Val Cenis - ski area

Val Cenis is the big-hitter of the Haute Maurienne Vanoise valley, a proper all-rounder with 125km of groomed runs across 65 pistes, three linked villages, and a reputation for reliable, north-facing snow that keeps it in great shape deep into the season.  

The emphasis is primarily on blue and red runs, but there's plenty of easily-accessible novice-friendly terrain at each of the three villages, Lanslebourg, Lanslevillard and Termignon; the latter accessed by the fast Turra six-seater chairlift that can be taken in either direction.

Skiing above the snow-line here is high on visual drama, with panoramic views along the valley and across to Aussois, or in the other direction to the remote-looking vastness of the Lac de Mont Cenis. Whether frozen and snow-covered, or a shimmering vision of deep blue, it’s quite a sight, and just beyond the lake lie the peaks and valleys of Italy.

As with most ski areas, the outermost runs – whether you head to Termignon or the Plan Cardinal above Lanslevillard – are particularly rewarding for those who like the sensation of being close to nature, with space to stop along the way and admire the scenery and the silence. Not that the lower sections above any village are exactly heavily trafficked, and there are plenty of forest sections to offer shelter should the visibility drop in bad weather.

Black-graded groomed runs are limited, but there's genuinely worthwhile off-piste accessible straight off the lift system, and further up the valley, the wild, rugged terrain around Bonneval-sur-Arc is well worth the day trip for anyone chasing more.

Ski highlights for all levels

Beginners: Absolute beginners have accessible, dedicated facilities at Lanslebourg, Lanslevillard, Val Cenis le Haut and Termignon. A major plus is that after mastering the basics in reassuring surroundings novices can immediately start to build their confidence and fitness on Europe’s longest green run, the aptly-named 10km-long Escargot (snail). It’s super-easy, and they’re unlikely to get lost thanks to the slightly surreal presence of road signs beside the piste, confirming that beneath the snow is the D1006, the Col du Mont Cenis, open in the summer as a picturesque, winding road from Lanslebourg (1400m) to the border with Italy. 

Intermediates: Before heading off to explore the rest of the Haute Maurienne Vanoise pass, it's well worth getting to know Val Cenis' entertaining local terrain – there's more variety here than a quick pass-through gives credit for. Termignon's highest sector is worth travelling to; the Grand Coin draglift up to 2,465m opens up a swathe of good red and blue runs, including Bleue du Lac, a remote-feeling piste that also gives a good glimpse of the off-piste possibilities nearby. 

Below that, the rest of the Termignon sector holds up well: Forestière and Girarde zigzag back down through the trees to the village on blue, Bois des Coqs offers a red alternative, and if you're not in a hurry, the blue-graded Traverse winds a properly satisfying route through the forest over to Lanslebourg, with the Turra six-seater on hand if you want to bail out and ride down, or back up, instead.

From Lanslebourg, take the Ramasse chair then the Mont Cenis draglift to a height of 2,330m and views across the frozen Lac du Mont Cenis and the Italian peaks in the distance. Another swathe of flattering reds and blues link this bowl to the bowl above Lanslevillard, and the fun reds from the fast Solert chair. 

Experts: Black runs don’t exactly leap out from the piste map, and most are relatively short, but Michèle Jacot de la Met is an un-groomed drop from the top of the Met chairlift, with the oppor-tunity to warm up first on neighbouring Blues and Reds served by the same lift. Another mogul run is Moraine, accessed via the Plan Cardinal chairlift. Otherwise, it’s down to steep short-cuts be-tween intermediate pistes. That said, here and there the Reds include a few entertaining technical challenges.

The lower density of skiers on the mountain than in better-known ski areas means that after re-cent snowfalls you won’t need to venture far off-piste to find untracked powder. If you do feel a wanderlust, though, a good starting-point is the top station of the Plan Cardinal lift, from where you can explore varied terrain below the Glacier de l’Arcelle. Less remote-feeling, but still worth-while are the areas served by the Arcellins chair and the more hardcore Mont Cenis draglift. Above Termignon look below the Col de Sollières, accessible via the Grand Coin or Lac draglifts. This area might become rather better known if a project to extend the groomed ski area comes to fruition, although in a protected, environmentally-sensitive landscape such as this, it’s by no means certain that the project will prove viable. Finally, don’t overlook the potential of the wild and rugged ter-rain around nearby Bonneval sur Arc.

Ski schools and guides

The French national ski-school ESF offers lessons to all ages and abilities from 3 years upwards. There are offices in Val Cenis, Termignon and in Bonneval sur Arc. With a huge amount of experience within its ranks, the ESF school offers a broad range of specialised teaching, including freestyle, ski touring and off-piste. Their Handiski programme for skiers with disabilities includes both sit-ski and taxi-ski.

The ESI international ski school in Val Cenis is a small and friendly team offering ski and snowboard lessons in small groups with a more flexible approach and later morn-ing start times. The school offers varied Handiski lessons with fully-qualified instructors and companion skiers.

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Lift system

While the stats seem to suggest you’ll encounter quite a few draglifts, most are there to link ac-commodation direct to nearby ski-school areas. Elsewhere speedier and more comfortable alter-natives exist, the only exception being a pair of simple draglifts serving the topmost terrain above Termignon (where they minimise the visual impact on a sensitive, unspoilt environment). In fact, for most of the time you’ll be getting around on modern high-speed gondolas or four- and six-seater chairlifts – clear evidence of sustained heavy investment in lift infrastructure in recent years. As a result, it now takes just a few minutes to get between Lanslebourg and Termignon, thanks to the impressive Turra six-seater chair, which carries skiers in both directions (previously you’d have taken a shuttle bus ride).

There’s more still to come too, including another high-speed six-seater to replace both the Val Cenis draglift and the Arcellins II fixed chair. Meanwhile, just up the valley even Bonneval sur Arc is similarly well equipped, possessing three four-seater chairs in addition to six classic draglifts.

Snow reliability and snowmaking

Come here in midwinter and you’ll be surprised at how low temperatures can drop in the valley, particularly considering the relatively modest altitude (around 1300m). Add the fact that most of the ski terrain is north-facing – coupled with the presence to the north of the peaks of the Parc National de la Vanoise – and you have one of the better performers in the snowfall tables. Nothing is certain, however, so to provide cover should the season turn out to be a mild one, Val Cenis has around 180 snow cannon covering key pistes. The highest are around the 2100m mark, although most are sited on lower return runs. The resorts has invested 3.5 millions euros over 3 years (2016-2018) to reinforce its snow production network.