Ski Chalets in Montgenevre, France

Description

Montgenèvre is a ski resort sitting on the French side of the Franco/Italian border in the expansive Milky Way ski area. With an altitude range from 1,850m up to 2,630m, the resort boasts high-altitude and generally excellent snow cover from the start of the ski season in December right through to winter’s end around the end of April.

Construction on the resort began back in 1907 and today, Montgenèvre has grown into a welcoming and well-located Alpine ski resort of international note. With through-traffic relatively recently reduced and plenty of slope-side accommodation options to choose from, Montgenèvre is a great resort choice for beginner and intermediate skiers. It’s also a great resort for families — peaceful and quiet with minimal nightlife, good ski schools, easy ski access, plenty to do off the slopes and excellent learner-friendly terrain to explore.

Getting There

Montgenèvre’s closest airport is Turin International Airport, which sits 1.5 hours’ drive away — just over 100km. Chambery Airport is 1hr 45mins drive away and there’s also Grenoble-Isère Airport around a 2-hour drive (222km) from the resort. Geneva is 2.5 hours’ drive away too, so in short, you have plenty of airports to choose from! For train travellers, there’s an SNCF station in the nearby French town of Briançon with rail links to Lyon and Paris, then London.

When to Go

The winter ski season in Montgenevre lasts from around the end of November up until the end of April – pretty typical of France’s many ski resorts. The resort offers 85 kilometres of alpine skiing alongside 70 km of cross country routes, so there’s terrain to suit a wide range of snow conditions all winter long.

Early-season

Visitors in the early season can enjoy festive celebrations in the pretty resort of Montgenevre – and it’s a wonderful resort in which to spend the holiday season among friends and family. The resort lays on a wonderful programme of festive celebrations to welcome visitors from across the world, such as fireworks and torch lit descents, and the atmosphere around town over Christmas and New Year is magical.

Mid-season

Through January and February, Montgenevre typically sees strong snowfall and well-covered slopes. Base levels at this altitude are often very good by this point, and the resort’s piste-bashers and snow cannons ensure the snow coverage remains strong where it’s needed.

Late-season

When spring ticks round in Montgenevre, skiers and snowboarders enjoy freshly-bashed corduroy pistes in the morning and softer, slushy snow in the afternoon – especially lower down toward the base of the village. Heading into April, Montgenevre misses out on many late-season skiers – who tend to head to the higher resorts of Tignes, la Plagne or Val Thorens for the better snow conditions at higher altitude.

Where to Stay

On the accommodation side of things, Montgenèvre offers a strong range of different accommodation options, with chalets, hotels and apartments — both catered on a half-board basis and un-catered — to suit a broad range of budgets. You’ll find traditional ski chalets built in the classic Savoyard style as well as traditional hotels and self-catering suites. Overall there’s plenty of piste-side accommodation to choose from and you rarely have to walk far to get into the action.

Getting around

Montgenevre is located at one end of the Milky Way and guests can visit the nearby resorts of Serre Chevalier, Puy St Vincent, Les Deux Alpes and Alpe d’Huez for a free day with a 6 day lift pass.

Apres

Montgenèvre is not known for its vibrant après ski… things are generally pretty quiet on that front. There’s a limited range of spots for an après-ski drink but, of course, there are options available.

Venues such as the Refuge and Le Jamy are popular café-bars with welcoming afternoon sessions, and the Graal is a friendly, buzzing place with a good range of beers.

Eating out

Diners in search of Savoyard specialities won’t be disappointed with the range of restaurants available in Montgenèvre, and from pizzas and pasta to burgers and crepes, there’s something to suit all budgets and tastes.

Good for Couples

Caesar’s

Rue d'Italie

Montgenevre

+33 6 07 16 27 72

Good for Couples

La Rafale

Rue d'Italie

Montgenevre

+33 4 92 21 91 62

Good for Family

Capitaine

La Praya

Montgenevre

+33 4 92 21 89 84

Good for Family

L’Estable

Rue de l'Église

Montgenevre

+33 6 42 40 14 64

Activities

Away from the groomed slopes, non-skiers or those in need of a change of scenery can enjoy a broad range of relaxing or exciting pursuits. There’s snow-shoeing in the surrounding forests, sledging on the local slopes near resort, ice-skating on the town’s ice-rink and, for advanced back-country skiers and boarders, regular heli-trips to the off-piste terrain over on the Italian side of the ski area.

Luge Monorail

Montgenevre

+33 4 92 21 91

Snowshoeing

Montgenevre

+33 4 92 244 997

Spa & Wellness

Montgenevre

+33 4 92 20 67 70

Ski School

There are 2 ski schools in Montgenevre, both offering group and private lessons. If you are unsure of your ability then both schools will be happy to chat through your requirements and recommend which lessons will be most suitable.

ESF have ski schools in the majority of resorts across France. All instructors are fully qualified in teaching various techniques to adults and children

A Peak are a small independent ski and snowboard school offering a good range of lessons.

Getting around

Montgenevre is located at one end of the Milky Way and guests can visit the nearby resorts of Serre Chevalier, Puy St Vincent, Les Deux Alpes and Alpe d’Huez for a free day with a 6 day lift pass.

Family ski

Montgenevre is a small and welcoming French ski resort located on the French-Italian border, which offers varied terrain in the local area very well-suited to families with young children. It’s easy to reach neighbouring resorts in the Milky Way ski area like Sestriere and Sauze d’Oulx, which works well for parents with slightly older or more confident kids.

The resort offers terrain suited to a wide range of skiers and snowboarders, but the family-friendly nursery slopes are superb. There’s a good range of gentle blue and red runs too, for gentle progression, but the majority of the lifts are a little on the slow and rickety side.

Families can enjoy plenty of traditional Alpine charm, with child-friendly facilities and an unpretentious feel. The après ski scene here is relaxed and low-key, which makes it a great resort choice for parents with young children.

Parents in search of non-ski activities in Montgenevre have plenty of options to choose from. There’s a luge run and ice-skating rink, plus guided snowshoeing and skidoo expeditions taking families deep into the Alpine wilderness.

Group Ski

Montgenèvre is relatively high altitude and has a good snow record, with north-facing slopes, so it makes a good choice for groups looking to ski together during the earlier and later weeks of the season. The resort is less popular compared to others so the slopes are generally uncrowded with very few queues.

For groups of families visiting the Alps with young children in tow, Montgenèvre is a strong resort choice to make. There isn’t much going on in terms of nightlife, so it’s a pretty peaceful resort to stay in, and the resort’s centre is largely traffic-free so it’s safer for kids. The local slopes are nice and varied, with an excellent infrastructure in place for learner skiers and snowboarders. The local ski schools in operation offer classes and clinics catering to a huge range of pursuits and levels, and the snow cover is very good.

For groups of advanced skiers and boarders, Montgenèvre may not be an ideal resort choice to make. Limited steep terrain in the local area means experts may find they’ve tracked the resort’s slopes within a day or so, but of course you do have access from Montgenèvre to the Milky Way – and that means resorts such as Sauze d’Oulx and Sestriere are within reach.

On the accommodation front, Montgenèvre is a refreshingly convenient and hassle-free resort to stay in. There’s a wide range of accommodation options to choose from within easy reach of the pistes, and good lift links to the slopes above – if sometimes a little on the slow side.

Overall, Montgenèvre works well for groups of skiers hoping to explore the Alps together. But if you’re looking for rapid lifts or a rowdy nightlife, you won’t find them here!

Childcare

Parents visiting Montgenèvre with their children and looking for childcare options in the resort can turn to the ESF. There’s the Les Marmottes nursery for little ones aged from 6 months to 5 years, in which kids are cared for and entertained for half- or full-days, with or without meals included — as requested at time of booking. For older children, the Club Piou Piou offers safe and fun childcare, and the perfect introduction for young ones to the snow.

The Piste

Up on the slopes, visitors to Montgenèvre have access to 85km of pistes in the local area and an impressive 400km across the entire Milky Way. This places Montgenèvre in one of France and Italy’s most expansive ski areas but all is not perfect… Despite lots of upgrades around the resort, many of the lift links up on the mountainsides are old, slow and in need of replacement. Getting around the ski area as a whole can be a laborious process!

Regarding Montgenèvre’s suitability to learner, intermediate or expert skiers, it’s best described as a strong all-rounder. Perhaps most ideally suited to learners and intermediates, the resort is home to a great range of terrain including high, open slopes, deep powder fields, sweeping rollers and low tree-runs.

For freestyle skiers in search of big air, Montgenèvre is home to both beginner and intermediate-level terrain parks with all the rails, walls and hits freestyle skiers and boarders love. You’ll also find a half-pipe by the pistes opposite the resort, and two boarder-cross runs to zoom down.

Ski School

ESF have ski schools in the majority of resorts across France. All instructors are fully qualified in teaching various techniques to adults and children

A Peak are a small independent ski and snowboard school offering a good range of lessons.

Equipment Hire

There are ski rental shops located in the main town of Montgenevre. These include Montgenevre Ski Rental, Sport 2000, Intersport, Skiset and Skimium. All stores offer a good range of the latest ski and snowboard equipment. It is recommended that you pre book your hire as many stores will offer online discounts.

Lift Passes

The below prices are based on the current rates in resort but may change at the time of booking.

Lift Pass Child (6-14yrs) Adult (15-64yrs) Senior (65+)

1 Day €24 €35 €28

6 Days €159 €200 €180

The Monts De La Lune (MDL) is the standard area pass that covers Montgenevre & Claviere. The 6 day pass gives you a free day in one of the neighbouring resorts - Serre Chevalier, Milky Way, Puy St Vincent, Les Deux Alpes and Alpe d’Huez.

Lift passes are free for children under 6 years, proof of age is required.

You can buy your lift pass through the lift pass office or you can pre book it in advance through your tour operator who will deliver it to your accommodation when you arrive in resort.