St Luc Chandolin Ski Resort Switzerland
St Luc Chandolin in the gorgeous Val d'Anniviers, is one of several lesser-known (but not lesser!) ski destinations in the French speaking Valais in Switzerland. The Val d’Anniviers & St Luc Chandolin, geographically located between the better known Verbier - 4 Vallees, Crans Montana & Zermatt, provides a traditional Swiss Alps ski experience without all the flashy trimmings of the afore mentioned resorts. Smaller crowds, classic villages & access to some awesome freeride terrain provide enough reasons to visit Saint Luc-Chandolin & the valley’s two other ski areas - the expansive Grimentz-Zinal & the smaller (a relative term!) Vercorin.
Embracing the differences that St Luc Chandolin offers will provide every powder hound with a wonderful snow holiday experience in an unforgettable alpine setting.
Pros & Cons for St Luc Chandolin Ski Resort
Pros
- High elevation ski terrain generally above 2,000m elevation.
- Great snow quality.
- No lift lines.
- Loads of fun, rolling on-piste trails for all levels (but less for advanced on piste).
- Diverse freeride & off-piste terrain which is easy to access & navigate.
- Some wonderful mountain huts.
- Gorgeous village centre.
- Good value lift pass price; linked with Grimentz-Zinal & including the local buses.
- Excellent winter walking trails throughout the resort for non-skiers.
Cons
- Aging lift system with most terrain accessed via surface lifts (may not be an issue for some though!).
- Small novice ski areas (zone debutantes!) in exposed locations above the treeline - one accessible only by chairlift.
- Limited advanced on-piste trails.
- Freeride & off-piste options have shortish interrupted, fall-line skiing, compared to its overall skiable vertical & that of other nearby ski resorts like Grimentz Zinal.
Pro or Con (depending on your perspective!)
- Sunny, southwest aspect ski terrain.
- Villages are generally quiet & reserved; don’t expect too many late nights out!
- Major ski lift bases located in awkward locations comparative to the village centres & buses through the day can be scarce.
- Lacks 5-star accommodation & facilities (who cares ….. we don’t, there are a couple of excellent 4-stars).
Skiing & Snowboarding, Lifts & Terrain
The majority of the St Luc - Chandolin ski & snowboard terrain is above 2,000m. Only one major lift is below that; the St Luc funicular which is used for access. The 60km of predominantly above treeline trails are interspersed with ample freeride choices on all aspects. The lengthy 1,300m of skiable vertical doesn’t seem obvious when skiing here - strange that! There is enough terrain variation for several days’ exploration. Snow quality & quantity is excellent given the altitude, but much of the terrain faces the sunny south-west, so if temperatures rise it can get sun-baked.
Check out the ski trail map for St Luc Chandolin below.
Much of the St Luc terrain is rolling, low pitch, interrupted fall line. The piste is interspersed with some fun (& short) off-piste pitches, but one wonders whether they are worth the effort. On-piste, the groomers are predominantly luscious, wide, perfectly groomed beginner & intermediate runs. Exceptions are the shaded pistes into the Chandolin chairlift base, the valley run to Le Prilet (a rousing red rendition) & the enjoyable black ‘home trail’ down to the funicular. Both are worth doing early when freshly groomed - no one else seems to be bothered.
St Luc’s best freeride terrain is ……… in Chandolin! Not quite true, but close. The obvious exception is from the top of the 3,000m+ Bella Tola, where a short traverse to the immediate skier’s right leads to some fine open bowls & couloirs for the best fall line turns in St Luc. Otherwise, in the Chandolin sector there are a multitude of short pitches strewn throughout the main bowl in the ski area. Some nice steep pitches & tree skiing is available off the ridge to the skier’s right of the Col des Ombintzes lift or under the Le Tsapè chair.
Ski Lifts
With only a few obvious exceptions, one could be forgiven for thinking they have been teleported back to the glorious 1980s when visiting St Luc Chandolin. The lack of chairlifts & prevalence of J-bar, T-bar & other surface conveyances provide a host of memories, many of them not great. Some of the lifts are not well suited to snowboarders & will upset those gone soft on a diet of 10-seater gondolas with heated seats. The top half of the Illhorn lift is particularly challenging – read ‘steep & fun’.
At the opposite end of the resort the Pas de Boeuf drag lift has the most zig & zags of any ski-lift we have ever ridden. A surface lift with at least 4 changes in direction is an engineering marvel not to be trifled with – fitting that it is in a Swiss ski resort.
In the middle of the St Luc sector, the 2km long Col des Ombintzes provides the triple treat of a major link between St Luc & Chandolin, some steep couloirs (into Chandolin) & gentler freeride terrain (into St Luc) plus the excruciating, best forgotten experience of getting dragged along for a few km. Must be getting old. Enjoy!
The highest lifted point is via the Bella Tola J-bar which drags one up to around 3,000m. Easy piste & some good freeride terrain greet those that have been dragged. From here the valley run to St Luc is over 1,300m vertical & 8km via an isolated valley devoid of all human sound. The run is only lightly trafficked early, so if just riding on-piste for the day, it makes a pleasing start.
The most modern lifts are the new (& important) Le Rotzé chair linking the Chandolin & St Luc sectors; the La Forèt six-seater above St Luc & and the Le Tsapè quad above Chandolin. On a powder day the Le Rotzé & Le Tsapè provide the resort’s best access to freeride terrain appropriate for upper intermediate riders. The La Forèt is best for quick resort access at the start of the day particularly if heading for the upper mountain expert off-piste & lower mountain tree terrain toward Chandolin. After that, the big 6-seater is pretty much redundant to the day’s proceedings.
Ski Passes
Lift pass options at the resort are either local passes or for Val d'Anniviers. The local pass is the most affordable and valid in St Luc-Chandolin only, with multi-day passes greater than 3-days also valid in Vercorin. If looking to visit Grimentz Zinal, for just a few francs extra, the Val d'Anniviers Ski Pass allows unfettered access to St Luc-Chandolin, Vercorin & Grimentz Zinal. The season-long Magic Pass is also valid in the resort.
Where is St Luc Chandolin Switzerland?
The St Luc Chandolin ski resort is in the Val d’Anniviers, 10km south of the city of Sierre (Siders). Part of the French speaking part of ‘lower’ Valais, by road, the resort’s village of Saint Luc is 22km from Sierre & 5km from the closest village of Vissoie (Vis-wa!). Closest major international airport is Geneva (GVA), a mere 185km (2hr) by road to Vissoie. Zurich (ZRH) (around 3½to 4hr by road) or even Milan Malpensa (MXP) are within range as well.
From the airports, the recommended mode of travel to Sierre/Siders is by train. The Geneva airport has direct trains to Sierre/Siders that run every hour. Journey time is less than 2¼hr. Once in Sierre choose between bus, taxi or private transfer direct from the station.
Buses to St Luc & Chandolin then complete the trip via Vissoie, where a bus change is required. The route 451 Postbus from Sierre Gare (train station) runs up a steep, hair-raising route up to the pretty Val d’Anniviers village of Vissoie. In the centre of town, a change is required for the next destinations of either Grimentz (452 bus), Zinal (453 bus) or Saint Luc/Chandolin (454 bus). All three may well be lined up ready to go & all will leave at the same time (just for effect if nothing else!). On school days at around 4pm the centre of Vissoie is quite the sight as up to 6 buses jockey for position. Police are often on site to avoid any major calamities.
The bus from Vissoie does not go to the St Luc funicular, instead it drives through the heart of St Luc village & then on to the Chandolin chairlifts (but annoyingly not as far as the village of Chandolin itself). One of the chairlifts, Le Rotzè, leads either directly to the St Luc ski area or some fine north-facing freeride terrain in Chandolin - depending on your tastes. Access to the St Luc funicular or Chandolin village is either by foot, ski, or further local bus.
Be advised that on Friday & Sunday afternoons, the 451 bus can be jam packed full of penny pinching, environmentally friendly powderhounds taking the cheap way up the valley to the ski resorts!
Search & book train tickets to Sierre/Siders. Purchase bus tickets from the driver.
If travelling by rental car, care needs to be taken from Sierre to avoid getting wiped out by the 451 bus on several narrow sections & hairpin bends. Once in Vissoie the St Luc appears quite close (only 5km away) but is separated by a tortuous series of switchbacks ascending the side of the valley.
Once up near the ski area, day trippers arriving by car have several options, the best of which is the base of the modern La Forèt six-seater chairlift above St Luc. Additional car parking is near the Chandolin lift base, the funicular & in St Luc at the Poste (bus or a stiff walk uphill required to the lifts).
Due to the nature of public transport to the St Luc Chandolin (2 public buses that can be difficult with luggage), many may prefer a private transfer to the resort villages. For reasons of value & efficiency, we recommend a private transfer from Geneva or Sierre/Siders train station if in a group of 3 or more people.
Search & book all private transfers from Geneva airport to St Luc Chandolin.
St Luc Chandolin Accommodation
The ski resorts combination name of St Luc Chandolin might give one a hint that it is made up of two separate villages. Chandolin is the quieter & more remote of the two. St Luc has the best access to ski lifts, although it could be argued that neither village is totally convenient to the ski lifts; a local ski bus or walk is generally required from any accommodation. The village bus appears to run on an extremely relaxed schedule; hence walking is a good option to get around town.
The core of the St Luc village is one of the prettiest in the region. Spread across the hillside on various levels, the centre of the village (& most attractive) is near the church between the funiculaire & Poste areas. A walk between the two is more than pleasant, it is positively delightful. There are a couple of ski-in ski-out options up on the mountain too.
Search & book all St Luc Chandolin ski accommodation.
The village of Vissoie (pronounced Vis-wa!) is the place to be if seeking to ski all Val d’Anniviers areas & utilising the free ski buses. The next best alternatives are higher priced in the larger, more lively resort villages of Grimentz & Zinal , located on the opposite side of Val d’Anniviers. The hamlet of St Jean is another cheeky option in some local guesthouses.
For detailed information & recommendations on the best places to stay in the resort & Val d’Anniviers, see our Where to Stay in St Luc Chandolin page .
Ski Rentals, Lessons & Guiding
Our local partners have a convenient equipment rental location in the centre of St Luc village. Receive a discount when you search & book via our St Luc Ski & Snowboard Rental page.
If seeking to safely explore the immense off-piste freeride terrain in St Luc, Chandolin, Grimentz or Zinal, some off-piste ski lessons & guiding could make all the difference to your day (or week!). For more information & booking, see our Val d'Anniviers Ski Lessons & Guiding page.
Nearby Ski Resorts
Every visit to the Val d'Anniviers should include time at the sensational Grimentz Zinal ski resort, located on the opposite side of the valley from St Luc. Similarly, Crans Montana is well worth some time, even if just to understand how three ski resorts located so close to each other can be so incredibly different! Throw in the third Val d'Anniviers resort of Vercorin, just to re-enforce the differences!
Review
The Powderhounds reviewed St Luc Chandolin in 2019. Click on the review links in the left column on this page (or top of page if on a mobile) to read its long winded but humorous & inciteful thesis-like prose, plus see a few additional photos.
See how St Luc Chandolin compares to the rest of the Swiss ski resorts on the Switzerland ski resort ratings page, or compare to the rest of Europe on the European ski resort ratings page.
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