Les Contamines - Hauteluce Ski Resort France
Les Contamines - Hauteluce ski resort straddles the Haute Savoie & Savoie in the heart of a massive French Alps skiing region near Mont Blanc. In a quiet valley between Megève & Chamonix, Les Contamines has 120km of trails plus a lusty skiable vertical of over 1,300m; enough to pique the interest of any self-respecting powder hound. As well as great value local lift passes, anyone with a valid Evasion Mont Blanc or Mont Blanc Unlimited Lift Pass can ski at Les Contamines-Hauteluce as well.
As the name suggests, the ski resort has roots in two main villages on either side of the Col du Joly. Les Contamines-Montjoie to the north, and the very quiet, and more isolated, Hauteluce to the south. For understated vibrance stay in Les Contamines, for quant, quiet & remote, stay in Hauteluce.
Pros & Cons for Les Contamines Ski Resort
Pros
- Affordable, snow-sure skiing, close to Geneva, but seemingly a world away.
- Long skiable vertical of over 1,300m.
- Uncrowded - seems like everyone misses the turn off & goes to Chamonix instead!.
- Fabulous spread of on-piste trails for skiers & snowboarders of all abilities.
- Longest run is 10km.
- Exceptional value local lift pass.
- Good variety of off-piste terrain including challenging steeps & trees.
- Lovely traditional villages with excellent bars & restaurants.
- Enthusiastic après ski in Les Contamines village.
- Masses of lifted ski resorts & backcountry terrain in the immediate region.
- Easy to get by road from Geneva airport.
- Reasonable public transport access by train & bus via St Gervais.
Cons
- A reasonable lift system that can feel a bit dated when riding one of the 12 J-bar surface tows, some of which are over 60 years old!
- Ski resort base areas are low elevation for France, but there is 1,300m of vertical to ski above it!
- Winter driving in the valley near Hauteluce is quite ‘sporty’ on occasionally extremely narrow roads. Take care!
- Hauteluce village is in a low elevation, sunny location that may not have natural snow for much of winter, plus is some distance away from the ski lifts.
Pro or Con (depending on your perspective!)
- Two village options at far opposite ends of the resort.
- Set in amongst a very popular French Alps ski region but tucked away in a side valley.
- Hauteluce village is in a splendidly remote location, so may appeal to some, but not others.
- Accommodation in the Hauteluce sector can be difficult to come by, with better options in Les Contamines.
Skiing & Snowboarding, Lifts & Terrain
The Les Contamines skiing & snowboarding terrain provides everyone with a bit of joy across its varied terrain & 120km of piste trails. Highest lifted points on Aiguille Croche & Veleray hold great promise for advanced and expert riders with around 900m of vertical on challenging terrain all the way down to the Grevattaz J-bar tow. Valley trails are wonderful all the way back to each of the three gondola bases with the longest being 10km if skied from the top of the resort. The better skiing overall is in the Les Contamines sector, but that’s only because we prefer our runs ‘dark’.
Check out the ski trail map for Les Contamines below.
Novices are catered for on the Les Contamines side at the sheltered village lifts (J-bar surface tows in two locations in the valley) or on the mountain at the relatively sheltered Etape (1,470m), or up higher on the broad ridge at Signal (1,900m). Both Etape & signal are easily accessed by gondola. In the Hauteluce sector, a small area near the top of the Ruelle gondola has a new J-bar for anyone new to the sport.
The major ski lifts at Les Contamines have been steadily modernised over the last 15 years. A series of new gondolas and 6-seter chairlifts now grace the Les Contamines side of the mountain. The most recent major improvement was replacing the Roselette triple chair with a new 6-seater and renaming it ‘Olympique’. All eight chairlifts in the resort are now quads or sixes. A few outlying J-bar surface tows assist advanced riders access some lusty off-piste zones; the most important of which is the Veleray.
Lift Passes
There are two main types of lift pass at Les Contamines (well 3 actually but we don’t think the third is worth it!).
• Les Contamines Hauteluce - valid only in the local ski resort (excellent value).
• Evasion Mont Blanc - valid in Les Contamines-Hauteluce plus Megève, St Gervais & Combloux-La Giettaz (good value).
• Evasion Mont Blanc - valid in the resorts above but also in the Chamonix valley including Aiguille du Midi, but really if you are here to ski in Chamonix, then just go to there and stop faffing about in Les Contamines!
Where is Les Contamines France?
The Les Contamines ski resort has two base areas in vastly different locations spanning the Savoie & Haute Savoie regions of the French Alps. The main Les Contamines-Montjoie base is in the Haute Savoie, 20 minutes by road south of the Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, close to Megève and Chamonix. The closest international airport is Geneva (GVA), only 94km away by road. The other sector in Hauteluce is a relatively quiet Savoie mountain valley of the Savoie, 120km (2hr drive) southeast of Geneva via Megeve. The Les Contamines - Montjoie sector is the busier of the two but provides brilliant accessibility to a huge number of nearby ski areas, many of which are linked on the Evasion Mont Blanc lift pass. For more solitude & quiet, choose to stay in the Hauteluce sector.
The train is the recommended mode of travel to the Les Contamines-Montjoie sector as it avoids the chaotic traffic on the nearby valley roads at peak times and helps to POW (Protect Our Winters). From Geneva Airport, catch a train to the main Geneva train station (also called Cornavin) then a connecting service to Annemasse (on the Swiss/French border) before continuing to St Gervais Gare Le Fayet. The entire train journey should take around 2⅕hr. From the St Gervais Gare Le Fayet railway station, take the route 84 bus to Les Contamines. It should take around 25min on the bus, with up to 9 services running per day between 0630hr & 1930hr each day, with an extra service in the middle of the day every Saturday.
Search & book here for train tickets to Les Contamines. Buy the bus ticket from the driver.
For Hauteluce, the best option is a rental car. This provides the best flexibility to get to the ski lifts from the local accommodation or other nearby resorts like the fabulous Areches Beaufort. The road through Hauteluce village is a glorious single lane affair, worthy of the best Alps village driving experiences.
For anyone with an aversion to winter driving or public transport, we recommend looking at a private transfer (particularly if in a group of 3 or more people) to get to the region. The journey from Geneva airport is short and so relatively affordable for even the tightest of powder hounds.
Search & book here for all airport transfers to Les Contamines or Hauteluce.
If you didn't get a rental car, once in Les Contamines a regular free ski bus runs throughout the day and will drop you off at either the Montjoie or Gorge gondola bases. Of course you can walk as well but watch out for traffic!
For hints, tips & warnings about getting to French ski resorts in winter, see our Travel in France page.
Les Contamines - Hauteluce Accommodation
Convenient to one of the French Alps most expansive ski resort regions in the Haute Savoie, but also just a little ‘off the beaten track’, the village of Les Contamines-Montjoie is the livelier staging point to ski Les Contamines-Hauteluce. The main ski lift up the mountain is only a short walk, drive or free ski bus shuttle from the centre of town. The village retains its authenticity, has a good range of affordable accommodations, quality restaurants and a few lively bars. We stayed at, and enjoyed, at the centrally located Hotel Le Christiania.
See the Les Contamines-Montjoie village map.
Search & book here for all Les Contamines-Montjoie ski accommodation.
In winter, Hauteluce, the resort’s opposite village across the range to the south in the Savoie, is a far quieter alternative. The village is quaint but not quite convenient to the ski lifts, still 5½km to the Ruelle gondola valley station at Belleville. Hauteluce is sited on a sunny south-aspect mountainside, so does enjoy a lot more winter light & warmth than chilly Les Contamines. See the Hauteluce village map.
The village is compact and most accommodation is chalets & apartments. The best hotel is the charming Hôtel La Ferme du Chozal. Highly rated, its cozy rooms are unsurprisingly just near the Chozal chairlift that is part of the infrastructure in the adjacent Les Saisies sector of the Espace Diamant ski area.
Also in the Hauteluce sector, at the Ruelle gondola valley station at Belleville, a few chalet & holiday apartment rentals are available, but overall the availability in this remote part of the mountains is far less than in the larger Les Contamines-Montjoie village.
Search & book here for all Hauteluce ski accommodation.
Down valley from Les Contamines-Montjoie, is St-Gervais-les-Bains. St Gervais has the important railway station nearby, plus is convenient to the Chamonix resorts, as well as the Evasion Mont Blanc lifts & slopes via the Bettex cable car. It is low altitude so rarely has natural snow these days. The small hamlet of St Nicolas de Veroce, between St Gervais & Les Contamines is a beautiful place to stay. If you have the coin and prefer to stay in a quieter location, try the Hôtel l'Armancette.
Search & book here for all St Gervais ski accommodation.
Ski Rentals, Lessons, Guiding & Services
Ski rentals are available via our local partners in Les Contamines Montjoie. Receive a discount when you search & book via our Les Contamines Ski & Snowboard Rental page.
The search for fresh tracks or skills /technique improvement can be made easier by skiing or riding with a local ski instructor or mountain. To narrow down the field, search & book a private/group lesson or mountain guide with the best providers via our partners on the Les Contamines - Hauteluce Ski Lessons & Guiding page.
Review
The Powderhounds reviewed Les Contamines & Hauteluce in early March 2023. Despite some frightful weather when we visited, we had some fun skiing, and loved the villages, general vibe, food, & potential of the ski terrain. We need to return next season to see it properly in clear conditions. We can't wait. Click on the review link in the left column (or top of the page if on a mobile) to read all the reviews.
See how Les Contamines compares to the rest of the French ski resorts on the France ski resort ratings page, or compare it to the rest of Europe on the European ski resort ratings page.
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