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Le Grand Domaine links two resorts across the Col de la Madeleine - one of cycling's most famous climbs - in the French Savoie. Valmorel sits on the Tarentaise side and St François Longchamp on the Maurienne side, connected by lifts across the ridge at around 2,400 m. It's a mid-sized area with a distinctive split personality: Valmorel is a purpose-built resort designed with unusual care for aesthetics, while St François Longchamp is a more traditional, family-oriented station. Together, they create a linked domain that sits between the Tarentaise and Maurienne valleys without the crowds of either.
The area covers 165 km of marked piste served by 50 lifts, sitting between 1,250 m and 2,550 m. There are 95 runs: 18 green, 26 blue, 33 red, and 18 black. The season typically runs from mid-December through to mid-April. Two resorts share a single Le Grand Domaine pass, connected by lifts across the Col de la Madeleine.
Valmorel is the more polished of the two - a car-free village centre built in traditional Savoyard style, with good restaurants and a welcoming atmosphere. St François Longchamp is more functional but well-positioned for families and has the advantage of a sunny, south-facing aspect. Between them, you get a manageable, varied ski area that's easy to reach from Chambéry and well-suited to families and intermediates. Browse Le Grand Domaine ski deals on WeSki to start planning your trip.
Valmorel was built in the 1970s but designed to avoid the concrete-block look of many resorts from that era. The village centre is car-free, with stone and wood buildings arranged around a pedestrianised high street, and the overall effect is convincingly traditional. It sits at 1,400 m in the Tarentaise, with direct lift access to the ski area above. The skiing fans out across several sectors: the local Valmorel slopes (blues and gentle reds through the trees), the Pierrafort-Mottet area (reaching 2,404 m with longer, more varied terrain), and the link across to St François Longchamp via the Col de la Madeleine. The village has a good range of restaurants, a lively crêperie-heavy main street, and a family-friendly atmosphere. It also includes the satellite village of Doucy-Combelouvière (1,250 m), which has its own gondola access.
St François Longchamp sits on the Maurienne side of the Col de la Madeleine at two altitude levels: SFL 1450 and SFL 1650. It's a purpose-built resort that's more functional than picturesque, but its south-facing position gives it exceptional sunshine and the slopes are well-maintained. The skiing connects directly to Valmorel across the col, and the local terrain has a good spread of blues and reds on wide, open slopes. The resort is popular with French families and has a calm, practical atmosphere. The higher SFL 1650 base is ski-in ski-out and better positioned for slope access, while SFL 1450 has more village amenities. The Maurienne Valley below is home to the town of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, which is worth a visit for its cathedral and Opinel knife museum.
St François Longchamp ski deals
Both resorts have well-designed beginner terrain. Valmorel has a nursery area right in the village centre with gentle slopes and a magic carpet, plus easy greens through the lower trees. St François Longchamp has a good learning zone at the SFL 1650 base with wide, sunny slopes separated from faster traffic. The 18 green runs across the area give beginners plenty of options for early progression. The south-facing aspect of the St François side means warm, soft snow and good visibility - helpful in those first days.
WeSki does not currently have lessons available in the Le Grand Domaine area, but both resorts have local ski schools with English-speaking instructors.
WeSki tip: Valmorel's village-level greens are a great starting point - they're wide, gentle, and right next to the restaurants and cafés, so you can take breaks easily. Once you're linking turns, the blues above through the trees towards Doucy are sheltered and scenic, with a natural gradient that builds confidence without any sudden steep sections.
With 26 blues and 33 reds, intermediates have good range across both sides of the col. The Pierrafort-Mottet area above Valmorel has the area's longest and most varied red runs, with good vertical from 2,400 m back to the village. The link across the Col de la Madeleine is an enjoyable red in itself, with views across both the Tarentaise and Maurienne valleys from the top. The St François Longchamp side has wide, consistent reds in the sunshine. Skiing the full domain from one resort to the other and back makes a satisfying day that covers most of the area's terrain.
WeSki tip: The crossing over the Col de la Madeleine is the highlight of the linked area. On a clear day, the panorama from the top takes in the Vanoise glaciers, Mont Blanc, and the Belledonne range. Time your crossing for mid-morning, when the visibility is usually at its best and both sides of the col are well-groomed.
The 18 blacks are spread across both sides, with the steepest terrain on the Valmorel side - particularly in the Pierrafort area and the runs above Doucy. The terrain is not extreme, but the blacks have genuine sustained pitch and the tree skiing on the Valmorel side holds powder well after fresh snow. The open bowls near the Col de la Madeleine summit have some freeride potential when conditions are right. For more demanding terrain, the Three Valleys and Paradiski are within an hour's drive. A guide is recommended for any off-piste exploration.
WeSki tip: After fresh snow, the larch forest above Doucy on the Valmorel side has some of the area's best untracked terrain. The trees are well-spaced and the north-facing aspect holds powder well. It's a quieter sector that most visitors skip in favour of the main Valmorel slopes.
The Le Grand Domaine pass covers all 165 km of piste and 50 lifts across both Valmorel and St François Longchamp on a single ticket. Passes are available from one day up to the full season, with discounted rates for children, teens, and seniors. Individual Valmorel-only or St François Longchamp-only passes are available at lower rates if you're staying on one side. The full domain pass is recommended - the crossing between the two resorts is one of the area's highlights.
You can add the lift pass directly to your WeSki booking, along with ski equipment hire at Valmorel and St François Longchamp - so everything's sorted before you arrive.
WeSki tip: Valmorel is also on the edge of the Tarentaise, which means larger areas like the Three Valleys and Paradiski are within day-trip distance by car. If you're staying a full week and want one bigger day out, the drive to Moûtiers (the Tarentaise gateway) takes about 30 minutes.
Chambéry is the closest airport, around 1 hour 15 minutes' drive to Valmorel via the Tarentaise. Lyon is roughly 2 hours, and Grenoble about 2 hours 15 minutes. Geneva is around 2 hours 30 minutes. St François Longchamp is reached from the Maurienne Valley side, which is quicker from Chambéry (about 1 hour) and well-served by the A43 motorway. By train, Moûtiers is the nearest station for Valmorel (about 20 minutes by shuttle bus), on the Tarentaise branch line from Chambéry. Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne is the station for St François Longchamp, on the main Paris-Turin TGV line.
WeSki has private transfers to both Valmorel and St François Longchamp. Add them to your booking for a straightforward door-to-door trip.
The season runs from mid-December to mid-April. There's no glacier skiing, but the terrain reaches 2,550 m and the north-facing runs above Valmorel hold snow well. St François Longchamp's south-facing aspect means sunshine but can soften lower slopes by early afternoon in spring. Snowmaking covers key runs on both sides. January to mid-March typically sees the most consistent conditions across the full domain.
French school holidays in February and the Christmas-New Year period are the busiest times, though Le Grand Domaine stays quieter than the big Tarentaise resorts even at peak. If you've got flexibility, early January and the first half of March are calm. Late season brings spring conditions and long, sunny days - St François Longchamp's sun terraces are particularly enjoyable as the days lengthen.
Yes. Both Valmorel and St François Longchamp have dedicated nursery areas with gentle slopes. The area has 18 green runs and plenty of wide, well-groomed blues for progression. WeSki does not currently have lessons available, but both resorts have local ski schools with English-speaking instructors.
Le Grand Domaine covers 165 km of marked piste served by 50 lifts, ranging from 1,250 m to 2,550 m. There are 95 runs: 18 green, 26 blue, 33 red, and 18 black. Two resorts - Valmorel and St François Longchamp - are linked by lifts across the Col de la Madeleine.
Valmorel is a car-free, attractively designed resort at 1,400 m on the Tarentaise side, with good restaurants and a village-like atmosphere. St François Longchamp is a more functional, purpose-built resort on the Maurienne side, with exceptional sunshine and a family focus. Both share the same ski area. Valmorel has more character; St François Longchamp has more sun.
The Col de la Madeleine is the mountain pass connecting the Tarentaise and Maurienne valleys. It's famous in cycling as one of the great Tour de France climbs. In winter, the road closes and the ski lifts take over, connecting Valmorel and St François Longchamp across the ridge at around 2,400 m. The panoramic views from the crossing point are a highlight of the linked area.
The season typically runs from mid-December to mid-April. There is no glacier skiing. The terrain reaches 2,550 m, and snowmaking covers key runs. January to mid-March sees the most consistent conditions.
Fly to Chambéry (about 1 hr 15 min drive to Valmorel, 1 hr to St François Longchamp), Lyon (2 hr), or Grenoble (2 hr 15 min). By train, Moûtiers is the nearest station for Valmorel; Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne (on the Paris-Turin TGV line) serves St François Longchamp. WeSki has private transfers to both resorts.
No. Valmorel and St François Longchamp are linked by lifts across the Col de la Madeleine during ski hours. By road, the drive between the two takes about 45 minutes via the Maurienne Valley (the pass road is closed in winter). On the mountain, the lift link makes the crossing straightforward.
Yes. Ski equipment hire is available through WeSki at both Valmorel and St François Longchamp. WeSki does not currently have lessons available in the Le Grand Domaine area. You can add equipment hire to your booking along with your lift pass and transfers.
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