Vallorcine
Why Vallorcine Ski Resort?
- A small, unspoilt resort that’s less crowded than Chamonix
- High-altitude skiing nearby with very good snow records
- A pretty traditional village
Vallorcine Resort Information
The Chamonix Valley stretches from Servoz to Barberine on the Swiss border. The main towns within the Chamonix Valley include Les Houches, Les Bossons, Chamonix, Les Praz, Montroc / Le Tour and Vallorcine.
The main ski lift areas (working up the Valley) are:
- In Les Houches - Les Houches,
- In Chamonix - Le Brevent and the Aiguille du Midi (off piste only, the Vallee Blanche)
- In Les Praz - La Flégère
- In Le Tour/Vallorcine - Le Tour/Balme
Flégère is interconnected with Brévent. Le Tour/Balme is connected by lift to Vallorcine. The snowpark is in Les Grands Montets. There are other smaller beginner lift areas including Les Planards in Chamonix.
The tiny, unspoilt village of Vallorcine is superbly located at the foot of Mont Blanc, 20km from Chamonix and included in that famous resort's area lift ticket.
Close to the Swiss border, the scenery is stunning and the snow record good. Skiers have fast access to the friendly local Balme ski area, shared with neighbouring Le Tour, via an efficient gondola from the village.
Facilities in the Vallorcine village itself are somewhat limited. There are a handful of simple restaurants and available activities, besides skiing, are limited to cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. However if you’re looking for a livelier night out or more extensive facilities, it’s easy to get to Chamonix and the local guest card provides discounts on activities in the area, such as the Chamonix swimming pool complex.
If architecture is your thing, look out for the ‘raccards’, the traditional granaries that are not found anywhere else in France. They testify to the Valaisan origins of the village.
Chamonix (10 miles away) is indeed a fascinating traditional resort with a bustling atmosphere thanks to the presence of over 100 shops, bars and restaurants. The picturesque town also has a casino, Olympic ice rink, sports complex, tennis courts, climbing wall, bowling, Alpine museum, night clubs and cinemas. Also in the region, you can try paragliding or take a helicopter sightseeing flight.
Vallorcine ski area
The Chamonix Valley is generally known for its hard-core riding. However the local ski area, Domaine de Balme provides great family skiing (all but one of the runs is graded red or blue) served by 10 lifts providing a maximum skiable vertical of just over 1,000m. There are wide sunny, north-west facing slopes over gentle alpine pastures as well as more challenging off-piste in the trees for advanced skiers.
The 'Domaine de Balme' is formed of the village of Vallorcine and 'Le Tour' next door. The area is lift-linked, however, the main beginners’ areas are both a train ride away at either 'Le Poya' (a separate ski area on the other side of the valley) or 'Le Tour'. The train doesn’t actually go all the way to Le Tour – its final stop is at 'Montroc' (about 1km from Le Tour itself). This does mean a bus ride to reach the main lift station area. Intermediate skiers can reach 'Le Tour' on blue and red runs instead of taking the train/bus.
From the top of the 'Domaine de Balme' ski area there are some spectacular views down across the Swiss border. There’s some great off-piste skiing to be found as well. 'Le Tour' offers mixed terrain where pistes tend to be wide cruisy blue runs or fairly easy intermediate reds.
Beginner skiers (whether adults or children) plus children up to Flocon and 1st Star and adults Level 1 will take their ski lessons at 'Le Poya' (a train ride away and a separate ski area from the main Vallorcine/Domaine de Balme domain). All other levels take their lessons in Vallorcine. The lift pass must be bought locally.
Additional ski fact info, main ski info in resort facts box at top of page (24/25):
You can choose to use the Mont Blanc Unlimited pass which covers a huge area across Chamonix Valley, Les Houches, Megève-Evasion Mont-Blanc, Courmayeur & Verbier. The ski areas and sites are not lift-linked, except for Brévent - Flégère areas in Chamonix, so you need to take the valley shuttle buses or take a car if you have one. It also includes 3 excursion sites: Aiguille du Midi, Montenvers - Mer de Glace & Tramway du Mont-Blanc.
For information, here are the details for Vallorcine area:
Balme/Le Tour
Blue slopes: 9
Red slopes: 9
Black slopes: 1
Smaller more beginner type areas spread around Vallorcine include:
Vormaine
Green slopes: 3
Blue slopes: 1
Les Chosalets:
Green slopes: 1
Blue slopes: 1
La Poya
Green slopes: 2
Blue slopes: 1
Red slopes: 2
Black slopes: 1
Planards
Green slopes: 2
Blue slopes: 1
Red slopes: 1
Vallorcine skiing info
Beginners
Take the Vallorcine gondola, which links to the Le Tour/Balme' ski area. From here you have 'La Vormaine' beginners area. This is one of the largest beginner areas in Chamonix Valley with 4 drag lifts and a magic carpet. The ski area is wide and flat so there’s plenty of space to practise. It’s usually very sunny, with lots of snow (it’s the highest of all the lower-valley slopes), and there are impressive views of the Le Tour glacier. It’s all great for beginners/intermediates and ideal for children – and they can all progress to gentle blue runs at the top of Le Tour’s main lift served by the Autannes chairlift. Try the Arve and Stade runs for improving beginners. Take the Charamillion gondola down at end of the day as there’s only a red run (Caisets) back to 'Le Tour'.
For families and beginners arriving when there’s snow at valley level, there’s the additional option of the small, separate, 'La Poya' ski area which operates three lifts and three runs – a green, blue and a red as well as a snow garden for children.
Intermediates
Intermediate-level skiers will be kept happy by the local ski area for several days, particularly the long blue run back to the resort. The Autannes chairlift at the front gives access to some good intermediate runs, such as Ecuries which runs below the lift. The front of 'Le Tour' is littered with gullies, which during the winter fill in with snow and form natural halfpipes.
Advanced, off-piste & ski touring
Advanced skiers will probably want to take advantage of the Mont Blanc regional pass which encompasses the ski areas of a dozen resorts around Western Europe’s highest mountain, including Courmayeur across the border in Italy. This provides access to all the treasures of Chamonix and many more. Chamonix is about a 20-minute drive or a shuttle bus ride away from Vallorcine.
However, there are snowy delights to be had closer to home. In addition to the one technical black run on 'Balme', Emosson, which includes a steep mogul section, Les Jeurs. One of the most popular off-piste routes goes through the forest on the northern part of 'La Tête de Balme'. There are many other options which the local mountain guides, based in Vallorcine, can take you to, with the option of skiing further along the valley and returning to the village by train. For hard-core skiers, of course, there’s the famous Vallée Blanche in Chamonix.
Mountain fun zones
'Le Tour' has a great snow park. The 'Summit Park' at Le Tour is billed as one of the biggest snowparks in Europe and is much bigger than the one at Grands Montets (Argentiere). Situated at 2,000m, it benefits from great snow conditions and has routes graded from blue through to black with the most advanced routes meeting FIS competition standard.
Nordic skiing
11km of ski trails leading through hamlets and larch forests, along the Eau Noire mountain stream. For beginner & intermediate skiers. Starting points in Le Buet or Vallorcine opposite the train station.Â
Vallorcine ski hire & lift passes (pre-bookable)
Pre-book your 6 day+ Vallorcine ski hire and/or Vallorcine lift pass with Peak Retreats.
To download the ski extras form see 'Helpful links' further down the page. Please note that prices are for indication only. They will fluctuate based on Euro/£ exchange rate. Please call us for the latest prices.
Other lift passes are available to buy in the resort such as half or full-day passes (for those who only wish to ski the odd day) or one-use lift passes for pedestrians. Some resorts also offer specific beginner area passes and cross country passes.
Vallorcine group ski school (pre-bookable)
Ski school for children is available to book with Peak Retreats.
To download the ski extras form see 'Helpful links' further down the page. Please note that prices are for indication only. They will fluctuate based on Euro/£ exchange rate. Please call us for the latest prices.
Vallorcine private lessons (not pre-bookable)
Private lessons with an instructor can only be arranged directly with the ESF ski school. Peak Retreats cannot pre-book these. Private lessons are usually around €40-60 per hour (depending on resort, time of day and period) and becomes cheaper the more hours you take and the more people you have to share the hours with i.e with family members or friends. Some resorts insist on a minimum of 3 sessions to be booked at once.
Contact ESF Vallorcine for private lessons - 0033 4 50 54 61 67
Vallorcine childcare (not pre-bookable)
Vallorcine resort does not have a creche for childcare. The only option is by taking ski lessons with the ESF ski kindergarten. This is pre-bookable with Peak Retreats. There is no option for childcare without skiing at any age.
Babysitters (not pre-bookable)
A list of babysitters is available from the tourist office.
Top snow activities to experience in Vallorcine
Please note Peak Retreats do not book most of the activities and also most activities are payable therefore most of the below is just for information. More detailed information and how to book can be found on the tourist office website
SEE CHAMONIX PAGE FOR MORE INFO ON OTHER ACTIVITIESÂ
Dog sledding
Learn how to drive a sled and its dogs.
Sledding
Located in the village centre behind the Tourist Information office in Vallorcine is a groomed hill for sledging
Ski joering
Ski-joëring at the foot of Aiguilles Rouges with the Couteray team. Welcome point is at 'Le Buet' - 50m from the railway station.Â
Top activities to experience in Vallorcine
Please note Peak Retreats do not book most of the activities and also most activities are payable therefore most of the below is just for information. More detailed information and how to book can be found on the tourist office website
SEE CHAMONIX PAGE FOR MORE INFO ON OTHER ACTIVITIES
Walks
Enjoy 6 km of groomed footpaths that wind alongside the river l'Eau Noire through the various hamlets and forests of Vallorcine. Stretching from Le Buet to the church. A wonderful way to discover nature's unspoilt beauty during the winter months. Maps are available free of charge at the Tourist Information office in Vallorcine.
Ice rink
Patinoire Résidence & Spa Vallorcine. Open afternoon and evening (flood lit).
Markets nearby
Tuesday: Aoste, Wednesday: Courmayeur, Saturday: Chamonix, Sallanches
Vallorcine après-ski, restaurants & bars
There are 5 restaurants (plus 2 refuges) in Vallorcine. Otherwise Chamonix hosts a wide selection of typical cafes and tempting pastry shops along with over 20 bars, over 80 restaurants, over 100 shops and various nightclubs.
Amenities
A few shops locally.
Getting to Vallorcine, France
By road:
Driving distance from Calais to Vallorcine is roughly 530 miles (approx. 8hrs).
Direct access by the 'Autoroute Blanche' (Motorway), connected to the European motorway network, all the way to Chamonix. Then on the RN 506 to Vallorcine (17 km), heading towards Switzerland.
By rail & air:
Take the Eurostar from London St Pancras. See our train services page for more information as we can pre-book the trains for you.
4 international airports are nearby, see our flying page for information on airlines. We don't book flights, we invite you to do your own research.
Geneva Airport to Vallorcine is roughly 116km, approx. 1hr 30 mins
Chambery Savoie Mont Blanc Airport to Vallorcine is roughly 149km, approx. 1hr 45 mins
Grenoble Alpes Isere Airport to Vallorcine is roughly 243km, approx. 2hr 30 mins
Lyon-Saint Exupery Airport to Vallorcine is roughly 236km, approx. 2hr 30 mins
Private taxi transfers:
Private taxi transfers from airports and train stations are pre-bookable with Peak Retreats. See our airport & station transfers page for more information.
Bus transfers:
Altibus/Bens Bus/Snow bus (and the likes of) offer shared bus transfers from some French/Swiss airports and SNCF train stations to ski resorts. We don't book these (or have any affiliation with them), we invite you to do your own research.
Getting around the Chamonix Valley:
(Le Tour, Chamonix, Les Houches, Vallorcine etc)
Buses from Servoz to Vallorcine are free for holders of the guest card (Carte d’Hote) or a ski-pass. You can also travel by train (free of charge) between Servoz and Vallorcine with the Carte d’Hote.
The Chamonix Valley has very good shuttle bus links throughout all its resorts. Since winter 2023, there is a new direct Skibus routes to the ski lifts. Bus Ski15 is running until early May. There are also new Proxibus routes to the valley hamlets. The bus services are now starting earlier in the morning and ending later at night.
The SNCF line serves all the villages from St Gervais/Le Fayet to Martigny (Switzerland), passing through Chamonix and Vallorcine.
The Mont Blanc Express train also provides access between the Chamonix Valley resorts.
