Val Cenis

Val Cenis is a ski resort situated in the Haute-Maurienne region of the French Alps, close to the Italian border. It is composed of two villages; Lanslebourg and Lanslevillard. The villages sit at 1400m and 1500m, respectively, and lifts climb to a maximum altitude of 2800m. The resort is fairly unheard of in the UK, and attracts a mainly French contingent each winter. It is a lot quieter than larger ski resorts in the French Alps and does not normally suffer from long lift queues.

Skiing

Val Cenis is open to skiers and snowboarders from December to April each year. It has terrain to cater for all abilities, although is perhaps more suited to intermediates than anyone else. There are 9 green runs, 10 blue runs, 18 red runs, and 6 black runs, as well as 2 gondolas, 10 chairlifts, and 8 drag lifts.

One of the major attractions of Val Cenis is the existence of blue pistes from top to bottom, which allows beginners to enjoy the heights of he mountain whish they may not be able to reach at other resorts. Amongst its pistes Val Cenis boasts the longest green run in Europe; the 10km l'Escargot, which doubles as a road in summer, winds down from 2100m to 1400m.

The lower section of the slopes are through trees, which means they are not exposed to wind and sun and tend to have better snow cover, although the scope for off-piste skiing is limited. Above the trees, from 2100m upwards, there is an abundance of off-piste skiing to be found. Impressive backcountry skiing can be found past the slopes at the Lanslevillard end of the resort, with gulleys such as Bullseye and Avalanche Gulley. From the top of the TSF4 de la Met lift to 2800m there are panoramic views of the Lac du Mont Cenis almost 800m below, as well as several pistes running down to the lake's shore.

External links

Link to the official Val Cenis website [http://www.valcenis.net/index-uk.htm]