France
The French ski regions rank among the largest, highest, and most spacious worldwide. The most important mountains in France are the Armorican ed il Massif Central, but from the point of view of the winter sports are more interesting The Alps and the Pyrénées.
Second to none is the ski area Trois Vallées, with over 600 kilometres of piste and 200 ski lifts. It consists of the three valleys Courchevel, Méribel, and Val Thorens/Les Menuires. At 2,300 m, Val Thorens is the highest ski resort in Europe.
France shares with Italy the highest mountain in Europe, the Mont Blanc. At the foot of the mountain lies one of the winter sports hot spots, Chamonix, scene of the Olympics in 1924.
The French Alps include two important skiing regions:
Savoie: The large ski areas of La Plagne, Val Thorens, Tignes and Valmeinier are located in a semi-circle around the Vanoise Massif in the southern Savoie Alps. Although there are still some gaps between the ski areas, they will one day be joined to become the largest wintersports territory in the world.
Isère: A wintersports region can hardly be more varying. This one reaches from the marginal mountain ranges of the French Pre-Alps to the Écrins Massif, the majestic high mountain scenery of the Dauphiné.
