Our favourite five: Geneva ski trips
Many of the finest ski holidays in the world begin at Geneva airport. Touch down here, and the choice of mountains is mind-boggling: the northern half of the French Alps, western Switzerland, Italy’s sinuous Aosta Valley. On a good day, they’re all within a (relatively) easy drive. Every level of skier will find pistes to thrill them, so how do you decide which to aim for? Sean Newsom picks five of the best
01/12/2024
Best all-rounder
Arc 1950, France
Drive from Geneva: 2 hours, 20 minutes
Two decades ago, in the midst of older, sharp-edged Les Arcs, Canadian company Intrawest created a self-contained village that brought a sense of warmth and humility to the convenience of purpose-built resorts. It was done by wrapping several unflashy five- and six-storey apartment blocks around ski-through streets and plazas. All the style cues are traditional: everywhere you look there are pitched roofs and balconies. But by focusing all the activity into these central areas, and lining them with shops and restaurants, Arc 1950 created a new sense of conviviality. People naturally congregate here and, thanks to Les Arcs’ mostly intermediate-friendly skiing, they’ve got plenty to talk about. Two of the resort’s best descents are within easy reach. To the west lies the Cachette red run, which plunges straight into neighbouring Arc 1600. Meanwhile, to the east lies one of the longest descents in the Alps – from the top of the towering Aiguille Rouge, down to Villaroger.
Arc 1950, France (Andy Parant). Opening image: Les Menuires in the 3 Vallées, France (Vincent Lottenberg)
Best for accessibility
La Plagne, France
Drive from Geneva: 2 hours, 10 minutes
In part, we can thank La Plagne’s purpose-built architecture for its ease of use. Take the slope-side ‘village’ of Aime 2000, for example. It may from a distance look like a beached cruise liner, but this apartment complex is ski-in ski-out, well-equipped with indoor lifts and served by a row of shops and restaurants that are all set on the same wheelchair-accessible level. As a result, 80-plus skiers with disabilities own apartments in the building. La Plagne’s accessibility is also a product of its forward-looking attitude. Not only have ski schools such as Oxygène and the ESF Aime 2000 been offering adaptive lessons on La Plagne’s wide and easygoing pistes for more than 20 years, but this is the resort where Marc Gostoli designed Gotoski – a device that allows skiers with physical or cognitive disabilities to ski standing up. The lift company offers 50 per cent discounts to skiers with disabilities and an accompanying companion, and five lift stations have accessible loos. The Olympic bobsleigh track also welcomes users with disabilities.
Handiskiing with Oxygène in La Plagne, France
Best for a weekend
Courmayeur, Italy
Drive from Geneva: 90 minutes
You don’t need a giant lift system for a big ski weekend – target Courmayeur instead. Set just beyond the road tunnel through Mont Blanc, this quirky mountain town feels instantly Italian and packs characterful restaurants, feisty pistes and gob-smacking views on to a pocket handkerchief of snow. On the first day of your short break, sitting down to lunch at the Maison Vieille or Auberge de La Maison (below), you’re going to look out at Mont Blanc and feel light years away from your usual routine. Meanwhile, on the slopes, piste skiers of every ability will find a descent or two to get the blood pumping, while those with stronger legs can hire a guide and seek out spectacular off-piste runs on Mont Blanc itself. In fact, Courmayeur’s only weekending weakness is that you have to ride a lift up from town to reach the skiing. So pick a hotel near the bottom lift station, and don’t waste time searching for après-ski action up on the slopes. The fun starts down on the Via Roma after 5pm.
Loungers by the pool at Courmayeur in Italy
Best for luxury
Courchevel, France
Drive from Geneva: 2 hours
It’s not just the swanky bedrooms and ever-helpful staff that single out Courchevel 1850, the highest of the resort’s piste-side villages – it’s the sense of luxury offered by its ego-boosting pistes. Up here, beneath the saw-toothed summits of La Saulire and Dent de Burgin, the slopes are broad, steady and mostly north-facing. They hold their snow well and keep it cold and soft for longer, while the Société des 3 Vallées (S3V) adds the finishing touches with fast lifts and painstaking grooming. As a result, you’ll find magnificent skiing at every level of difficulty (although everyone agrees the Combe Saulire red and Creux blue are the real pearls). There are five-star hotels aplenty, along with a constellation of posh chalets and delicious mountain restaurants (no visit is complete without a plate of roast lamb at the Cave des Creux). Although not all the accommodation is so high-falutin’. Make use of cheaper digs in the lower villages and you can enjoy the same sumptuous skiing for a fraction of the overall holiday price.
Courchevel, France (David André)
Best for après
Val Thorens, France
Drive from Geneva: 2 hours, 20 minutes
Flying into Geneva puts you within touching distance of four of skiing’s biggest party towns – Verbier in Switzerland and Val d’Isère, Méribel and Val Thorens in France. Hit the right bar in any of them at around 5.30pm and you’ll find a buzz that’s worthy of New Year’s Eve. Of the four, however, Val Thorens is the most accessible, and its high-altitude and snow-sure pistes are mostly at the easy end of the intermediate spectrum, so newcomers can have (almost) as much fun as the experts. The result is an energetic, everyone’s welcome atmosphere where the celebrations kick off soon after lunch – courtesy of the vast, piste-side La Folie Douce – and continue into the small hours of the morning along the Rue de Gébroulaz. Known locally as La Rue de la Soif (Thirsty Street) it sits near the top of the resort and is home to bars such as Café Snesko, O’Connell’s and The Frog. (Give them a wide berth when you’re booking your accommodation.)
Restaurant Chez Pépé Nicolas, Val Thorens, France
