Discovering the Val Cenis ski resort

I tested the ski resort of Val Cenis.

Val Cenis is a resort located in Upper Maurienne, in Savoie, made up of several old villages which have come together into a single entity.

Between authenticity and history on one side and unspoiled nature on the other, this resort has everything to please Alpine enthusiasts.

Let’s explore the Val Cenis ski area and its villages together.

Which villages make up the Val Cenis ski resort?

The Val Cenis ski resort is made up of three villages, each with its own soul and charm.

The first village you come to when coming from Modane (18 kilometers away) is Termignon. There is much to say about this village grouped at the foot of its old church and which extends towards the wooded slopes of the ski area. Termignon is above all the gateway to the Vanoise massif. From the slopes overlooking a small side valley crossed and dug by the Doron de Termignon, you can access the passes which over the centuries have linked the Tarentaise and Mauritian, including in particular the Col de la Vanoise towards Pralognan and Moûtiers and the Col de la Leisse towards Tignes and Bourg Saint Maurice. The landscape around Termignon is very vertical. The village itself is just below the Tooth Pulled Out which peaks at almost 3700 meters above sea level, an iconic summit of the Vanoise massif. The Vanoise glaciers, clearly visible from the ski area, seem very close when you walk through the old village of Termignon.

The village is bordered by the Arc and tightly packed around the town hall, leaving little space for small streets. A little further away, a beautiful stone church is bathed in sunlight: it is the church of Our Lady of the Assumption with a remarkable interior in baroque style, with its five carved wooden altarpieces.

A little further on, at the exit of the village, the small chapel of Notre Dame de la Visitation, also called Our Lady of Pepper : a small chapel of unknown origin and role whose name is intriguing.

Five kilometers further, along the Arc, we enter the large and long village of Lanslebourg .

The historical importance of this village comes from its strategic position at the foot of the first bends of the road that goes up to the Mont Cenis Pass, and beyond to Italy. There are accommodations, shops, restaurants and entertainment throughout the season. If the village is on the right bank of the Arc, the sunniest (however around Christmas, the village remains in the shade all day), it is on the left bank on the other side of the small bridge that spans the river that the ski lifts leave.

The alignment of the houses, which are mixed with the church, the cemetery and the town hall along the road, is the most curious element of this village stuck in one of the tightest constrictions in this part of the valley. In the axis of the road, we can see the Tooth Pulled Out which dominates the valley. In any season this view is striking.

It only takes an additional 2.5 kilometers that can be covered on foot to reach Lanslevillard, the small village at the top of Val Cenis. Still at the bottom of the Arc valley but in a site where it widens, the village of Lanslevillard has everything to charm lovers of beautiful photos. By crossing a small bridge over the Arc at the level of the church bell tower, you reach the ascent of the corner, which allows you to pass in front of this beautiful stone church. If the exterior seems very old and blends into the mineral landscape of the Haute Maurienne, the interior shines with the richness of the baroque style. The church and the small school which is located in an old stone building next to it are located on a panoramic hill. The view of the roofs of the village and the peaks of Haute Maurienne is splendid. The village of Lanslevillard, a mixture of old stone houses with wooden balconies, like an anticipation of Bessans and Bonneval sur Arc, and beautiful modern chalets immediately appears as more geared towards tourism than its neighbor Lanslebourg, older, with pastel facades faded by the sun and bad weather.

Lanslebourg is in fact one of the main access points to the ski resort of Val Cenis.

Between Lanslebourg and Lanslevillard, a large car park opposite the Vieux Moulin gondola lift provides very quick and easy access to the heart of the Val Cenis ski area.

Discovering the Val Cenis ski area

The ski area of Val Cenis develops around the mountains which announce the gap of the Mont Cenis Pass, a space preserved in winter since access to the pass is closed.

There are four access points to the ski area:

• Termignon, by the Girarde and Roches Blanches chairlifts
• Lanslebourg, by the Ramasse chairlift
• Between Lanslebourg and Lanslevillard by the cable car Vieux Moulin
• Lanslevillard, by the Colomba chairlift or the Val Cenis le Haut gondola and then by the Arcelle chairlift

The central point of the ski area is the arrival of the Vieux Moulin gondola lift, because from this point you can switch to all the slopes of the area quite quickly.

Most of the area is on north-facing, well-wooded slopes, with the exception of the Mont Cenis sector, which is sunnier but also windier above Lanslebourg.

The slopes at the bottom of the area are very suitable for beginners or inexperienced skiers with many blue and green trails. I recommend that all skiers, beginners or experienced, do at least once the green Escargot trail which follows the route of the Col du Mont Cenis road buried under snow in winter: a long and pleasant descent in the larches following the bends and the moderate slope of the road. A good time to relax and enjoy the slide.

The upper part of the area includes red runs and a few black runs. They are not difficult but very airy with good gradients that burn your thighs and ski edges.

If the landscape on the peaks of Vanoise, opposite never tires skiers, it is naturally at the Col de la Met, at the highest point of the resort that you have to go to admire the site of the pass and the lake of Mont Cenis, as well as the massif of Mont Cenis, opposite the belvedere, returned to nature for the winter season. You can even see the summit of Mont Viso, an almost mystical peak of Piedmont and Queyras.

Ski tour on the slopes of the Mont Cenis ski area.

We choose the Vieux-Moulin cable car as our starting point. Whether you come from Termignon, Lanslebourg, or Lanslevillard, you can get there quickly.

Here's how to reach the top of the Vieux Moulin gondola from each of the villages that make up Val Cenis:

Since Termignon : Girarde chairlift, then Roches Blanches chairlift, blue Flambeau run, then Traverse, through the forest to the village of Lanslebourg. La Madeleine ski lift to arrive at the foot of the Ramasse chairlift. Continue as described below.

Since Lanslebourg : Ramasse chairlift and then Mont Cenis chairlift. We enjoy the view of the pass and the Vanoise and we go back down the blue Tétras slope to the top of the Vieux Moulin gondola lift.

Since Lanslevillard : we take the Val Cenis Le Haut cable car, then the Arcelle chairlift and we go back down via Rhodos.

So we are close to the high station of the Vieux Moulin gondola lift. The ideal time to try out some beautiful high slopes. We then take the Solert chairlift. At the top (2540 meters above sea level) we go back down on both sides along the red Solert or M. Jacot Solert, or the family blue. The landscape on the peaks of the Vanoise and the Upper Maurienne Valley are sublime.

Once your legs are in good shape and your muscles are nice and warm, it's time to go up again on the Solert chairlift, but this time you only go down a little bit to reach the Met chairlift. From its summit, at an altitude of 2750 metres, the view over the Mont Cenis site and the Italian side, Piedmont, are sublime. We can even see the summit silhouette of Mont Viso. You can get a preview by clicking on this link: see the Met Pass webcam.

Experienced skiers will tackle the beautiful descent on the black slope that passes under the chairlift: M. Jacot Met. Others will be tempted by the blue Nunda or the red Met which splits into two options, Tomba and Bec Rouge to return to the top of the Vieux Moulin. These are all very beautiful slopes which, due to their verticality over the valley, give beautiful aerial sensations. Very beautiful routes to do and redo.

Before setting off to explore the other sides of the area, there are still a few trails to try on the northernmost side around the Plan Cardinal chairlift. This is an area reserved for good skiers. The Cupules slope is fast, sometimes a little steep and the black Moraine slope is a mogul slope. The area is better sunned in the late morning and early afternoon. It is accessed from Vieux Moulin, by the Solert chairlift, a descent by the red Solert, then Arcelle.

From all these sectors, you can continue the descent to the valley by landing at different Lanslevillard lift departure points. A descent from the Met to the village via the red Met, Tomba, and Mont Saint Genix or Ecureuil takes you down 1300 metres of vertical drop in a single descent. It's sporty and fun! And what's great about Val Cenis is that you can do the same thing on blue slopes, which sometimes turn into green. So everyone can enjoy very long descents without continually going back to the ski lifts.

From Vieux Moulin, let’s head to the slopes of Mont Cenis and Lanslebourg.

The ski slopes of Val Cenis in the Mont-Cenis pass area

Access for experienced skiers is via the Met chairlift, the red Met, the crossing indicated in black for the Mont Cenis slope. This crossing is not difficult but it is dangerous because the slope is impressive and the slightest fall is very dangerous. You just need to know how to manage your skis on a narrow path, but don't take any risks, and don't let children go alone!

Otherwise, the safer option is to take the Arcellins chairlift. From the top of Vieux Moulin, take the blue Familiale and then the green Escargot for an easy crossing through the Mélèzes. The Arcellins chairlift leads to the highest point of the Mont Cenis sector. A little above the arrival of the black run crossing described before. Which is better for discovering the quiet and sunny (but steep) red run of the Goulet, which descends to the level of the Col and the road buried under the snow. A very slow ski lift, Buffa, puts you back on an almost flat track to return to the slopes above Lanslebourg.

If from the summit of Arcellins you prefer to ski in the forest, you have the choice. The larches will accompany you on the Tétras slope to return to Vieux Moulin and Lanslevillard, or on the Escargot slope which follows the route of the passable road on which in summer many cars, motorbikes and bicycles pass towards the pass.

To spice up the descent, the red Napoleon trail runs straight to Lanslebourg, cutting through the slopes several times. The arrival point of all these trails is the left bank of the Arc with the possibility of going back up via Vieux Moulins or going down towards Ramasse.

Finally, two last slopes descend from the summit of the Mont Cenis sector (Arcellins chairlift or Mont Cenis ski lift), the red Fort which becomes Ramasse to descend towards Lanslebourg, or the blue Mont Cenis.

This very sunny area is popular from midday onwards. Be careful, however, of the wind which can blow strongly near the pass.

From Lanslebourg you can discover the Termignon sector (or return there if you are staying there) by the Turra and Sources chairlifts. Magnificent view of the Dent Parrachée and the Vanoise glaciers! Then descend by the blue Cugne to the intermediate station of the Termignon sector: the Canons flat at 2100 meters above sea level. Below, there are return tracks to Termignon (or by Flambeau, towards Lanslebourg).

Above, the area emerges from the forest and offers beautiful panoramic trails from the Grand Coin (rather red sector) and Lac (rather blue) ski lifts. The Termignon sector peaks at 2465 meters and its exposure guarantees good snow cover.

The landscapes of the Vanoise massif, from another angle and another perspective, are sumptuous.

The Val Cenis ski area, an area for everyone.

With three typical villages, authentic and picturesque, its breathtaking landscapes and its aerial tracks which systematically end their course in a larch forest, the Val Cenis ski area is a beautiful winter sports destination. Beginners will find pleasure on easy slopes, in the forest in the abs of the domain or on the sunny slopes of the Mont Cenis sector, while the more experienced will hurtle down the entire vertical drop on fast slopes with steep slopes.

Many other activites are possible on the Val Cenis side. Indeed, this resort at the gateway to the Vanoise natural park, in the heart of Haute Maurienne, is also combined in Nordic version, with the cross-country skiing sites of Bramans or Sollières-Sardières, to which we can add those of Aussois or Bessans and Bonneval sur Arc. Hiking is possible everywhere in the valley but also at the level of the Mont Cenis pass, at more than 2000 meters of altitude in a sunny valley, at the edge of the lake: pedestrians can go up on the Ramasse chairlift, from Lanslebourg and continue on foot towards the lake on a beautiful hiking trail. They will share their walks with mushers who launch their dogs at full speed pulling sleds. Nordic atmosphere guaranteed!

Val Cenis, a very beautiful family resort to combine the pleasure of skiing with nature, in the breathtaking setting of the Vanoise peaks, visible from the entire area.

Access by TGV from Modane is easy thanks to the existence of regular shuttles who go up the valley.

Happy holidays in Val Cenis and happy skiing!

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