Val Cenis, the largest ski resort of Haute Maurienne Vanoise ready to surprise

Next December 15, the winter season will be officially inaugurated at the ski resort of Val Cenis.

The largest ski area in the Northern Alps in Haute Maurienne-Vanoise will organize for the opening of the season the fifth consecutive edition of the event “Tous en piste à Val Cenis”.

Everyone is invited to the great rendezvous at Val Cenis, with its 125 km of slopes and a total height of 1,500 meters. Only a few kilometers away from Italy, this border of the “Col du Mont Cenis” has been the scenario of historical moments of the last century.

The ski resort of Val Cenis has varied slopes adapted to beginners, with areas designed for recreational sliding in any of the many existing monstrosities that delight the youngest of the house. On the other hand, visitors, even if they do not ski, will be able to enjoy strong sensations without making any effort, given that the ski resort has one of its summits on a spectacular viewpoint called Canopée des Cimes, which has an armored glass floor and allows to feel the emptiness under the feet as well as magnificent views from the top of the lush Monte Cenis.

If you have never heard of this magnificent northern ski resort in the Alps, here you will find the slopes map of Val Cenis. As you can check its relief, location and exposure, it is positioned as one of the ski resorts in the Alps that offers more for less.

“In its beginnings, the vocation of this event was to promote the ski resort of Val Cenis and bring together the socio-professionals of the valley, I remember having organized a meeting with an idea in mind, which was a gourmet ski tour on the world’s longest green slope, and that skiers could make stops and taste local products, then we brainstormed on the subject and decided to integrate more skiing. Today, the key words of this event are the authenticity and the know-how, the values of Val Cenis are very strong, all the restaurants in Val Cenis strive to offer the best products at the best prices”, informs Yves Dimier, director of the ski resort of Val Cenis, to Iloveski.

The organization of the event is totally participative, its objective is to highlight the characteristics of the valley: “it is the local actors who put their stand, nobody comes from outside”. Our goal is to show the best every year”, says Yves Dimier.

Skiing, discovering new winter sports, gourmet stands on the slopes, free concerts with Amir, the singer who became famous after participating in The Voice… the ski resort of Val Cenis takes care of the first skiers of the season!

For this fifth edition, the ski resort has prepared a particularly complete program that will delight young and old alike.

Then, you will find the complete weekend program in this event that finds the balance between gastronomy and skiing, in an Alpine environment of unquestionable natural and scenic beauty.

14h-19h: Withdrawal of ski pass at the Tourist Information Office of Val Cenis (Lanslebourg).

8h-12h: Welcome at the town hall of Val Cenis Lanslebourg with typical products from the area. Information and withdrawal of passes.

9h30-16h: Opening of the lifts and premiere of the Moulin gondola lift, recently renovated.

10h-15h30: Animations and slideshow of activities: 8 meeting points distributed in the area.

On the ski slopes, between the foot of snow and the top of the slopes.

– Freestyle area, DJ, airbag, biathlon course…

– Ski lessons with instructors.

– Nursery and snow garden for the little ones. Make-up activity with the Snow Queen as a theme.

– Yooner, snake glisse, airboard, tir laser, Tandemski, XBike.

– Village of adventures (igloo and tales of winter), photographic spot, pets, sled dogs, rackets, wooden games, ski events.

– Slalom parallel.

– Time zone.

– DVA stand, snowtubing.

– DJ Dameuse, Canopy of Cimes, photo of the spot.

Gastronomic stands, 6 hotspots to enjoy: Savoyard specialties (diots / polenta, tartiflette, charcuterie, Beaufort cake, cheese fondue…), soup, hot chestnuts, sweet delicacies (cake with blueberries, pancakes, sweet cakes, bugnes, fluffy chocolate…) and drinks.

11: 00-16: 00: Magician and fanfare on the slopes.

17h30-19h: Concert at the bottom of the slopes with Amir, followed by fireworks. Gratuitous.

23h-2h: Festive night with DJ Philippe Marcotti, in the multipurpose room at Val Cenis Lanslevillard. Free admission.

9h-16h: You do not have to pay the ski pass, the ski resort offers “free skiing”, so that the first descents of the season will have a taste of Glory without paying a single euro.

Partial opening of the domain. Saturday’s accreditation is valid for the weekend pass.

Image: Val Cenis Ski Resort

The increasing success of this annual meeting is undeniable. Launched in 2014, the number of packages sold is each year higher: 1,019 passes sold in 2014, 2,305 passes sold in 2015 and 3,121 passes sold in 2016). Last season, 3,912 passes were sold and this winter the organizers expect around 5,000 people.

“We have limited the number of visitors to 5,000 people. We are forced to limit the number because the gourmet stalls do not have the capacity to accommodate more people: some cook thousands of pancakes for three days…” It’s a bit of a rescue for success.

The returns are super positive, so we prefer to set a limit so that the service is always very good.

This success can be explained by the increasing participation of the resort, the socio-professionals, the tourist office, the municipalities and the support of the resort’s partners.

Despite its name that was once called “old mill”, the gondola lift plays a central role in the heart of the ski area of Val Cenis and is far from old because it is really synonymous with modernity.

Equipped with 10-seat cabins, each will be composed of heated seats, a detail particularly appreciated by skiers during the winter period. Access to its outdoor station will be facilitated, reception capacity will be strengthened, etc.

The technical improvements, but also the comfort, are part of the strong positioning of the resort of Val Cenis to offer equipment increasingly efficient and comfortable for skiers; The ski lift of the resort is one of the newest and most recent in France.

For this first opening weekend, “we usually receive a local clientele, but also a national (Paris) and international clientele (Belgium in particular). We want to make discover Val Cenis, being attractive at the program level of this event, but also in the level of the price: the concept of this opening is based on the voluntary work of the socio-professionals who give their time and who allow us to propose very affordable prices “, says Yves Dimier.

To make the most of the first snowfall in Haute Maurienne, the ski resort of Val Cenis has prepared packages at a reasonable price for this first weekend in the mountains.

Package, concert and activities for 12/15/2018 + 1 Val Cenis ski pass for 12/16/2018. Free for children under 12 years of age accompanied by an adult.

Price: over 12 years: € 32.50.

Half day price packages!

Prices: € 19 / adult, € 16 / child, € 17 / senior.