Aussois - introduction

Aussois is the quintessential traditional mountain village. Set on a south-facing plateau in the Haute Maurienne valley in the Savoie region of the French Alps, it’s a pretty collection of stone and slate chalets that attracts young families looking for easygoing slopes and genuine mountain charm. 

At an altitude of 1,500m, Aussois’s slopes reach a high point of 2,700m and sit on the edge of the Vanoise National Park. To its immediate south, you’ll find the Italian border and the resorts of Bardonecchia and Sauze d’Oulx; to the north, you’ll find the Tarentaise valley. As the crow flies, Val Thorens is just 15km away, and Val d’Isere is 31km, yet to drive would take you two to three hours and makes Aussois feel hidden away yet at the same time closer than you think. 

A huge plus for Aussois is it’s just a 15-minute drive from the train station at Modane, which is on the TGV line from Paris to Milan and a great alternative to the more well-known Tarentaise ski-train route.

Just 700 people live in the village year-round, which can trace its roots back to the first millennium BC. Agriculture has been the mainstay of village life, but the Fréjus rail tunnel opening in 1871 and the construction of a hydroelectric dam in the 1950s began to open up the area, ahead of the village becoming a family ski resort in the 1970s. Now, the village balances all this history with tourism – in both summer and winter.

Aussois attracts the chilled-out and value-conscious, particularly young families and unhurried skiers looking for easy slopes and a genuine village. Accommodation is mostly in traditional hotels, B&Bs and gîtes, plus a handful of ski-in/ski-out apartments within walking distance of the lifts.

The village’s 15 or so restaurants and bars serve hearty Savoyard staples of tartiflette and fondue, pizza and crepes, and the Brasserie d’Oé, in the Maison des Métiers d’Art in the centre of the village, is a must for locally brewed beers crafted by three friends from Aussois.

Aussois’s sunny, quiet 55km of slopes sit within the wider Haute Maurienne Vanoise region, with six resorts sharing 350km of pistes on one pass, from big all-rounder Val Cenis to one of the ‘Most beautiful villages in France’ Bonneval-sur-Arc.

Skiing and snowboarding aside, Aussois keeps families busy with dog-sledding, snow tubing, snake gliding and an indoor pool, plus guided snowshoe outings, including an evening version with mulled wine and hot chocolate that make the most of the Vanoise National Park on the village’s doorstep.

To confirm its family-friendly credentials, Aussois has held the Famille Plus Montagne label since the nationwide tourism accreditation was created in 2006. It doesn’t just recognise achievements by the ski school or lift company, it also reflects the efforts from the resort’s accommodation providers, shopkeepers, restaurants and extra activities.

Highlights

• Traditional, unspoilt savoyard village
• One of the first resorts in France to hold the Famille Plus label
• Great access by train – Modane is 15 mins away and four hours from Paris on the TGV
• Consistently uncrowded slopes and very few lift queues

Lowlights

• Very limited evening scene
• 55km of slopes are plenty for a family week, but stronger skiers will want more
• South-facing slopes are great for sunny skiing, but can easily turn slushy lower down, especially later in the season