Skiing in St Gervais
St Gervais is one of the six villages that comprise the Domaine Evasion Mont Blanc ski area. The open layout of the upper slopes makes it possible to ski in the sun for the majority of the day and navigation around the ski area is easy. Or you can take the Mont Blanc tramway to explore the separate Les Houches area.
St Gervais Ski Area Overview
Evasion Mont Blanc
The Mont d’Arbois hub at 1,840m looks down on St Gervais and St Nicholas de Veroce on one side, Mergeve on the other. It can also be used as a staging post along the way to first Mont Joux (1,958m) and then to the highest point of the area, Mont Joly at 2,525m (although the lifts don’t go to the top). From Mont Joly, off-piste skiers can ski across to Les Contamines (with a guide) where a whole new sector opens up. Those who prefer to stick to pistes can join them by skiing down to St Nicholas de Veroce and taking a bus.
But there is no need to hurry away from the excellent local skiing on Mont D’Arbois and Mont Joux. The Princesse runs (red and blue) through the trees, Milloz, Prapacot, Gd Bois and Encraty, are superb. They link with the more gentle green Le Plan run halfway down to take you to the bottom of the Princesse gondola for the ride back up.
The red Marmire run to the bottom of the Monts Rossets lift and the blue Finance run to le Bettex are both non-stop leg burners and the shorter Idealand Raviere runs are also great fun. For more of a challenge, ride the Mont Joly lift ski the black Chamois run down from the top.
The run back to St Gervais is a more tricky red and many people opt to ride the gondola from Le Bettex down at the end of the skiing day.
St Gervais Mont Blanc Tramway (Les Houches)
The tree-lined pistes above Les Houches are accessed from St Gervais using the Mont Blanc tramway to Prarion. They are mostly for intermediates and below. Advanced skiers will want to explore the off-piste routes through the trees.
From the train station at the top of Prarion (1,900m), you can ski down on either the St Gervais side or the Les Houches side. On the St Gervais side, the pistes go down to the bottom of the Plancerts lift (1370m) but advanced skiers in good snow conditions can ski off-piste back to St Gervais. On the Les Houches side, skiers can descend on piste to the bottom of the Bellevue lift (1,000m) outside Les Houches, on either blue or black runs (and there are some red variants as well but they don’t go all the way to the bottom). Alternatively, they can veer off to the Col de Voza (1,650m) and take a couple of smaller lifts to reach more pistes at the top of Bellevue (1800m).
In total there are 55kms of piste at Les Houches divided into 2 greens, 8 blues, 13 reds and 4 blacks, including the famous World Cup run ‘La Verte des Houches’, usually simply referred to as Verte. For experts, the main challenge is not its steepness, but seeing how fast they can take it.
And of course, Les Houches is just the start of the Chamonix Valley.
Mont Blanc Unlimited
If you splash out on a Mont Blanc unlimited pass, you can use St Gervais as a base to explore not only the entire Evasion Mont Blanc area and Les Houches but also Chamonix, Verbier and Courmayeur. Although there are good buses in the Chamonix Valley, to get full value from the pass you are going to need a car and several days.
Beginner Skiing in St Gervais
The nursery slopes and green and blue runs around St Gervais make this a perfect resort to learn to ski.
Since the day tends to start and finish around Le Bettex, which is easily accessed, it’s a simple matter to meet up with other family or group members when lessons are over. The gondola to the Mt D’Arbois hub allows beginners to ride up to the heart of the area, enjoy the views, eat with family and friends, whet the appetite for the first real run and ride down again with ease.
Ski Schools & Ski Lessons in St Gervais
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Intermediate Skiing in St Gervais
The skiing around St Gervais is an intermediate skier’s delight on groomed red and blue pistes through trees, past excellent mountain restaurants and with views that simply demand photography.
Some of the blue runs are tricky, some of the red runs are easy and a competent intermediate skier should not be daunted by the easy black run Super Megeve. The opportunities for intermediates around Mont d’Arbois are extensive. The red Princesse piste, winding through the trees, the runs down to Bettex and Les Communailles and the reds of Étudiants are all fine examples of what skiing in St Gervais is all about. A run over to the charming village of St. Nicholas with its stunning views of Mont Blanc is a must. Outside school holidays and especially midweek you may have the pistes to yourself and lift queues are rare.
Advanced & Off-Piste Skiing in St Gervais
St Gervais on-piste opportunities for advanced skiers using the Evasion Mont Blanc pass are limited but there is excellent off-piste in the ski area, and it does not get tracked out as quickly as in other resorts.
Mont Joly, the high point of the area at 2,525m, is the most obvious destination for advanced skiers. The black run from the top (Chamois) deserves its grading. There is plenty of off-piste to the side and also off the back heading to Les Contamines, but hiring a guide is recommended.
L’Epaule (between Mont Joly and Mont Joux) is another ridge with good runs on both sides. Marmottes, heading to St Nicolas is graded red but is fun. Perdix Blanche heading towards Megeve is a nice black piste. And there is plenty of off-piste to either side of them.
Closer to St Gervais on Mont Arbois are Voltigeurs and Bridans, moderately steep black pistes snaking down through the trees; often left ungroomed, they can be good for mogul practice. The nearby black Princesse run is great fun for a blast but not steep.
For real bumps, try the run under the Mont Joux chairlift or the moguls at the top of Marmire which can be very large and icy. It’s also worth working across to Cote 2000. There is a black piste here, and some good off-piste too.
The Le Torraz-Le Christomet sector is often uncrowded and there is a black run coming down from both these summits, with some off-piste to the side.
Les Houches, accessed via the rack and pinion railway from St Gervais, is not an advanced skiers’ resort, although off-piste skiers can meander in and out of its trees. It has a World Cup downhill run, which is graded black, but it’s not particularly steep. Most advanced skiers will enjoy taking it fast when it’s uncrowded, and in Les Houches, this is more likely to be on a sunny day (when all the advanced skiers based in Chamonix head up the valley to Les Grands Montets) than a cloudy one (when they all descend on Les Houches because it’s the only place with tree-skiing).
Lastly remember St Gervais is an excellent and inexpensive base for skiers with a car who want to visit all the other Haute Savoie resorts, including superb off-piste in Flaine and Argentiere / Chamonix.
Boarding & Freestyle in St Gervais
St Gervais has an excellent snow park close to the Mont Joux chairlift.
Hip, spire, handrails and a half pipe will keep skiers and boarders who want minimal contact with the snow busy. The snow park has been described as one of the best in the Haute Savoie region and was host to the French snowboard championships in 2002. You can access the region with the Evasion lift pass.
St Gervais Mountain Restaurants
There’s no shortage of choice for eating on the mountain in St Gervais and it’s all good. But, as is so often the case for mountain restaurants, the gems are easy to pass by. Also, it’s advisable to make a reservation to avoid disappointment.
Halfway down the Vardasses on the right is Sous Les Freddy’s. Don’t shoot past! With glorious views of the mountains from the terrace and a choice of local cuisine, Sous Les Freddy’s is well worth a visit.
About 100m above the Mont Rossets lift at the bottom of Marmire is Chez Causettes. Again, Don’t shoot past. The fare is Plat du Jour but this will never disappoint. And be sure to check out the Loo with a View.
Espace Mont Joux has excellent Plats du Jour at sensible prices and L’Igloo has the option of a self-service area as well as more formal dining.