France is home to some of the best ski resorts in the world. If, like me, you are a huge fan of skiing and all that goes with it, there is no need to go any further afield than our nearest neighbour. There is a huge range of options in both the Alps and the Pyrenees for both beginners and expert skiers, and every level in between.
Although it is now late in the season, there are still some excellent ski resorts to go to for some spring skiing. The advantage of a late-season trip is that the weather is warmer and some resorts offer discounts on ski passes.
The Alps are probably a better bet at this time of the year as they are higher than the Pyrenees. Whether you prefer quaint Christmas card villages or modern purpose-built resorts, there is something to suit every skier in the Alps.
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Where are the best French ski resorts?
France has invested a lot in recent years in many Alpine ski resorts. Most of them now offer excellent lifts, top-class amenities and a good range of pistes.
Some of the most popular French ski resorts are Les Trois Vallees, Les Arcs, Chamonix, Val d’Isere, Tignes and Megeve. Les Trois Vallees includes the rather chic Courchevel and also Val Thorens, Tignes and Val d’Isere. With excellent connections between each resort, you can ski to your heart’s content on a massive variety of slopes.
Les Arcs is very popular as it is made up of four smaller resorts all of which form the Paradiski ski domain.
Famous and luxury place of Val d’Isere at sunset, Tarentaise, Alps, France
Val d’Isere is probably one of the best-known ski resorts in the Alps. Along with its neighbour Tignes, it forms part of the Espace Killy which was named after the famous French Olympic ski champion, Jean-Claude Killy.
These days many French ski resorts have plenty of entertainment outside downhill skiing as well as excellent après-ski activities. Many offer such sports as ice skating, snowshoeing and dog sledging. Apres-ski is not confined to just bars and restaurants either; some resorts have spas and wellness centres as well as boutique-style shopping and casinos.
Although the effects of climate change have made a difference to the reliability of snow each year anywhere you go, the high altitude of many French resorts close to Mont Blanc and sophisticated snow-making machines means that you are highly likely to be able to enjoy some great ski-ing throughout the season.
Chamonix is a charming French ski resort in the Alps.
Does it make financial sense to invest in a ski property?
The short answer is yes, as long as you research your area well and make a plan for renting out your property to make it work for you.
Properties in the better-known ski resorts such as Chamonix, Megeve, Courchevel and Val d’Isere are expensive but it is still perfectly possible to find affordable ski apartments and chalets in the lesser-known resorts in France.
Properties in resorts which are not quite as high as the ones above are cheaper, as are properties which lie a little further away from the ski lifts. These days there are plenty of very charming villages in France offering excellent skiing if you don’t mind taking a shuttle bus to the slopes. Very often, the lower villages offer cheaper properties as well as a more traditional feel than some of the more upmarket higher resorts.
An investment in a ski property can often pay dividends since many of the ski resorts have a summer tourist season as well. Some of the new developments also offer a service on a leaseback system, whereby the management company guarantees a rental for you at times of the year when you are not using the property.
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Find your ski home in the Pyrenees…
The Pyrenees are lower than the Alps but offer much more for your money. The following resorts in the Pyrenees are way cheaper than the Alps but still offer a host of winter activities including skiing, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.
Axe-les-Thermes: This is the largest ski area in the Pyrenees and is 3 separate small resorts linked together. The average price for a house here is €1,454 per m2.
Superbagnères: This is one of the highest resorts in the Pyrenees with average prices for property at €1,758 per m2. It has a large ski area and is known for its apres ski with plenty of bars, a casino and a nightclub.
Grand Tourmalet: This is the biggest ski resort in the Pyrenees with plenty of easy slopes for beginners and an excellent apres ski atmosphere. The average price of a house here is €1,332 per m2.
Les Gets, France
Affordable alpine resorts in France
Chalet: Chalet is in the Alps near the French-Swiss border and forms a part of the Portes du Soleil area. It’s a family resort with plenty on offer for children. You can find new build chalets here with apartments starting from €350,000.
Les Gets: Les Gets is a very pretty village also within reasonable driving distance of Geneva. Family-friendly, it offers a great sense of community and has a decent summer season also. Expect to pay around €450,000 for a newly built chalet.#
Les Angles is one of the best French ski resorts in the Pyrenees,.
Management of your ski property
It makes sense to employ a management company to take care of your property. Make sure you find a well-established company and agree on a price upfront. A good company will see to it that your property is rented out for the best part of the year in many ski resorts, thus offering you not only an income but also peace of mind when you are not there.
Some management companies offer a complete service with managing the bookings and maintenance of your property. Although this will obviously cost more, it does also mean you should get repeat bookings.
France offers a range of ski resorts, many of which are accessible from the UK by train as well as air. There really is nothing quite like the wind in your hair as you ski down a well-groomed piste in France!
