Cordon SKIING & WINTER SPORTS

The village of Cordon is known as 🗻 le Balcon du Mont-Blanc because of its magnificent views of 🗻 Mont-Blanc, and it has a small, family-friendly ski station with 11km of ski pistes. A favourite ⛷ ski station for the locals, it is perfect for tiny skiers and Beginners, as well as having a good selection of pistes for the more experienced skier.

⛷ Cordon ski area normally opens towards the end of December, ❄️ snow permitting.

Cordon skiing © montblancfamilyfun.com
© Cordon Tourisme
© Cordon Tourisme
© Cordon ESF / Cordon Tourisme

Ski Pass Options

One of the reasons that Cordon is so attractive for families is that it offers very fair prices, with the option of skiing just a morning (from 9h to 13h) or afternoon (from midday) from 19€ for adults (22€ for the whole day!). Children under the age of 5 ski for FREE!

Cordon is also part of the ⛷ Portes du Mont-Blanc ski zone (Megève Jaillet, Combloux, la Giettaz) for families wanting more scope (NB – the ski areas are not connected directly).

[ see here for current prices ]


Beginner & Family Skiing

Cordon is hugely attractive for families as it is:

  • very fairly priced, especially if you want to opt for a shorter ski day (morning or afternoon options);
  • it has plenty of options for young / beginner skiers with a special Domaine Débutant, with « le télé-corde des lutins » (drag-lift);
  • there are 6 téléskis within the domaine skiable, serving 9 pistes: 5 red pistes, 3 blue pistes and 1 green piste;
  • there are regular animations on the pistes on Wednesdays and during the school holidays; check Cordon Tourisme agenda / Sunday 20th January: Neige en Fête, with lots of free activities for the whole family!
  • there is a free navette from the centre of Cordon up to the pistes;
  • there are plenty of snow-shoe routes leaving from the ski area; an ideal activity for non-skiers in your group;
Piou Piou area at Cordon © montblancfamilyfun.com

The Herney is a lovely blue piste, that takes you through the forest at one point . . .

Cordon skiing – the Herney piste © montblancfamilyfun.com
Morning view on Darbelin, Cordon © cordon.fr
Morning view on Darbelin, Cordon © cordon.fr

Intermediate & Advanced Skiing

Though ⛷ Cordon ski station is small, there are several red pistes for the more advanced skier!

Intermediate pistes at Cordon! © montblancfamilyfun.com
Intermediate pistes at Cordon! © montblancfamilyfun.com
View from Cordon piste © montblancfamilyfun.com

Sledging

There is a small sledging area at the domaine skiable de Cordon, which is open from the end of December until the end of March (snow conditions permitting).

IMG_4625
Cordon sledging © montblancfamilyfun.com

Eating Options 

At the Chalet d’Accueil Le Dandry, there is a terrace hors sacs with picnic tables and a vending machine for snacks and drinks . . .

Terrace for picnics at Cordon © montblancfamilyfun.com

You’ll also find this picnic option on the Converses piste :

Cordon skiing © montblancfamilyfun.com

Or, if you need to escape from the cold, then there are also some lovely restaurants on the pistes or in proximity . . .

Chez Mireille – Le Darbelin © montblancfamilyfun.com

ESF Cordon & Ski Lessons

Cordon offers lots of possibilities for ⛷ ski lessons (group lessons, private lessons) / see here for more details.

ESF Cordon – ski lesson © montblancfamilyfun.com

Ski de rando

You have the Le Chanté route (up to 1550m), with two different starting options, in Cordon . . .

see here for more details (and you can pick up the FREE ski rando guide from the tourist office):

Guide Raquette à Neige & ski rando © Communauté de Communes Pays du Mont-Blanc

Snow-shoeing 

There are lots of ❄️ great snow-shoeing circuits leaving from Cordon ski station (8 different routes lasting from one to five hours, taking you through forests and across fields, with views of Mont-Blanc, les Fiz and les Aravis).

see here or here (map) for some suggestions (you can pick up a free leaflet detailing snow-shoe circuits from Cordon Tourisme).

Circuits raquettes © Cordon tourisme
Cordon – snow-shoeing routes © montblancfamilyfun.com

Le plateau des Bénés – one of the most beautiful snow-shoe routes in Cordon is up to the Plateau des Bénés. The tough 2h ascent will reward you with stunning views. You can walk further to the Cabane du Petit-Pâtre . . . (note: this snow-shoe route should only be undertaken with clear weather! With poor visibility you could easily get lost);

Plateau des Bénés, Cordon © Cordon Tourisme

Parking Options 

You have 🅿️ two parking options at Cordon:

  • 🅿️ Le Dandry – direct access to the Caisses, to the beginner’s ski area, and to ESF RDV point;
  • 🅿️ La Charbonnière – ( winter 2023 – currently SHUT !) this car park is nearer to Cordon Village (turn right at the carrefour du Verney), and is for access directly onto the pistes for skiers (depending on snow cover) . . .  skiers take the téleski de Frébouge (this can be accessed without a pass, and then ski passes can then be bought at the Dandry);

Contact
Cordon Tourisme: +33 (0)4 50 58 01 57

5 thoughts on “Cordon SKIING & WINTER SPORTS

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    Liked by 1 person

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