Les Contamines Ski Resort Guide & Reviews Ski Area, Apres-Ski, Children, Things To See & Do in Les Contamines
Resort Review
Les Contamines is a fairly quiet and very friendly ski resort where locals and those "in the know" tend to visit at weekends. The upside to this is that it's certainly good value for money from the lift passes to going out at night and the pistes tend to be much quieter too.
Les Contamines ski area
If this is your first ski holiday in Les Contamines then we think you'll be surprised by the number of pistes and the amount of challenging off-piste for advanced skiers and boarders.
From beginners to experts, Les Contamines caters for everyone and for families wanting to ski together, there is a network of inter-connecting blues and reds serviced by the same lifts. The only downside is that the access to the slopes from town is a few minutes away via the free ski bus.
Being part of the Evasion Mont Blanc system is what gives Les Contamines the upper hand with 220 pistes covering 445km serviced by 112 lifts and includes the resorts of...
- St Gervais and Megeve
- Saint Nicolas de Veroce
- Combloux and La Giettaz
On the other side of Mont Joly, you can also ski in to Hauteluce-Belleville which is linked by lift so you can get back! From there, a sort bus ride takes you to the lifts in Hauteluc where you can link into the massive Espace Diamant ski system with 185km of pistes and includes resorts such as Les Saisies and the upmarket hamlet of Bisanne-1500.
| Key information (whole area) | |
|---|---|
| Altitude | 1164m |
| Top lift | 2500m |
| Family | |
| Beginner | |
| Intermediate | |
| Expert | |
| Piste (km) | 120 |
| Longest run | km |
| Off piste | |
| Cross country | 23 km |
| Season | Dec - April |
| Snowboard parks | 2 |
| Heli Skiing | ✘ |
| Summer skiing | ✘ |
| Glacier skiing | ✘ |
| Babysitting | ✔ |
| Creche | ✔ |
| Apres ski | Relaxed |
Beginners
With 8 green runs (2 in the centre of the resort) and 11 gentle blue slopes that are rarely crowded, Les Contamines is an ideal choice for beginners to progress quickly.
Intermediate
A delight for intermediates with so many options to choose from especially if you take advantage of the Evasion ski area which opens up more challenging reds and but less difficult blacks.
Advanced
There are some very challenging black runs including the Liaision-Rebans but the best thing about Les Contamines is the off-piste.
Some of the best virgin snow around can be found at the top of the Gorge or Montjoie cable cars where there are many itineraries to try. To get the most out of the area, booking a local guide is the best option.
Snowboarding
There are 2 terrain parks; the "X-Zone" in the village has a super pipe used in the World Cup and on the Tierces slopes, there is the Ludo Parc and 2 border-cross areas catering for beginners to experts.
Other ski holiday activities
If you want a break from skiing or the weather isn't that great, the area is teaming with things to see and do especially in the Nordic Park...
The Nordic park in Les Contamines is in the heart of Notre Dame de La Gorge surround by pine forest and rivers. The Nordic park is where a number of alpine activites start from such as:
- Biathlon
- Snow-shoeing
- Ice climbing
- Dog sleigh rides
- Sledging
Ice skating and tandem paragliding flights are also available in the resort.
Après-ski
Les Contamines is not the place to go if you are looking for lively bars and nightclubs - we would suggest St. Anton or Ischgl in Austria for this.
What you do get though is some extremely good local restaurants serving up traditional Savoyard cuisine. There are also over 20 bars to choose from and some open until the early hours during peak season with live music.
Children
Les Contamines provides a programme of special events for the children - specific information can be found on the Tourist Office website at www.lescontamines.com. The Galipette nursey caters for 1 to 6 year olds and is opened throughout the winter season from 8.30 to 5.30pm.
Our view on Les Contamines
We think Les Contamines is a great little ski resort in a huge ski area with uncrowded pistes, quiet and relaxing evenings and superb mountain scenery. Les Contamines is perfect for families with so many things to do to keep everyone entertained but also ideal for keen mountain enthusiasts with some exceptional skiing and hiking around Mont Blanc. A few suggestions...
- See the spectacular frozen Waterfall at Notre Dame de la Gorge
- A day out to Chamonix is well worth the trip and the 2-stage cable car to 3842m at the top of the Aiguille du Midi is not to be missed
- In the summer, one of the highlights for those who like hiking is a guided glacial tour. The views of Mont Blanc are spectacular
If you like Les Contamines being a quiet, quaint and charming traditional alpine village then quite similar is the beautiful resort of Maria Alm in Austria and Pinzolo in the Italian Brenta Dolomites. Both resorts offer exceptional opportunities for touring with many connected resorts under one lift pass.
