Rail-ski map of France

'Planning a journey without a map is like building a house without drawings.'
- Mark Jenkins, explorer

Maps are particularly useful when planning ski holidays by train. Without them, one can be in the dark as to what is possible.

At Snowcarbon, we'd long wanted to create maps to help inspire people as to which resorts they can reach; and help them plan journeys more effectively.

Then recently, a graphic designer who loves to travel to ski resort by train, called David Cooper, contacted us.  He had started sketching out an idea for a rail-ski map of France. We were absolutely delighted and we worked with David to create the map that you see below. The map was created in conjuction with tourism authorities France Montagnes and Explore France.

You can open the map as a PDF, and then download it, by clicking Snowcarbon rail-ski map of France so that you can see in detail the routes and resorts.

More about The Rail Ski Map of France

The Rail Ski Map was created in conjunction with France Montagnes and Explore France, and features 35 train stations in the French Alps and the Pyrenees, serving 93 ski resorts.
 
It aims to be a source of inspiration and a useful planning tool for anyone considering a rail journey to the Alps and Pyrenees. The map shows the key high-speed, local and sleeper train routes available to popular destinations.
 
Cooper says: “For anyone planning a rail journey or looking for inspiration, maps are an essential part of the picture. They enable people to see, at a glance, which ski resorts are possible to reach. As well as that, people can plan stop overs en route, taking advantage of the fact that they are travelling through a town or city that they’d like to visit.
 
Snowcarbon Founder, Daniel Elkan says: “There are so many ski resorts that are accessible by rail. But many skiers don’t know about these journeys because they don’t have the visual context– literally – of what the possibilities are. With so many more skiers opting for indirect options via Paris or Lille, the Rail-Ski Map can be a vital starting point in a switch from plane or car to train. Maps are also an essential tool for ensuring that you don’t get fooled by rail-booking website algorithms, which might inadvertently exclude suitable options. Using the map as a planning companion, you no longer have to blindly accept the results that websites offer you.”

Using the rail-ski map on your website

The map was created with the aim of helping more skiers and snowboarders find out where and how to travel to ski resorts by train. If you have a website and would like to use the map on it, you are welcome to do so but please add a credit and weblink to Snowcarbon.

You can open the map as a PDF, and then download it, by clicking Snowcarbon rail-ski map of France.

You can find various sizes of the map, as JPGs, on this link to the rail-ski map of France Dropbox folder.

Love to hear what you think

We'd love to hear your thoughts on the map and which resorts you've travelled to using it. So by all means do get in touch.