STE-FOY-TARENTAISE: Part 3 - On the Piste

For years, I've been looking across at Ste-Foy's ski area from Les Arcs' Villaroger pistes, without ever making the effort to get over there to see what all the fuss is about.

They say it's where the Val d'Isere instructors go on their day off.  That the ski area, though small, packs much more of a punch than a look at the map might suggest.  That the off-piste is quite simply Premier League.  And that the resort is developing in a gentle, vaguely up-market kind of a way, with a loyal band of British visitors.  I can't vouch for the Val d'Isere instructors, but all of these seemed to be true this March.

It's only about 20 minutes from Bourg-St-Maurice.  First, you pass through Ste-Foy village at 813m.  It boasts a Logis de France, and is well placed for back-door access to Les Arcs via Villaroger.  Then you take the next set of hairpins towards Val d'Isere and then turn off to the left - the road up to the resort is not bad at all.  You can read a little bit more about the commune on the modest wikipedia page.

The lift pass, at 27€, makes a change from the 46€ Les Arcs price.  Indeed, the resort gets into the Chris Gill and Dave Watts Reasonably Affordable Ski Resorts guide.

This is one of the few resorts not owned by Compagnie des Alpes, but there is some money going into the system; there will be a new detachable lift in place from the resort for 2013/14.

The runs are long and there's a good mixture of open and tree-lined skiing.  There are a couple of cosy restaurants half-way up - they get quite crowded, as indeed does the restaurant at the foot of the slopes next to the ESF office.

Back on the slopes, the La Marquise lift is the newest, and has opened up a fine area of mountain.  The prospect of the ski area expanding beyond its current 35kms now look remote - more details on the background here.

The local mairie wants to expand the area.
"Non" say environmental campaigners -
and the French Ministry agrees

For more, see the We Love 2 Ski guide - or watch the videos below, which weave on and off the pistes:

                        

STE-FOY-TARENTAISE: Part 2 - Off Piste

Ste-Foy may be a small resort in terms of piste skiing, but it is clearly in the Premier League for off-piste.  There is skiing from 3000m (if you're willing to take a hike from the top lift) down to about 1200m.   (For more on the debate on extending Ste-Foy's ski area click here.)

Ste-Foy offers off-piste slopes for all abilities (easier on the south side; more challenging on the northern flank).  Along withe La Rosiere, it also makes a bit of a thing about heli-skiing.  This is banned in France, but they "cheat a little" by dropping skiers off over the Italian border for their descent back.

In honour of these possibilities, the local ESF has set up a special "pole hors-piste".  

Some links:

1.   The White Room Chalet guide, which covers the special off-piste areas which are secured from avalanches by the pisteurs, but otherwise left to nature.

2.  Premier Neige also gives a pen picture of the various runs.  

3.  And here's the guide from pistehors.com

Meanwhile, here are some shots of the run to Le Monal:

The start: Col de l'Aiguille

Looking down on Le Monal, with
Tignes in the distance

Le Monal: many of the chalets
are being renovated.
Deserted in winter

Le Rocher de Pierre d'Arbine

Looking back from the track to Ste-Foy

To see some real skiers take the route, have a look at the video below.  It's from the Quebecois Plaisir de Skier series, with our presenter taken round the local slopes by local monitrice Marian Bréchu.  In addition to the run to Le Monal, they take to the north face and ski down for a meal at Le Miroir, just above the road to Bourg St Maurice.

The White Room Chalet