St Gervais & the Evasion Mont Blanc (evasion = 'escape' or 'break out') ski region, have a grand appeal to a vast majority of skiers. To cut to the chase though, would it be our 'go to' ski destination in this part of the world? Nope. But that's OK, we still enjoyed parts of it and can see its merits. One of its merits being that if you are an intermediate skier or higher, St Gervais is a better place to ski than its more well-known and co-joined neighbour, Megève. For developing intermediates & beginners there is lifetime's worth of piste trails here to keep one amused. More advanced riders will need to push the envelope a touch and use their imagination to find the best terrain.

We visited in early March with fresh snow on the mountain, yet it seemed utterly devoid of people. There's alot to like about that. The first few hours every morning were like skiing in your own private ski resort. Our favourite part of the hill is the Chattrix-Croix du Christ-Epaule-Mont Joly sector. The on & off-piste potential far outweighs anything else in the resort.

If you asked me where I would stay if skiing here, it would not be Megeve. Whilst it is a lovely town to visit when clad in snow, Megève is a little too high-falutin for our tastes and the ski terrain above it a tad 'meh'! Having said that we wouldn't be staying St Gervais either. It’s too low in altitude (where’s the snow!) and lacks the mountain vibe that we adore. It feels like a Parisian suburb in the town centre and thats not what we come to the mountains for. Our choice would be somewhere near St Nicolas or further up the valley in the heart Les Contamines. St Nicolas & the nearby hamlet of Chattrix is all kinds of gorgeousness; quiet, charming & with wonderful (if limited!) accommodation available, it also has the swiftest access to the best ski terrain in the resort via the Chattrix chairlift.

Some fine food is served at excellent prices in the mountain restaurants. Had several sensational 'plat du jour' overlooking the blindingly white Mont Blanc massif juxtaposed above the green valley toward St Gervais. And there is the rub. Altitude. If staying in St Gervais or Megève, increasingly there will be a lack of natural snow on the ground, except during the height of winter. That's alright though, just have your eyes wide open to the fact that low elevation snow in France is decreasing but the skiing on the mountain is still fabulous.

It will be fantastic development when one can arrive at the St Gervais train station and take a gondola directly up the mountain. We will be going back here in early 2025 to check that out, and also a few things we missed on this visit. I'm looking forward to it.

See our thoughts on the pros & cons of this ski resort via the St Gervias - St Nicolas Overview page.