Les ⛷Contamines-Montjoie / Hauteluce is one of our family’s favourite ski areas – some broad, sunny pistes, excellent snow, panoramic views of the Mont-Blanc Massif and Beaufortin, lovely restaurants on the slopes . . . just great! Snow machines also ensure good snow at the start and end of the season.
The ski station straddles over both sides of the Col du Mont Joly, linking Haute Savoie and Savoie, from Les Contamines to Hauteluce-Belleville. Access from Les Contamines is via two departure cable-cars (from Notre Dame de la Gorge or Montjoie) or from Hauteluce-Belleville (one cable-car).
Ski Pass Options
On its own, Les Contamines-Montjoie/Hauteluce boasts 120km of pistes from 1200m-2500m altitude, 46 slopes (a varied selection of green, blue, red and black), the Ludo-Parc for family fun (between the blue piste Les Coins and the red piste Les Tierces) and 1 slalom.
⛷ Les Contamines-Montjoie is also part of the extensive Evasion Mont Blanc skiing area (445km of pistes in six ski stations au Pays du Mont-Blanc: Saint Gervais, Megève, Saint Nicolas de Véroce, Combloux and la Giettaz), though not connected directly to the other stations.
Beginner & Family Skiing
With its mix of ⛷ green, blue, red and black pistes, Les Contamines has something for the whole family!
For very young beginner skiers there are two green slopes in the centre of the resort equipped with drag lifts: Nivorin and Loyers.
⛷ good to know: especially appealing last year for our 4-year old skier was the gentle Col-ruelle green piste that meanders at a very leisurely pace downs on the Hauteluce side of the ski station (I rather enjoyed this myself!*
⛷ good to know: the ski piste map highlights a great route for beginners on green and blue pistes (staying up high), leaving from Le Signal!*
Intermediate/Advanced Skiing
Les Contamines has plenty of excellent ⛷ skiing for more advanced skiers! See the piste map (lescontamines.com) below:
Ludo-Parc
We had some great fun at the Ludo–Parc last season (I even did some very small jumps myself!)
🛷 Sledging🛷
Les Contamines-Montjoie has two designated sledging areas:
- 🛷 Piste de Luge Nivorin (next to téléski);
- and 🛷 Piste du Chalet Nordique (no sledging zones in main areas up at Le Signal/Etapes);
Eating Options
One of the many reasons we love skiing in Les Contamines is the excellent selection of restaurants and snack bars on the pistes. See lescontamines.com for more details.
ESF Les Contamines / Ski Lessons
For ESF (Ecole de Ski Français) Les Contamines details and Piou Piou ski classes for small children see here.
Cross-Country Skiing (Ski Nordique)
The domaine nordique is located at the beautiful Notre-Dame de la Gorge and has 25km of cross country ski trails. You can choose from:
- 1 FREE piste découverte (piste violette, 0.5 km) – a Beginner area, next to the Chalet d’Accueil;
- 2 pistes familiales et débutants (piste verte “les Lacs”, 3.3 km, and piste verte “la Gorge”, 1.9 km);
- 3 pistes classiques and skating (piste bleue “les Chapelles”, 4.6 km; piste rouge “le Belvédère”, 8,2 km and piste noire des Dômes, 8,3 km);
- 1 nocturnal piste – cross country skiing at night on a 2km piste, lit every Wednesday night from 19h to 21h, and FREE!
See here for cross country skiing map.
The Chalet Nordique is open from 9h to 16h30. For the 2017/2018 winter season, the food truck Curly’s Fish & Chips was stationed here!
Snow Shoeing Trails
A couple of the snow shoeing trails leave from the bottom of the Télécabine Montjoie and Télécabine de la Gorge, which is practical for members of the group preferring to do this activity. See here for Les Contamines’ snow shoeing trail map.
Parking Options
You can park for FREE either at the Télécabine de la Gorge or Télécabine de Montjoie.
Contact
See here for Les Contamines Tourist Office’s website – here you will find more details about ski alpin and cross country skiing / current prices / and you can buy or recharge ski passes.
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