Ski Club 2.0 Home
Snow Reports
FAQFAQ

Mail for help.Help!!

Log in to snowHeads to make it MUCH better! Registration's totally free, of course, and makes snowHeads easier to use and to understand, gives better searching, filtering etc. as well as access to 'members only' forums, discounts and deals that U don't even know exist as a 'guest' user. (btw. 50,000+ snowHeads already know all this, making snowHeads the biggest, most active community of snow-heads in the UK, so you'll be in good company)..... When you register, you get our free weekly(-ish) snow report by email. It's rather good and not made up by tourist offices (or people that love the tourist office and want to marry it either)... We don't share your email address with anyone and we never send out any of those cheesy 'message from our partners' emails either. Anyway, snowHeads really is MUCH better when you're logged in - not least because you get to post your own messages complaining about things that annoy you like perhaps this banner which, incidentally, disappears when you log in :-)
Username:-
 Password:
Remember me:
👁 durr, I forgot...
Or: Register
(to be a proper snow-head, all official-like!)

Nearest ski slopes to Lyon

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Advice please on nearest most convenient ski slopes to Lyon (City), either by car or train. Easy and reliable skiing required.
snow report
 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@davidthornton, What time of year?
ski holidays
 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Winter months. Some low lying places won't have snow when the likes of the high resorts, Val, etc., do. But it's about convenience, travel time. I would say within 2 hours of Lyon City by either car or train.
ski holidays
 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
Probably Col de Granier

https://en.france-montagnes.com/resort/le-granier-le-desert

Or Collet d'Allevard

Bigger resorts a bit further away include Saint Francois Longchamp and Les Sept Laux.

For a map of where resorts actually are look at https://en.france-montagnes.com/resort-guide/resorts-map/northern-alps-map
latest report
 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@johnE, Thanks.
snow conditions
 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
@davidthornton, Maybe also look at the Vercors or Haute Bugey, some data here.
ski holidays
 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
What about the other direction, West? The Auvergne?
latest report
 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
@davidthornton, You can see the Auvergne stations too at the link I posted above, don't look to be as good roads to them compared with going east. There used to be info on lots of French stations on davidof's website.
latest report
 You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Indeed places like Chalmazel are quite close - not much further than the Chartreuse resorts
snow report
 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
davidthornton wrote:
Winter months. Some low lying places won't have snow when the likes of the high resorts, Val, etc., do. But it's about convenience, travel time. I would say within 2 hours of Lyon City by either car or train.


There was a ski lift in Lyon city center back in the day at la Sarra. You can still ski tour there if it snows.



You can rule the train out, it is not Switzerland you know.

First of all, if you are traveling at the weekend most Lyonnais take the bus and go to the big Savoie resorts, they are very organized for that.

Less than 2 hours is a big ask. Especially if it is on the weekend during winter. With the traffic jams it can take most of that to leave the city center some times. It really restricts you to the Bauges, Chartreuse, Vercors and south end of the Jura, although there is a lack of easy road access to the Vercors (all the resorts on the plateau are 2 hours max, in good conditions, but due to the lack of road access and the number of Grenoblois who head up there the return can take 2...3... 4 hours even). Be careful on the Grenoble motorway, it is subject to some very bad weather in the Terres Froides sector, I think twice before taking it in the winter if there is any hint of bad weather incoming. Grenoble is undergoing major construction works on the highway and it can take an hour just to drive round the town on a Saturday afternoon.

St Pierre de Chartreuse attracts some day trippers and is the nearest ski area to Lyon (excluding Hauteville Lompes at 88km but further in time) but it can get very crowded. It used to be THE station for the Lyonnais back when cars needed a service after every trip Happy.

Le Granier and Les Deserts are rarely open, 1 day for le Granier last season.

There is a new motorway to the North of Lyon that goes towards the Massif Central and Chalmazel is at one end. You can also get to the couple of drags around Roanne on the same road. Chalmazel is ok for a day's skiing.

There are some areas in the Ardeche but complicated to reach due to the road network.

Well basically, to sum up, if you want to drive to a ski resort I wouldn't start from Lyon I'd take the ski bus.


Last edited by Ski the Net with snowHeads on Thu 1-10-20 14:42; edited 1 time in total
snow report
 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Managed to find the original article. So it was a dry slope built in 1964 which just happened to be covered in snow at the time that photo was taken. Closed in 75 and lifts removed in 91. Interesting stuff as Lyon is currently my 2nd home.

Even the train to Grenoble takes 1¼ hours and isn't cheap. With onward transfer to a local resort it isn't really a goer. Here to central Lyon is 2¼ - 2½ hours at a quiet time when things click. In fact I leave my car outside Lyon and finish the journey by train. As @davidof, said getting past Grenoble can be very painful.
ski holidays
 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
@Claude B, There was a video on the France3 website of archive footage of the Lyon dry slope.
ski holidays
 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
@rjs, was it as intersting as this one?
https://www.facebook.com/BBCArchive/videos/1975-nationwide-kirkby-ski-slope/287478761868762/
ski holidays
 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@rjs, cheers I'll take a look.
ski holidays
 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Les Rousses... about 2 hours by car ...I have driven through it a few times ..looks quite good abeit limited
ski holidays
 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
The reason I asked about what time of year is that Semnoz is under 2hrs from Lyon, but it's from 1450-1700m so the snow early and late season can be a bit sketchy, but Jan, Feb and March are probably feasible.
https://www.semnoz.fr/station-ski-haute-savoie/hiver/ski-alpin-haute-savoie.html
snow report
 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
DaveD wrote:
Les Rousses... about 2 hours by car ...I have driven through it a few times ..looks quite good abeit limited


You can get to the Aravis quicker, or the first Tarentaise resorts but none are within 2 hours. Well not unless you want to pick up 4 or 5 speeding tickets en-route.
snow report
 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
davidof wrote:
DaveD wrote:
Les Rousses... about 2 hours by car ...I have driven through it a few times ..looks quite good abeit limited


You can get to the Aravis quicker, or the first Tarentaise resorts but none are within 2 hours. Well not unless you want to pick up 4 or 5 speeding tickets en-route.


You can do Les Deux in 2 hours if it's an early morning flight & the traffic is kind.. or CHamrousse or Alp De Huez
Key is getting the otherside of Grenoble (or Chambery for other destinations) before the changeover starts
snow report
 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
But he is coming from the centre of Lyon not the airport rolling eyes
snow conditions
 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Thanks all for the input. Yes, journey start is Lyon centre, just west of. Ski trips could be made during the week so weekend traffic not a factor. Some very useful info though.
snow report
 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
davidthornton wrote:
Thanks all for the input. Yes, journey start is Lyon centre, just west of. Ski trips could be made during the week so weekend traffic not a factor. Some very useful info though.


I used to listen to Autoroute FM before the lockdown, don't bother now as traffic is lighter. They used to start with the Lyon report "300km of traffic jams surrounding Lyon and we are only 7.30 am, if you've not left home already, fergedderboutit".

Still things are almost back to pre lockdown levels of traffic madness in Grenoble on weekdays, chose your times well especially coming from the West.
snow report
 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Quote:

You can do Les Deux in 2 hours if it's an early morning flight & the traffic is kind.. or CHamrousse or Alp De Huez
Key is getting the otherside of Grenoble (or Chambery for other destinations) before the changeover starts


I live just 7km west of Grenoble near the Rocade and I'd struggle to get to LDA or ADH in 2 hours; even Chamrousse would take me over an hour on a good day!
ski holidays



Terms and conditions  Privacy Policy