Skiing in St Gervais

Why?

There are many reasons.

But a big one is that it’s part of the Evasion Mont-Blanc ski area with 400km of runs.

Unlike Chamonix, a large part of the terrain is linked by lift.

What you can’t get to on skis is reached easily by shuttle bus.

The Evasion Mont-Blanc lift pass covers:

• St-Gervais-Mont-Blanc
• St Nicolas de Véroce
• Megève
• Combloux
• Les Contamines
• Hauteluce
• La Giettaz

The top three are all accessible by lift from St Gervais, and are where I spent my first day on the slopes.

SKI DAY ONE – St Gervais, St Nicolas, Megève

Sadly, it was overcast, but the cloud was high and the views were, nonetheless, spectacular.

If only the sun had shone and the sky had been blue…

From the highest point of the resort, Mont Joly at 2,300m, I could see the cloud-covered Mont Blanc peak, the Aiguille du Midi and, down in the valley, Chamonix.

There are few challenging on-piste runs for experts in this part of the domain, but there are some classic freeride routes for when the conditions are right.

And there are lots of fabulous blues and reds, including the Grande Epaule with a 1km vertical drop that’s a real thigh-burner if you go top to bottom.

In my opinion, both timid and adventurous intermediates would be far better off coming here than Chamonix.

Especially in the relatively quiet month of January.

There’s also an extensive circuit of greens so beginners can get a real sense of travelling around the mountain rather than being stuck on just one or two low-altitude nursery slopes.

As you’d expect with much of the skiing below 1,800m, there are lots of tree-lined pistes as well as some ‘safe’ off-piste tree runs.

A good option for when the light is low.

Although there’d been no fresh snow for around 10 days on my visit, I was pleasantly surprised at the conditions.

There was no shortage of the white stuff and enough coverage to ski all the way down to 1,000 metres.

SKI DAY TWO – Les Houches-St Gervais

Well, who knew?

Les Houches is NOT Chamonix.

It’s a common misconception and one I own up to.

While Les Houches is in the Chamonix valley, the ski area is not part of Chamonix.

It’s Les Houches-St Gervais.

It’s hardly surprising that so many of us make the mistake.

The classic downhill and slalom races that take place on the Kandahar black run here are regularly described as the ‘Chamonix World Cup’.

Locals sigh as they explain it’s all a marketing ploy.

Another sign that St Gervais, or in this case, Les Houches-St Gervais, is stuck firmly in the shadow of its more famous neighbour.

I’m keen to see this place that is ‘not Chamonix’.

Even keener when I wake to a few centimetres of fresh snow.

And keener still as the route to the slopes is via the Mont-Blanc tramway, which is just over the road from my hotel in St Gervais town.

It’s the highest railway in France and dates from 1909, though the trains are new.

The original plan was for it to go all the way to the summit of Mont Blanc but the project was never completed.

In winter, it terminates at the Bellevue plateau at 1,800m, giving direct access to the slopes.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by PlanetSKI (@planetski.eu)

The Les Houches-St Gervais ski area and the Mont-Blanc Tramway are not included in the Evasion Mont-Blanc lift pass.

An adult day pass will set you back around €35 to €59, depending on demand and how early you book.

It’s almost worth it for the roughly 40-minute train ride to the top (and back down again, since you can’t ski down).

And then there’s the skiing.

There are 50km of runs, most below the treeline, which was very welcome on another cloudy, low-light day.

The few centimetres of fresh snow made for some pleasant cruising on practically empty pistes.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by PlanetSKI (@planetski.eu)

The aforementioned Kandahar run, which has a vertical drop of 900m all the way down to Les Houches village, is a must if you’re happy on blacks.

It’s not actually that tricky a run – unless you’re going at downhill racing speed, that is.

Kandahar aside, it’s a gentle, family-friendly area.

A word of warning for snowboarders – there are many flat sections to negotiate.

Bring ski poles!

ST GERVAIS – THE TOWN

My main focus when visiting a new area is always on the skiing.

But it would be an oversight to ignore the architectural and cultural charms of St Gervais itself.

It’s a attractive town with some 5,800 permanent inhabitants.

There are three museums.

My favourite was the Maison Forte de Hautetour.

This winter and until 30th April, it has a temporary exhibition of the history of mountain rescue.

On display is equipment from the very old….

…to the more modern…

St Gervais developed as a town to accommodate not mountaineers or skiers but those visiting its thermal baths, which opened in 1806.

Hence the original name by which this place is known, St-Gervais-Les-Bains.

In those days the spa, which is fed by ancient waters from Mont Blanc, was frequented by European aristocrats passing through on their way to Chamonix.

It was rebuilt after it was destroyed in 1892 when the Tête-Rousse glacier collapsed, killing 200 people in the town.

A visit to the Thermes St-Gervais-Mont-Blanc is a popular way for skiers to spend a few hours, luxuriating in the many saunas, steam rooms and hot whirlpools, especially when the weather’s grey.

A visit costs €49 during the week and €59 at the weekend.

There are also deals for families.

The spa is open year round and the PlanetSKI editor, James Cove, indulged when he was in St Gervais in September.

His report has more details about the spa and what else the town has to offer outside the main winter and summer tourist seasons.

• Shoulder Season in the Alps

Mine has been a short but sweet stay.

Next time, hopefully the sun will shine when I’m skiing.

Just like it did the day I arrived.

And the day I left.

MORE INFORMATION

The St-Gervais Mont-Blanc ski area is open until 6th April 2026.

The town is around 1hr from Geneva airport by road.

You can also travel by train from Geneva to the station at Le Fayet from where it’s a 5-minute gondola ride up to the main town of St Gervais.

Rail travellers get a 10% discount on lift passes.

Find out more about skiing in St Gervais, including lift pass prices for the Evasion Mont-Blanc ski area here.

The Les Houches-St Gervais/Tramway du Mont Blanc prices can be found here.

PlanetSKI: Number 1 for digital ski news

Your digital platform for ski news, resort information, travel, equipment rental, sport, money saving deals and everything connected with snowsports – web site, social media & more.

 

 

The post Skiing in St Gervais appeared first on PlanetSKI.