Les Contamines resort has an excellent ski area, especially for intermediate and expert skiers, and the pistes are set amidst stunning, unspoilt surroundings. Situated between 1164m and 2500m, the alpine ski area in Les Contamines benefits from plenty of sunshine on both sides of the resort, so skiers can follow the sun from one mountainside to the other.
Although Les Contamines is not the best place for complete beginner skiers, with its predominance of blue and red runs, the areas of Nivorin and Loyer offer a good training ground for first timers. For intermediates the slopes around Montjoie have the best balance, and for experts, the Toboggan, Olympic and Belleville slopes provide exciting skiing amidst some incredible scenery.
Snow parks in Les Contamines
There are seven snow parks around Les Contamines resort. For freestyle skiers the X-Zone “des Tierces” is home to a large snow park, a boarder-cross for both novices and old hands and a Ludo-park. A chair lift above the X-Zone makes access easy, so freestylers can pack in plenty of runs.
The handy X-Zone “des Loyers” snow park is situated right in the heart of the village. This park is free of charge and is floodlit on Tuesday and Thursday evenings during school holidays. Equipped with both a 120m and 5m high half-pipe, the X-Zone “des Loyers” is a prime spot for budding freestylers.
Off-piste in Les Contamines
When it comes to off-piste skiing in Les Contamines, the north-facing slopes are the best, where snow remains fresh, deep and powdery. There are also non-groomed, but safe, off-piste skiing opportunities to be found beyond Col du Joly towards Hauteluce.
Ski passes in Les Contamines
There are two lift pass options for visitors to Les Contamines resort. The ‘Les Contamines Montjoie/Hauteluce Ski Pass’ (covering 120kms of pistes) is offered as a half-day slot or for 1-15 consecutive days, 2-7 non-consecutive days or season pass.
Alternatively, there is the ‘Evasion Mont-Blanc Ski Pass’, which covers 420kms of pistes across Les Contamines Montjoie/Hauteluce, St Nicolas, St Gervais, Megève, Combloux and La Giettaz. This lift pass is available in 1-15 consecutive days, 2-7 non-consecutive days or a season pass. There is also a Pedestrian Pass available and discounts for families made up of two parents and two children under the age of 18. The general child rate is applied for kids and teens aged 15 and under and children under 5 go free, as do adults over 80.
In 2012 Les Contamines resort introduced a new hands-free lift pass system in the form of a rechargeable swipe card. If you already have one of these cards (found in most French resorts), then you can recharge it using your credit card in one of the terminals in the village (24 hours), or at the Montjoie and La Gorge cable-cars (during working hours). Otherwise you can buy a card for €2 at the Montjoie and La Gorge cable-cars, or in the tourist office in town.
