St Gervais Winter Sports

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Winter Sports

Alpine Skiing and Boarding

The attractive spa town of St Gervais is one of the most established holiday resorts in the Alps and has welcomed visitors for over 200 years. It sits on the eastern edge of the Evasion Mont Blanc ski area, where there is skiing and boarding to suit every level from beginner to expert. The majority of ski slopes are accessed by a fast 20-person gondola from Le Bettex. Shuttle buses run between this ski lift and various stops in and around St Gervais. From here, skiers and boarders can reach the slopes of Mont d'Arbois down to Megeve and connect into the skiing above St Nicolas de Veroce. For snowboarders, the area has a terrain park and a half-pipe.

The Mont Blanc Tramway rack and pinion railway, on the other side of St Gervais, links the town to the top of the neighbouring ski area of Les Houches in the Chamonix Valley. The skiing suits all levels and offers the best views of Mont Blanc on sunny days and well-protected tree lined runs for snowy days.

Winter visitors can also enjoy the skiing and boarding above the chalet resort of Les Contamines, 10 minutes drive from St Gervais.

The off-piste skiing is one of the hidden secrets of the Evasion Mont Blanc ski area: most enthusiasts head straight to Chamonix and overlook some excellent and empty backcountry skiing.

Cross Country Skiing

Cross-country (“Ski de Fond”) is a great way to enjoy the winter landscape in the Montjoie valley, with 25km of trails in the St Gervais area. Some routes lie at altitude, so Nordic skiers can meet Alpine skiers for lunch on the mountain.

Snow Shoeing

Snowshoeing (“Raquettes”), in the St Gervais area is a great way to appreciate the Mont Blanc mountain range while travelling through the snow on foot on low and high routes. Head up along the Bionnassay glacier for a magnificent view of Mont Blanc. There is also a chance of seeing local wild life such as chamois and marmottes.

Ski Touring

The Domaine Evasion is an excellent area for ski touring (“Ski de Randonee”)with easy to difficult routes and the possibility of overnight stays in a winter refuge (unmanned). Start from the Montjoie valley or make use of the lift system to start higher.

Ski Areas

Domaine Evasion

Domaine Evasion Piste Map

The Evasion Mont-Blanc ski area (ski pass Evasion) – with 125 lifts and 500km of pistes - includes the ski pistes above St Gervais/Le Bettex, Combloux, Jaillet, Les Contamines, Megeve/Mont d'Arbois,
Megeve/Rochebrune, Mont Joly/Mont Joux/St Nicolas de Veroce.

All sectors of the ski area are easy to reach and there are slopes for all levels of skier and snowboarder. The ski area is generally open from December to April. Mont d’Arbois is the largest, highest and most varied sector with a mix of tree-lined slopes and open skiing higher up. Some slopes face west, while the rest face north-east down to Le Bettex and St Gervais. The Mont Joux peak and Mont Joly, the highest point of the ski area, are both accessible from Mont d’Arbois, as is St Nicholas de Veroce down a splendid red run with spectacular views of the Mont Blanc mountain range. Mont d'Arbois is also the starting point for the skiing in the Rochebrune valley including the historic Alpette downhill course. Here a network of wooded, gentle slopes served by drags and chairlifts run over the north-east side up to Cote 2000. New lifts in the Jaillet sector extend almost as far as La Clusaz in the Aravis; in the other direction the gentle tree-lined pistes run down to Combloux.

Beginners have a good choice of nursery slopes. The best are by the Bettex gondola or at valley level in Megeve. Combloux has many easy green runs for the next level of difficulty.

Intermediates can choose between the area’s black pistes or the runs between Mont d'Arbois and Le Bettex. The new link from La Giettaz gives access to steeper slopes there.

The Mont Joux Snow Park, at the heart of the Evasion ski area, is one of the top spots in the region for Snowboarders and the half pipe hosted the French Snowboard Championships in March 2002. There are also 4 varied slopes for skiers, 2 slalom stadiums, and a mogul run.

The off-piste is an overlooked asset of the ski area as most Advanced skiers head to the steeper descents of Chamonix. It is often possible to make fresh tracks days after a snowfall. Mont Joly and Mont Joux offer the steepest slopes – check the avalanche risk – and there are some challenging runs down to St Nicholas de Veroce. There is also some good off-piste from Cote 2000.

Other Ski Areas

Chamonix - Vallee Blanche

Chamonix is dominated by the 3842m Aiguille du Midi peak, reached by a cable car from the southern side of town. This is the starting point for the famous Vallee Blanche, a glorious 22km descent past yawning crevasses and house-sized seracs (ice boulders) all the way to Chamonix. Competent intermediate skiers with a good head for heights will enjoy the easiest of the four main routes, but it is essential to take a guide. The start is a series of ice steps cut into the spine of the ridge down from the cable-car station: the 2000m sheer drop on the left side can be unsettling. The return to Chamonix is either by train, on the Montenvers rack and pinion railway, or via a short ascent and a long descent on skis down a narrow forest track.

Chamonix - Les Houches

The slopes of Les Houches are more sheltered than the rest of the valley making it a good option on bad weather days. It’s also the site of the Kandahar, the challenging world cup downhill run. Les Houches has amazing south-east views of Mont Blanc!

Italy - Courmayeur

The Italian ski resort of Courmayeur, a short drive through the Mont Blanc tunnel, is an excellent daytrip. The skiing there is varied and most enjoyable for intermediates. Lunch is a highlight of the area: there are several excellent – and cheaper - restaurants on the mountain.