The region’s range of winter sports is further complemented by other resorts in the south of the Jura, the Vercors, the Chartreuse, the Monts du Forez, the Drôme, the Isère and the Ain, which are more adapted to activities such as cross-country skiing and snow-shoes.
© RA Tourisme / S. Chappaz
It is possible to ski (downhill and cross-country) in 7 out of 8 of the region’s “départements”. Some of the sites have become famous – for example Les Saisies, in the Savoie, which is known for its role in the Winter Olympics at Albertville in 1992 and which now offers an unrivalled cross-country area. Autrans, France’s principal cross-country resort, hosts the annual Foulée Blanche in January, whilst Pralognan organises the Course du Siècle every winter, combining skis and snow-shoes for a challenging ascent to the Col de la Vanoise refuge. Unforgettable.
The Fashionable Mégève, Courchevel
The Haute-Savoie’s most famous winter sports resort is also its most fashionable. It was created in the 1920s by Baronness Noémie de Rothschild, and is proud of both its character and its status. Since 1950 Megève’s clever combination of tradition and luxury has kept it at the top of the list for jet-setters visiting the Mont Blanc area. Its alter ego is Courchevel, in the Savoie, which is perhaps the most international and trendy of the two, and perhaps also the most elegant. Indeed it is sometimes referred to as the winter twin of Saint-Tropez or Ibiza.