to sleet to snow as the morning progressed. Visibility was generally OK, and wind wasn't a major issue though its direction was quite interesting: southeasterly and noticeably stronger through the Col du Mont Cenis (a bit of a retour d'est happening), but westerly on the Termignon side and down in Modane.
We generally stayed on the top half of the hill, firstly on the Lac / Grand Coin drags above Termignon and then on the Mont Cenis drag and Ramasse / Arcellins / Solert chairs in the eastern part of the domain. Snow was wonderful across the board (except on the west facing Fort (red)); powder occasionally reached knee height on some of the more sheltered reds (Relais, Petite Combe, Ramasse, Napoleon, Met) while the more benign blues offered an opportunity to rest legs (Mont Cenis, Tetras).
Lunch was the best of our trip so far. Vertige is a short walk from the Plan des Champs lift base; it has an upmarket feel and slightly expensive menu, but on weekends offers a fantastic 3 courses lunch menu for €21 (€44 during the week). Today the options were:
Starter:
- diots briochés, sauce vin rouge
Mains:
- sauté de veau, façon bourgignon, rigatoni
- fondue
- raclette
Dessert:
- bavarois exotique
I went for the veal; all three courses were very good indeed, along with a magically refilling basket of bread to dip in all the sauces. It's almost worth going to Val Cenis tomorrow just so we can go to the same restaurant again!
Driving back after the lifts closed, the landscape was turning white all the way to Modane (where it was -1°C), though peering out of the Airbnb window as I write, it isn't yet settling on the roads.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Val Cenis slowly being rehabilitated? Still have to hit it in sun which I think is forecast to make an appearance this week.
I see with interest the long term forecasts bringing in cold and snow next weekend, remains to be seen if that holds.
Have a cancellable booking for valloire on 28th, will be interested to hear your observations about aspect and snow conditions towards the end of your trip.
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@8611, Val Cenis planned for tomorrow, and sunshine forecast!
Re. aspect and snow conditions - slope aspect is pretty crucial imo, more so than altitude unless you're going really low (not really an issue in the Maurienne although Val Cenis lift bases are a bit low).
Valloire has a lot of west facing stuff, which isn't the worst direction but it's not the best either! I'd expect freeze-thaw conditions to be in full effect by the 28th.
It's likely we'll go back to Valloire at some point this coming week, and will report back on conditions if we do.
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| Quote: |
Starter:
- diots briochés, sauce vin rouge
Mains:
- sauté de veau, façon bourgignon, rigatoni
- fondue
- raclette
Dessert:
- bavarois exotique
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For Lunch? Gulp! The starter alone would be too much for me. A Plat du Jour is the most I can have for lunch, even then leaving some. But at 22€ how could you refuse.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Sun 15 Mar - Aussois
Aussois piste map
A couple more centimetres of snow accumulation in Modane overnight, with low clouds and snow-covered trees greeting us when we awoke and looked out of the window. Aussois is an easy 15 minute drive away; the road up starts from Modane. Roads were basically clear.
We went to Aussois during our January trip, so see that trip report if you want a more detailed description of the ski area. Two more pistes have opened since then: Léon (short, easy blue) and Stella (scenic red off the Fournache chair at the top). It was nice to explore some new bits of the area.
The weather forecast was uncertain, with the retour d'est continuing on the Italian border but sunshine forecast elsewhere in Savoie. Consequently there was often some blue sky above the upper slopes and when looking north/westward, but everything looked socked in when looking downhill towards the other side of the Maurienne. Not a bad day overall, with thick fog moving in sometime after 4pm when we were approaching lift closing time anyway.
~10cm of fresh in Aussois, ~30cm in some favoured spots at the top. The mountain is south facing so anything both low and steep (basically the reds under the bottom chair) was quite heavy going after lunch, but otherwise there were some really nice surface conditions, and the powder was really quite light everywhere at the start of the day.
There was a signboard at the base of the two-seater, 50 year-old Fournache chair announcing that it will soon be replaced by a four-seater starting lower 500m down the hillside to the southwest, opening up two new pistes and increasing the available vertical on this side of the hill. Should be a nice addition!
Excellent pizzas (€12-16) plus some tasty but perhaps slightly overpriced desserts (€8-9) at Al Dente near the lift base. Choosing a large sorbet-based option just before heading back out to -5°C and a brisk wind at the top was probably a mistake on my part!
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Mon 16 Mar - Val Cenis (day 3)
Val Cenis piste map
Back to Val Cenis for the fourth time this season - and finally a sunny day, at the fourth time of asking! It took a while for some thick morning fog to burn off, but by 11am or so the highest lifts were above the cloud, which gradually burnt off lower down through the rest of the day.
Temperatures were still below average for March, and with ~40cm of fresh snow high up from the weekend's retour d'est, conditions were fantastic. Every single piste was open. Snow quality deteriorated a bit below 1,700m or so as the sun got to work, but slush was pretty limited except on the more west-facing lower slopes of Termignon at the end of the day.
I've taken a while to warm to Val Cenis but really enjoyed today. I think it's a resort where it helps to know the ski area a bit - where the busy spots are, which pistes are underused, not needing to consult the piste map at intersections etc.
For example - the evil Familiale (blue) piste from the Solert chair gets unpleasantly busy but Bec Rouge (red) is very quiet. And when transferring from the top of the Solert chair to the Met chair, you can avoid Familiale entirely by using the quieter M. Jacob Solert (red) to skier's right, with a useful cat-track across to Met further down. It's easier to see this stuff when it's not foggy!
The top of Termignon is also quiet as it's served by drag lifts, but the pistes are great.
Some of the highlights today were blacks: Met and MJ Berche had both been freshly groomed with perfect snow, while Moraine from the Plan Cardinal chair was ungroomed with silly amounts of powder on it - well over half a metre in places.
Everything off the Met and Arcellins chairs was great; we also finally got views into Italy from the top of both of these, after fog on all our previous visits!
Final thoughts on Val Cenis - an excellent mid-size ski area (only the fifth biggest in the Maurienne after Orelle, Valloire, Les Sybelles and St François Longchamp), with fast lifts, lots of trees yet also some decent altitude stuff. Fantastic for beginners and mixed ability groups; perhaps not so good for covering the miles or motorway cruises. I suspect it's a bit too dark and shady in January, and the lift bases are a bit low for late March, but I'd recommend it for anyone tied to visiting France in the February holiday period, or early March.
Wonderful pizzas (€7-13) and enormous tiramisu (€5) in the friendly and suspiciously good value Pulcinella in Modane tonight. I'm very full.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Brilliant trip report. Keep up the good work!
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FAQ
