Saint-François-Longchamp

St. François Longchamp and the village of Valmorel are part of the extensive Grand Domaine ski area, which stretches between the Lauzière and Cheval Noir massifs and has 150 km of pistes. While Valmorel is considered one of the prettier French ski resorts, Saint François Longchamp has far less charm. Like Valmorel, it was originally a small village, but once the tourist industry arrived, large new apartment blocks went up in a somewhat ill-considered way, which unfortunately did nothing for the look of the place. The skiing here is essentially the same as on the pistes around Valmorel. There are a great many slopes suited to beginners and intermediates. This is not, however, an area to set the pulse racing for skiers looking for a challenge on breakneck pistes. The freeride terrain, on the other hand, is very varied. That is one reason why snowboarders like coming here; they also have a snow park and many wide, treeless pistes. St. François Longchamp is also attractive for cross-country skiers, who have far more choice here than in Valmorel. It is not just a question of trail length (Valmorel 20 km, St. François Longchamp 40 km) but also of scenery and sporting quality. As in Valmorel, a big advantage of the resort is easy access to the slopes and the chance to ski back to your hotel without taking your skis off. On the minus side, most of the pistes lie below 2,000 m, so snow can be a problem at times. Activities away from the slopes include snowshoeing, sleigh rides, paragliding, hot-air balloon flights, dog sledding and a toboggan run. St. François Longchamp is a rather quiet little town. In the evenings there is more going on in the old centre of Valmorel. Still, there is no shortage of bars and restaurants serving regional food.