 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all
Looking for a few cross country skiing resort recommendations
I've done most of my x country skiing in Italy - Val Ferret (Courmayeur) and Cogne. Absolutely love those spots. Val Ferret in particular because 1) the good selection of restaurants and 2) the beautiful view of Mont Blanc
Thinking about going somewhere new and criteria is: scenic (love drastic mountain views like Val Ferret and ethereal forest/woodland like Cogne) and ideally with coffee/snack stops in places. Miles - will be there for a five days - one week so would like somewhere with lots of trails. Or access to nearby resorts. Other thing is access to/ease of airport - don't want long transfer or anything complicated
Any ideas?
TIA
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Looking at this place - Kaiserwinkl - anyone have experience? Looks beautiful!
And Chamonix - love Chamonix but never thought about trails there, are they good?
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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?
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Look quite extensive in Chamonix as fairly visible when you travel around the valley. I've no experience of them though.
Bessans in Upper Maurienne valley springs to mind. Extensive dedicated area centred around a village. Located between Val Cenis & Bonnevall Sur Arc in very serene location.
Pra d Lys near Geneva, again extensive cc trail network woven around lift served ski area. Close transit to Geneva, good cost, food and calm atmosphere.
Nearby to both Pds & GM ski areas if interested. Also near there St Sigismund (I think ) on the road to Les Carroz as very individual location. This one I've walked around in summer, but not visited winter season.
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Les Saisies, the tracks are at 1500m so keep the snow. The Vercors, Bauges and Jura are big XC areas in France.
The OpenSnowMap website could be useful, you can see where ski areas are located when zoomed out, XC and Alpine areas are shown in different colours.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Ramsau am Dachstein, Austria. Huge cross-country area. Filzmoos is close by for an excellent route on the top of the mountain accessed by lift. Schladming is down the hill for Alpine. And Gnadenalm-Untertauern(I visit often), is 30 mins drive for another excellent route. All stunningly beautiful.
Ange 
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Goms valley: Switzerland
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@moseyp, the whole Chamonix area only had a few km open throughout last winter. I don't think the Argentiere and Buet sections opened at all.
So it could be quite a risk. Even at best the scope from Chamonix is limited. I would imagine that for a week you would want to visit Les Contamines which is not straightforward by public transport.
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Another vote for Les Saisies with extensive tracks at sensible altitude. One of the biggest areas in France.
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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.
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Hi @moseyp, the below from a couple of older threads where I posted up info on France. You should have no trouble getting transfers to them from Lyon or Geneva. Hope it's useful for your planning and you find a place you like.
In other countries, places I have really enjoyed extensive xc trails are: Livigno (Italy); Seefeld and St Johann in Tirol (Austria); Sjusoen (Norway).
Bessans / Maurienne valley
Wide flat valley on the way up to Bonneval. Altitude of 1800m and with some parts quite shaded so unlikely to be a problem with snow cover. Shuttle buses along the valley to access downhill skiing in Bonneval, Val Cenis and many others but no Alpine/downhill skiing from Bessans itself.
Col de Saisies
Sits at around 1600m astride the pass from Arly valley and Albertville. Used for the cross country competitions of the 1992 Olympics and highly rated. Very extensive wooded trails. Plenty of donwhill skiing and the start points both for this and cross country are pretty much co-located within the village.
Champagny-le-Haut
Very shaded valley at 1800m surrounded by high glaciated mountains (promoting cold-air inversions) so very snow-sure but can be perishingly cold. Best stay in main Champagny where for downhill there is a gondola up/down to La Plagne and for cross country there is a shuttle bus to Le Haut and back.
Peisey / Nancroix
Around 1500m and plenty of snow most seasons but slightly more marginal than the others above. All the villages in the area are connected by either a regular shuttle bus or a lift to get you to the downhill or cross country ski areas.
All of the above are properly-managed areas, with the purchase of a cross country ski pass being obligatory (these are pretty cheap). Walkers are kept separate from skiers so little problem with trampled tracks or people in the way (unlike many of the tracks in France which are within Alpine ski areas, where walkers are a real problem). They all have a 'forum' building where you can get changed, buy your pass, rent skis, get cosy by the fire...
Many of the major French downhill resorts do have free cross country tracks within easy access: Courchevel, Meribel, Val d'Isere, Tignes, Chamonix... In some cases the tracks are well maintained and kept separate from walkers (Meribel, Val d'Isere) in other cases they are shared with walkers and become an unpleasant mess (Tignes).
In the major downhill resorts, finding XC ski rental can be difficult but not impossible. In the ones I have listed above, there are many shops offering XC rental gear and often also the forum building where the trails start.
Also worth a look is the Serre Chevalier valley (Besancon up to Col du Lauteret). Much cross country and many downhill resorts off to the sides but I have no personal experience (whereas in absolutely all of the above, I have skied both downhill and cross country).
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This doesn't really answer any questions, but it'll clear up something i've wondered a long time.
When you're skiing in Les Gets, at the top of the Ranfoilly lift, you look off the back, and over to the right you can see the Grand Massif ski area, and straight on/ slightly to the left is a cross country ski area. Difficult to tell where it is on google maps, but possibly it's near Le Relais des Vallées restaurant. I'd look on FatMap but Strava have ruined that for me nowadays! 
Anyone know what this area is?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@swskier, The OpenSnowMap link I posted above has it labelled as "Le Tour du Lac de Joux Plane".
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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.
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Seefeld in Sustria, about 20 min from Innsbruck has amazing cross country tracks and very pretty town.
Dobbiaco in the Dolomites has amazing tracks and stunning views and delicious food. You can ski down an old railway line to Cortina. Good bus service to different areas. Probably my favorite xc ski area.
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@swskier, Yes it is the Joux Plane area accessed by road in the winter from Samoens and sometimes there is a shuttle bus. We regularly use it. You pay about 7 euros for a day pass but the tracks are kept in wonderful condition. easy tracks around what is the lake in the summer and more challenging trip up to the big cross that overlooks the Samoens valley. The road is sometimes open as a track that goes to a smaller area just next to the Ranfolly run in Les Gets. On touring skis you can easily get on to the red run down from Chamossiere. You can hire skis at the ticket office and there is also a very nice and friendly restaurant.
Many of the PDS xc tracks are down in the valleys and not very snow sure but there are a number of tracks near the altiport in Avoriaz which are at about 1800 m and very snow sure. Both Chavannes side and Mont Caly in Les Gets have tracks around 1400 m. All free to access but not always kept in the best of conditions.
We also try to get over to Les Rousses in the Jura but the snow cover has been poor the last few years.
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You know it makes sense.
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| pateman99 wrote: |
| @swskier, Yes it is the Joux Plane area accessed by road in the winter from Samoens and sometimes there is a shuttle bus. We regularly use it. You pay about 7 euros for a day pass |
I don't know when you last skied there but it has not been 7 euros for quite a while, probably pre-covid. The area does have the advantage of being high at 1700m and in France if you are booking ahead you want to be above 1500 meters - les Saisies as Pam mentions etc as the last two seasons have been terrible lower down. Hardly any skiing in the Jura, Vosges, Bauges, Massif Central and other lower lying areas.
Les Saisies has good snow but the cross country is hard and I don't find the concentric circles layout that interesting even if it adds to the kms. Bessans has the advantage of being flat and scenic and generally has good snow being in a very cold interior valley but I"m not really sure why people are suggesting France for nordic skiing, it's not really in the DNA of the country. Why not Norway or Eastern Europe somewhere (although eastern europe suffered last year from lack of snow) incl the Germanic countries. Davos and St Moritz are good choices or the suggestions above.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| Quote: |
Les Saisies has good snow but the cross country is hard
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 Yes it is, but I knew no different, and when I started I wondered why everyone kept saying that cross country skiing was easy and you didn't need any lessons! Even getting down from where you buy your lift pass to where you enter the Nordic area is downhill! And back uphill when you're knackered at the end. There is a draglift (which is part of the downhill skiing area) which takes you nicely up near the top of the cross country area. Our instructor took us up that after a few days of lessons but did warn us that if we fell off we'd probably have to take our skis off and walk down the side of the blue slope as none of us would have had a hope of skiing down it. Fortunately we all made it! The slope we accessed was red, but he took us the wrong way round it (forbidden, except with an instructor) as the slopes were easier that way, apparently. It's the downhills which are scary, where the tracks disappear because you have to snowplough. I'm glad I did it, though I'm now well past such exertion. Good scenery - including Mont Blanc.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Origen, yes I only mention that it is hard because everyone says it is on a flat plateau.
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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?
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| Quote: |
everyone says it is on a flat plateau.
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Everyone who hasn't been there.......
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Plus one for Ramsau and it is only an hour's transfer from Salzburg.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Bessans in the Maurienne valley is good though it is in the valley and not sunny all the time in winter. If you are there with a car the domaine du Monolithe down the valley at Sollieres Sardieres looks very pleasant as well.
Near Briancon there are beautiful trails in the Vallee de La Claree and good ones up at Cervieres as well as good trails up beyond Monetier.
Davos has beautiful looking trails and a very extensive layout
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| davidof wrote: |
| I"m not really sure why people are suggesting France for nordic skiing |
The OP asked about Chamonix.
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@rjs, @pateman99, thanks both, interesting to know.
I've not tried any XC yet, but it's on the list, along with Telemark this season too perhaps.
We have some tracks in the Zillertal that opened for a week or 2 before Christmas and then were shut the rest of the season as there was no snow. However, if we get the conditions i'll try giving it a go!
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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.
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| swskier wrote: |
I've not tried any XC yet, but it's on the list, along with Telemark this season too perhaps.
We have some tracks in the Zillertal that opened for a week or 2 before Christmas and then were shut the rest of the season as there was no snow. However, if we get the conditions i'll try giving it a go! |
I hadn’t tried it before moving here. It’s great fun and a nice way of escaping the peak week crowds on the pistes whilst still being in/around the mountains. We've an alm tal near us that hosts FIS races (and has easier loipes) which is stunning…and knackering Most of the tracks hereabouts are either free or request a voluntary donation where you stick a bit of cash into a box near the entrance.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| rjs wrote: |
| davidof wrote: |
| I"m not really sure why people are suggesting France for nordic skiing |
The OP asked about Chamonix. |
Ah yes, Chamonix. The Servoz pistes rarely seem to open Chamonix itself isn't bad as you start in the town center more or less and the cross country area is quite pleasant. Great for the locals to do an hour at lunch. Argentiere is a bit more technical and it gets more so up at Vallorcine, IMHO.
All linked by train but very small number of kms in total but not without charm. Lack of snow last season in Chamonix as was mentioned above.
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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.
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This is amazing - thanks so much everyone! Will do a bit more research next week and look at all those places
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| rjs wrote: |
Les Saisies, the tracks are at 1500m so keep the snow. The Vercors, Bauges and Jura are big XC areas in France.
The OpenSnowMap website could be useful, you can see where ski areas are located when zoomed out, XC and Alpine areas are shown in different colours. |
That map is incredible, never seen it before. Serious amount of data
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You know it makes sense.
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Livigno, Seefeld, Banff and Ski Amade.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Loving that map. It's pretty much spot on for my area. I've even spotted new x-country right near me that I didn't know was there! Doh!
Ange
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FAQ
