Valloire or Val Cenis

A snowHead

I'm thinking about either Valloire or Val Cenis for a mixed ability group in mid-March.

On paper they are similar places but it seems Val Cenis is a bit smaller, maybe more scenic and possibly has better snow conditions due to its aspect. Is that a fair assessment or does one of them have an obvious edge in terms of the quality of the skiing?

The other thing I am struggling to work out is how accessible Bonneval and La Norma are from Val Cenis by bus. There are numerous references to free and direct shuttles in previous threads here, but the bus timetable for last year suggests that only Bonneval is practical for a day trip. Does anyone know if that is that a consequence of Covid service reductions or is it difficult to reach other Haute Maurienne resorts from Val Cenis by bus in 'normal' year?

A snowHead

@lapalma,

First paragraph - DELETED - sorry, I mixed up Val Cenis with Valfrejus!

Second paragraph - I think it's the same problem with timings even in normal years. There are buses, but some don't arrive until mid morning and return mid afternoon, so you miss part of the ski day.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@lapalma, Never been to either, but am killing some time so looked at topogrpahic maps for both of them. Valloire sort of strikes me as mini-3V whereas Val-Cenis looks more like a mini Grands Montets with a few gentler runs. Mixed ability group, Valloire seems like the better choice. Its aspect isn't awful either, more North facing stuff than South but admittedly snow quality in Val-Cenis is likely to be slightly better due to its big bowl shape

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Valloire (Valmeinier) gets decent snow due to its location. Lift pass includes a 1 day option to upgrade to Orelle's backdoor access to VT (about €35 for the day).
Have been in March & some days the ski roads can get slushy,but mountain is fine. I enjoy the Valmeinier side more than Valloire though. However, Valloire is a village, where Valmeinier is a purpose built resort & looks an back bottom to get around on foot if you are in the wrong part.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@lapalma, Both good choices to be honest. Valloire/Valmeinier has plenty of open wide sweeping runs across the valleys. Keeps the snow well late season also. Val Cenis, good mix of terrain, link to Termignon opens up a few more runs. Also has bus links to Bonneval, La Norma etc probably opens up a few more options.

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Pre covid it was possible to get a pass for Val Cenis that gave a day skiing in several nearby resorts eg La Norma and Aussois. Check it will still be an option for next season.

I have skied in Val Cenis - it should be good snow wise in March as all north facing and goes up to 2800. We went in the first week of April and it was still good then. It is good value in terms of accommodation and lift pass. Hotel St Charles, Les Chalets de Flambeau and Les Balcons du village are all well located and the first two are high end. You should be able to ski to the door in mid March. A lot of the skiing is suited to confident intermediates. However there is the long green escargot run which is ideal for beginners. It had an off the beaten track feel when we went some years ago. The view towards lac du mont cenis is beautiful.

I think the only drawback of Val Cenis is that the ski area is not that cruisy and extensive. I like resorts where there are slopes with different orientations. Eg. Montgenevre would be a very good place to go Mid March.

I haven't been to Valloire and the thing that has put me off going is that the self catering accommodation options are more basic than Chalets de Flambeau in Val Cenis and it seems a larger village so I am not sure if you have to walk in ski boots to the lifts from some accommodation. It looks a reasonable size ski area.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Following this closely... @snowymum, are you saying the terrain is challenging; or as you said, not extensive enough. I've long fancied an extended stay in the whole, 6 or 8 resorts area, for which I believe you can get a season pass?

After all it is free

@Charliegolf, I would not say Val Cenis is that challenging but that some of the red and blue runs are on the steeper side for their marked colours. Eg. L'arcelle is on the harder side of red and was icy in the mornings at the time of our visit. The blue traverse back from Termignon is a gentle path through the woods but when we skiied it, it was very icy towards the bottom and once you are on it you have to do the whole run. You don't have to take that run as you can download on the lift..for good reason! We made the mistake of taking it when we were in a rush to pick up the kids from ski school. If one is used to skiing somewhere like Les Arcs with different aspects and lots of choices of wide open runs, lift options etc you would feel you are retracing your steps a lot more in Val Cenis. However there are some wide open pistes in Val Cenis around the Solaise lift. Termignon in particular has an off the beaten track feel which I liked. We had enough to occupy us for a week with kids in ski school. If I were to go back I would probably want to spend a day or two in other resorts like Bonneval sur Arc. We self drive so would not be dependent on buses to visit other resorts.

I think there is enough in Val Cenis for complete beginners. It is also fine for confident intermediates who can ski a red or blue in any condition (icy/slush etc). I think there are better places to go for people who have a few weeks experience but like skiing mainly blue runs.

@snowymum, Great reply, ta.

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Valloire is quite varied and the town is charming. The slight drawback to the skiing is that you have two areas -- Setaz (wooded, winding slopes, a few steepish reds, a couple of short blacks, accessible by gondola and the quieter Verneys side -- and the Crey du Quart, which is wide open but can get rather windy and has lousy visibility in cloudy conditions. I thought that the Setaz area was great but you can ski it all in 2 days. Crey du Quart is much larger but again, subject to wind/weather, and it's the link to Valmenier.

I quite liked Valloire and thought it had great variety, plenty of peaceful beginner and intermediate runs, and when we went it was very good value. If you care about such things, the mountain food was just OK, but good restaurants in town. Valmenier is more industrial but having it on the same ticket gives you a solid week's skiing. Getting around is pretty easy with ski buses. A fair amount of accommodation is within an easy walk and some of the ski shops near the base lifts have lockers. We stayed in the Verneys area and had no problem walking 500 meters to the shop to pick up skis/boots each morning.

I've looked at Val Cenis a number of times but it falls into the same category of mid-sized French stations as Valloire in my book, so can't say good/bad about it. But would recommend Valloire.

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Thanks everyone for the very helpful replies. I'm now leaning to Valloire but Val Cenis could still be a contender if we decide to rent cars (I like the look of La Norma and Bonneval sur Arc).

There are plenty of budget self catering options in Valloire which would work and I am reassured that the ski area is fairly extensive and varied.

I am struggling somewhat with transfer options. There doesn't seem to be a transfer bus from any of the major airports to Valloire. The train is an option but seems quite inconvenient as two changes are required and there's a final leg by bus/taxi. The cost of a private transfer seems prohibitive (800+ euro). We paid 250 euros each way for the last private transfer and it was for a slightly longer journey in the Dolomites, so this is nearly 60% more. Does anyone know of any better options, other than hiring a car?

snow reports

@lapalma,

There isn't one really! You can get a bus from the St Michel de Maurienne, but it is much easier/quicker to drive.
If you want to use the 1 day pass or upgrade to Val Thorens, you would also need transport or be on a bus for nearly an hour.

Ski Maurienne Extension

With a valid pass for 6 days or longer, you can ski one day for free at one of the following ski areas:
– Les Sybelles
– Saint François Longchamp

Val-Thorens and Les 3 Vallées: at 30 minutes’ drive from your apartment, you can access the Val-Thorens ski area via the Orelle cable car and get preferential rates* when you present a valid “Galibier-Thabor” ski pass for 2 days or longer. (applies only if the ski area of the issuing station is fully open)
* STOR (the company running the Orelle area) may terminate its price conditions at any time.
With a valid pass for 2 days or longer, you can ski for
– €33 per day in Val Thorens via Orelle
– €37 per day in Les 3 Vallées

I spent 6 weeks in Valloire a few years ago and would echo what @Pasigal says, especially that he central CdQ area was often windy. Town was very nice, lots of events, we also stayed in Les Verney which has a fast chairlift which is never too busy and only made it to Valmeinier a few times during our stay. There is a high proportion of cat tracks if you have any novice board riders.

You know it makes sense.

@lapalma I think you'dd be good with either. I live about 20mins drive from the Valloire/Valmeinier lift system and maybe 35 mins form Val Cenis. I go to both with a group of Blue/Red run skiers most years and both work. Perhaps more kms of cruisy pistes at Valloire/Valmeinier but it gets crowded at French half term (the peak of which is 5th to 26 Fen next year). For bars and restaurants I guess it's similar. I don't know much about the accommodation. Val Cenis is in the main valley so other places are easier to get to if you plan a change of scene one day. Valloire town centre is 30 mins drive from the main valley bottom at Saint Michel de Maurienne. And that's before you go anywhere else. Hope you get a good place.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

I never liked Valloire/Valmeinier - probably the one area I would happily never return to.
Val Cenis was not half as good as Les Arcs, ADH, 3V or even La Roz or Valmorel, but it was ok and we had a nice trip. It is just a bit underwhelming imho.
But never forget as you see on here all the time - ski preferences are marmite - trust your own taste buds

A snowHead

I never liked Valloire/Valmeinier - probably the one area I would happily never return to.
Val Cenis was not half as good as Les Arcs, ADH, 3V or even La Roz or Valmorel, but it was ok and we had a nice trip. It is just a bit underwhelming imho.
But never forget as you see on here all the time - ski preferences are marmite - trust your own taste buds

A snowHead

What was it about Valloire/Valmeinier you didn't like?

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Valmeinier is soul-less and lacking facilities with too many cat tracks as runs.
The Valloire side seemed itty-bitty and a bit disjointed with lifts. It was a bit rubbish - there are probably 20 better areas

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Valloire or Val Cenis

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