Last winter at Welove2ski we ran features on our top runs in Austria and our favourite pistes in France. We had a lot of feedback both on our website and on social media. We’ve put it together to make a collection of some of your favourite Alpine pistes.
To maintain everyone’s privacy we’ve used first names only!
France
Mary: “I have happy memories of the following: Lou Darbes in Les Carroz, described as ‘Little Canada’ on the piste map and feels like it when large snowflakes are falling on the trees.
Also Soureou in Montgenevre, which is a red from the Italian border with fantastic views of the Milky Way at the top, then tree-lined. It branches into scenic black and blue options to the bottom.
In Flaine it’s any of the runs from the top of Grandes Platières – with a stunning view of Mont Blanc at the top. Lac de la Chambre in Val Thorens is a decent red, too.
The Vallée Blanche in Chamonix maybe doesn’t count as a run as it’s off-piste, but it was the best day’s skiing I’ve had yet.”
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Helen: “Jerusalem, just above St Martin de Belleville, is simply fabulous – with rolling piste, spectacular views. Not a ski resort, pylons or other pistes in sight, just magnificent mountain views sprinkled with old granges and mountain hamlets.”
Gemma: “There’s so many in the 3 Valleys that I love. Number 6 on your list (Combe de la Saulire in Courchevel) is awesome early on, but the runs off Mont Vallon are my favourite! Awesome with amazing views. And Mauduit – right at the end of the day when it’s empty and you can just let the skis run…heaven!”
Roger: “Bit clichéed I know, but La Face de Bellevarde in Val d’Isere is my fave…in the morning before it gets iced up. If you ski without stopping you will reach high speeds and test your faith in your abilities.”
Sarah: “Other favourites would be Christine and Tete Ronde in Val Thorens. Also a sit-back-and-enjoy-the-ride cruise along l’Ours in Meribel, a magical Narnia-esque adventure through the trees (as long as there’s knee-deep powder) on Raffort/Villages – again in Meribel and possibly the most fun I’ve had on skis. Then there’s making bumps as a big group on Les Coqs five times in a row after a big dump in La Plagne (childish snigger!). Oh, and best not forget getting engaged on Fontaines in Les Houches!”
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Richey: “Top to bottom of Le Linga in Chatel when it’s perfectly pisted first thing in the morning would have to be a favourite.”
Barry: “What about La Sache from the top of the Aguille Percée down to Tignes Les Brevieres? Surely it has to be in any top 10!”
Karen: “I was going to suggest Sache…but Barry beat me to it!”
Steve: “What about Jerusalem? Or the sweeping runs into Les Gets? Or my own fave warm-up, Tete Ronde in Val Thorens after it’s just been pisted and you’ve taken the first lift?”
George: “None as good as Point de Vue in Argentiere“.
Peter: “My greatest would be Bellevarde in Val when it’s smooth and hard, grippy or covered in two foot of fresh. Piste Luc Alphand in Serre Chevalier is also another of my favourites.”
Graham D: “Top of Les Grands Montets all the way down to Argentiere, epic!”
Austria
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Bruce: “My favourite on the lift pass is on the Kitzsteinhorn glacier, the Freeride Route X1 – Ice Age. Take the Gipfelbahn Kaprun cable-car, pause to take in the view, down the little funicular and then off to the left as you exit. The drop-off can be a little steep depending on conditions but soon mellows into a wonderful powder (hopefully!) field, and there’s a little rise at the bottom where you can pop off as you head back to the piste.
It’s a great run just in itself but you have the adjoining piste in sight the whole time, so fantastic for anyone finding their off-piste legs with the safety net of a groomer nearby”.
Elaine: “One of my favourite runs is down from Badgastein to Bad Hofgastein.”
Chris: “Runs 34 Pengelstein-Süd and 33 Giggling at Kitzbuhel are magnificent. The hoardes take the mighty 3S lift across the valley towards Pass Thurn, but these runs are the way to do it on skis in the traditional way. Both marked as dotted red-diamonds on the map, they are nevertheless prepared but a bit narrower than other pistes.
Both are long, dropping from around 1950m to 850m. Taxis wait at the bottom to take you to the Wagstattbahn at Jochberg. Both with virtually no other skiers or borders on them and no more than red in difficulty. Best done mid-morning.
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Have also loved the run down from the Nosslachjoch at 2200m via the Manni Pranger Abfahrt down to the base station at 1100m at the little-known and very quiet Bergeralm ski area at Steinach am Brenner.
Fantastic snow on this northeast-facing mountain, but most unusually of all you get a stunning view of the A13 Italy-bound motorway on its 6- or 7-span bridge across the Wipptal on the way down. At the bottom of the piste you get to wave at the lorry drivers as you schuss alongside the inside lane”.
Tony: “There’s a few magnificent runs over in Dorfgastein which is a hugely underrated area, and Bad Gastein generally is a great ski area.
And having recently come back from Solden, this place has some superb long runs and two glaciers, so there’s a few here that need a mention. Fortunately Solden isn’t big YET in the UK market so it remains somewhere I regard as a little bit unique and special. The 13km run from the glacier to the valley at 1300m is worth a mention alone”.
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…and one in Italy…
Graham T: “My all-time favourite run is in Cervinia, the 1849m drop all the way down from Gobba di Rollin, where you cross over into Zermatt, in the shade of the Matterhorn, all the way back to the resort. A brilliant run that takes in almost every type of terrain. Probably around 15km but I’ve never measured it”.
Any More Favourites?
Please add yours in the box below.
My favourite is run Hidden Valley in Dolomites:)
I love that run, too. The backdrop of frozen waterfalls is so beautiful and taking a horse-drawn ‘lift’ at the end is fun!
If the next list is Italy then it has to be the Pista Olympica 18 in Sansicario from the top of the Fraiteve down into the village. Built as the women’s downhill for the Turin Olympics, it is wide, fast, long and scenic.
Yes, that’s a great run Gerard, I agree! We did it when staying in Sauze d’Oulx a couple of years ago. We plan to put together a list of best Italian resorts and piste soon.
Les Choucas in Les Gets. Enchanted forest run, especially first thing in the morning, with blue sky and sparkling snow. Perfect if skiing with little ones.
So many to choose from! In zermatt, it’s hard to look past the ubiquitous red 7 from plateau rosa to valtournache. It just goes on forever! The Red to black from trockener stegg to furi ain’t too bad either..