Montgenèvre ski resort

The ski resort of Montgenevre is located on the pass of the same name on the road between Briançon and Italy, in the department of High mountains, in France. Besides, Italy is not far since the border village of Keyboard is located just three kilometers from the resort center.

The Montgenèvre ski area is thus international and linked to the Via Lattea (Milky Way) area which brings together a certain number of ski resorts in Piedmont.

Let's go and explore the ski resort of Montgenevre.

Montgenèvre, a ski resort on a pass.

Le Montgenèvre pass is located in French territory, in the Hautes-Alpes department, at an altitude of 1850 meters. On one side the road goes down towards Briançon. From the bends in the road you can see the peaks of Pelvoux and the entrance to the Clarée valley, a little hidden gem, very authentic. The entrance into Briançon is done by the upper part of the Citadel, by a landscape which dominates the wide valley of the Durance. On the right, opposite, we see the Prorel and the first slopes of the station of Serre Chevalier.

On the other side, the road crosses after a few kilometers, at the border with Italy, the small village of Keyboard, before descending in bends towards Cesana Torinese et Oulx. At Oulx station, less than 20 kilometres away, TGV trains from Paris to Turin and Milan stop, thus bringing Montgenèvre, a resort in the Southern Alps, closer to the northern half of France. From Cesana, you can also climb the slopes of the Col de Sestrière and reach the modern Olympic resort of the same name, located at an altitude of over 2000 metres.

The dense forests that cover the slopes of the pass and its slopes towards both France and Italy alternate between larches, firs and Swiss pines. A clever mix of northern and southern Alps, depending on the exposure, sunshine and wind.

Let's talk about climate. The ski resort of Montgenevre is particularly well-snowed. Probably the snowiest in the Southern Alps and at a comparable altitude it also holds its own against many resorts in the Northern Alps, especially at the start of the season.

Indeed, the pass has the particularity of being oriented along a southwest/northeast axis. Both that of the trajectories of Atlantic disturbances that come up from the south and struggle to cross the mountains to water the northern Alps, and that of the trajectories of disturbances in the Mediterranean that by rotating counterclockwise water the Piedmont Alps. The dry air, and the cold valleys on either side of the pass provide the cold necessary to avoid untimely thaws ahead of these disturbances: it rarely rains in winter in Montgenèvre, but it snows heavily, and it holds. No snow problems at the resort, therefore.

But what does the Montgenèvre ski resort look like?

It is originally an old village, just like Clavière in Italy a few kilometers away. There is an old church with a pretty stone bell tower, a few alleys reminiscent of the old towns of the Hautes-Alpes and a few old houses huddled around the church district. But the space of a pass is vast, and little by little, it has been occupied by more or less successful constructions. First the concrete complexes of the 70s, then more harmonious constructions, integrating better with the mountain environment. It is therefore a mixture of all this that lines up along the main street and the parallel streets that go up the slope of the pass which is in the sun. Fortunately, the Montgenèvre road, a very busy crossing point between Piedmont and Provence, is buried in a tunnel at the level of the resort, in order to avoid nuisances.

The resort has therefore developed mainly on one side of the road, because the other side is the snow front. A vast, rather flat area, on which the ski schools gather. It is the starting point of the ski area, both for downhill skiing and cross-country skiing (in the direction of Italy, this one).

The village of Montgenèvre is pleasant. You can walk there, enjoy the last rays of sunshine, strolling almost flat in the streets of the village and below the road to the forests near the border. Many restaurants liven up the evenings. The tourists are calm; mostly families. The atmosphere is good-natured.

The Montgenèvre ski area

Skiing in Montgenèvre is not a new thing. It is even one of the first resorts in the French Alps to equip itself with a ski lift and one of the first to organize ski competitions, in the 30s.

It is therefore in one of the oldest ski resorts in the French Alps that you will have the privilege of skiing.

The ski area of Mongenevre is deployed over three large sectors, on its French domain, plus a fourth with the international package (Monts de la Lune).

• the Chalvet sector
• the Gondrans sector
• the Eagle sector
• Italy

The first sector is located at the back of the station, on the slope facing the southern sun. This is the sector of Chalvet.

It is accessed by the Chalvet cable car which is located at the end of the resort, on the Italian side. From the arrival of the cable car, depending on your level you have several choices.

You can go up by chairlift to the top of the Chalvet at 2630 meters altitude to enjoy the view and take the two red slopes or the black slope to go back down to the starting point. The slopes are beautiful, the landscape grandiose, but they are difficult, you still have to master your skis.

As a second option, you can go up to the Alpet and enjoy beautiful, very sunny blue slopes, in the valley served by the ski lift. A very beautiful walk by the blue slope of the Chemin du Rocher Rouge, allows you to go around the Rocher Rouge and go back up to its summit by chairlift. During the route you will admire the imposing elevation of the Chaberton, a mountain made mythical by war events and the presence of a fort near its summit at more than 3000 meters above sea level.

From the summit of Rocher Rouge, very good skiers can have fun on black runs, while the less adventurous can go back down via more peaceful runs.

This area can also be reached via the Serre Thibaud ski lifts, which start at the point where the French and Italian ski areas meet.

The second sector is that of Gondrans. A vast, all-white cirque whose crests offer magnificent views of the Ecrins and the foothills of Izoard and Queyras. It is accessed by the Chalmettes chairlift, which is located at the end of the resort, on the Briançon side, on the snow front. Once at the top, take a green slope to descend into the hollow of the all-white Gondrans valley. From there, you can ski on three sides of the valley and descend by slopes of the desired difficulty. It is a beautiful space for skiing with family or in a group because whatever the slope or lift chosen, you end up at the same starting point at the bottom of the valley.

The landscapes from the top of the Observatoire or Gondrans chairlift are breathtaking. A short break is essential to discover all the peaks thanks to the orientation tables.

The Gondrans sector is the sector for skiing while having fun and without taking risks.

The Eagle sector, on the other hand, is much more sporty. In the forest on slopes that are sometimes in the shade and steeper, it is an area that is more suitable for good skiers. Moreover, there are mainly red and black slopes.

Once you have warmed up your muscles on the Gondrans side, you can switch to the Aigle side by the Crêtes chairlift. Otherwise, you can arrive directly from the resort, either by the Chalmettes (which also serves the Gondrans) or by the Prarial chairlift, a little further to the left on the snow front.

In both cases, on arrival we switch to the opposite side to seek the steeper slopes of the Aigle sector slopes.

At the exit of this sector, at the foot of the Prarial, and the Tremplin chairlift, you can set off again on the opposite slope, the first sector, via Serre Thibaud and the long blue Pharo slope which takes you to the foot of the Chalvet, the first sector that we described.

But from the Aigle sector you can also switch Italian side (make sure you have your international package). If you are at the top of the Rocher de l'Aigle gondola, at an altitude of over 2600 metres, you can take the Colletto Verde red run which takes you to the foot of the Colle Bercia sector, the Clavière ski area. If you are already at the foot of the Prarial, let yourself be taken by the gentle slope which runs alongside the cross-country ski trail and the golf course (the Golf green run) to the village of Clavière. You will then go back up either with the Col Bœuf chairlift or with the Coche chairlift to find the blue and red runs of Colle Bercia.

From the top of the Colle Bercia hill, you can ski down towards Clavière, or on the opposite slope, follow the long blue “90” run which will take you towards Cesana Torinese, further down the valley.

If you leave early in the morning, you can also continue in this direction, up to the junction point between the chairlifts that go down from Colle Bercia and those that go back up towards Sestriere and Sauze d'Oulx to reach the slopes of the Milky Way.

La Milky Way is a ski area that includes the resorts of Sansicario, Sauze d'Oulx, Sestrière, Cesana Torinese, Clavière and of course by extension up to Montgenèvre. 400 kilometers of slopes and 70 ski lifts that make it the fifth largest ski area in the world.

That said, with the Montgenèvre ski area, you already have plenty to enjoy.

Public chat Montgenevre you will ski on 95 kilometers of slopes divided into 78 routes served by 24 ski lifts.

To this area you add that of Clavière (in the Monti della Luna package) and you will have in addition 9 slopes and 15 kilometers of skiing served by 6 ski lifts.

A total of 110 kilometers of slopes for you to have fun in the sun of the Southern Alps in Montgenèvre.

What to do in Montgenèvre when you're not skiing?

Don't hesitate, drop by the wellness center Durancia. It is located at the exit of the resort, on the Briançon side. There is a large car park, but you can also go there on foot. It is not far. There is a Balneo area with swimming pool, whirlpools, water jets, jacuzzi, in water at 34 degrees. And then a Wellness area with saunas, hammams, Kneipp path, outdoor hot water baths, summer relaxation area.

Honestly, it's great, especially if the weather forecast predicts a bad day and you don't like skiing between the snowflakes.

The other activities are more classic: hiking, snowshoeing, sledding and ice skating.

The cross country skiers can also enjoy a beautiful route between Montgenèvre and Clavière with trails of varying difficulty that will please everyone. In total, the Montgenèvre Nordic area offers fifteen kilometers of trails. Not far from Montgenèvre, the Alberts cross-country ski center, in the valley in the magnificent Vallée de la Clarée, provides access to 65 kilometers of cross-country ski trails along a torrent in a preserved valley. The walks there are also very pleasant.

Montgenèvre is a very interesting ski resort. Its ski area, whose altitude varies between 1800 and 2600 meters, offers good vertical drops and sporty slopes for good skiers, but also beautiful sunny spaces for those who are less comfortable. We ski in front of magnificent landscapes and very often in the sun, sometimes in beautiful larch forests.

Its international extension gives access to a very vast ski area, where you will have to ensure the snow cover before setting off. The Piedmont Alps are often drier than the Hautes Alpes.

The immediate proximity of Italy, with the village of Clavière and its good restaurants offer unique alternatives for outings. There is no other ski resort in France from which you can walk to a village in another country!

The high valleys of Briançon, a haven of nature, peace and tranquility are nearby (Vallée de la Clarée, Izoard), and the town of Briançon offers an exciting cultural interlude with the history of Vauban's fortifications.

Happy skiing and happy holidays in the Montgenèvre ski resort.

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