Les Sybelles: The Biggest French Ski Area You Have Probably Never Heard Of

twenty sixth March 2025 | James Cove, Les Sybelles, France.

It claims to be the fourth largest ski space in France. But it’s just about undiscovered by the British. Why? PlanetSKI reviews. NEW

The realm sits within the Maurienne Valley within the Savoie close to the biggest linked ski space in France and the world – Les3Vallees.

In France the second largest space is Les Portes du Soleil after which Paradiski with its mega resorts of La Plagne and Les Arcs.

Slightly surprisingly subsequent up are the six little-known and linked ski resorts that make up Les Sybelles ski space.

St Jean d’Arves (alt. 1,550m)St Sorlin d’Arves (alt. 1,550m)Le Corbier (alt. 1,550m)La Tossure (alt. 1,800m)Les Bottirrs (alt. 1,300m)St Colomban des Villards (alt. 1,100m)

So, have you ever heard of any of them?

No, neither have we – till now.

Les Sybelles, France. Picture © PlanetSKI.

Les Sybelles has 68 ski lifts with 136 pistes that cowl 310kms of slopes.

I’m in Sybelles this week for a spot of spring snowboarding and to find an space I’ve heard of, however by no means visited.

To be trustworthy it didn’t look nice on arrival at 1,550m within the ski village of St Sorlin d’Arves, with the early afternoon temperature at 21c.

Les Sybelles, France. Image © PlanetSKI.

Les Sybelles, France. Picture © PlanetSKI.

Time for a spot of lunch within the solar.

Les Sybelles, France. Picture © PlanetSKI.

However on the prime of the ski space at 2,600m the snow situations had been a really completely different story.

Les Sybelles, France. Picture © PlanetSKI.

Many of the space stays open regardless of the current heat March temperatures, with the world scheduled to shut on April eleventh.

The snowboarding space shocked me in its dimension and, most significantly, its selection.

How come I had barely heard of those slopes and by no means skied on them earlier than?

Les Sybelles, France. Picture © PlanetSKI.

And take a look at these movies:

It’s an space appropriate for teams of blended means – lots of the runs had pistes of varied ranges of problem that then meet up.

Les Sybelles, France. Picture © PlanetSKI.

The realm has 40,000 vacationer beds, however why achieve this few Brits at the moment sleep in them?

Les Sybelles was fashioned in 2003 because the six resorts had been introduced collectively as a single space.

‘The British merely don’t know a lot about us,” stated Aurelien Durbet who has been a ski teacher with the ESF for 16-years – shortly after the world was fashioned.

“Lots of the others massive French ski areas have been round for over 50-years so they’re well-known with British skiers.

“Now we have to market ourselves higher and promote our points of interest.

Les Sybelles, France. Picture © PlanetSKI.

The advertising and marketing division of the vacationer workplace is now on the case.

“As you’ve gotten seen James the snowboarding is a revelation for those that have not likely heard of us and we at the moment are embarking on a marketing campaign to develop our providing to the British and stand out from the opposite massive French ski areas,” stated Marie Lourdel from Les Sybelles to me.

“A number of years again solely 20% of our visitors had been foreigners, however now that’s 46% with probably the most coming from Belgium after which the Netherlands.”

The British at the moment are third so phrase is getting on the market.

The villages are primarily purpose-built affairs within the typical French excessive altitude model – not terribly engaging, however they do the job.

Right here’s La Corbier.

Les Sybelles, France. Picture © PlanetSKI.

The very best and largest of the villages is La Toussuire (1,800m) and has seen a current growth with 11,000 beds now on supply.

Extra residences are set to open for subsequent season, together with La Grande Verdette, the place development is advancing.

Les Sybelles, France. Picture © PlanetSKI.

The village of St Sorlin d’Arves has 9,000 beds and is an altogether prettier affair.

Les Sybelles, France. Picture © PlanetSKI.

I’m staying in Le Chalet Beausoleil by the facet of the piste in St Sorlin d’Arves.

Les Sybelles, France. Picture © PlanetSKI.

With an Intersport ski rent store only a two minute stroll away.

Les Sybelles, France. Picture © PlanetSKI.

It is available in at an affordable worth too and nothing like the costs that may be paid in Les3Vallees and the like.

I used to be knowledgeable by the native vacationer workplace that costs could be round 30% cheaper than the opposite massive French ski areas.

The resorts of Les Sybelles are geared toward households & intermediates, and people keeping track of their funds.

Mountain eating places within the space could be the massive resort affairs, or one thing extra conventional.

Step ahead, this gem above Le Corbier.

Les Sybelles, France. Picture © PlanetSKI.

From the place I posted the PlanetSKI video report on present snow situations:

Speaking of meals, the Hors-Piste restaurant in St Sorlion d’Anvers serves a imply Japanese beef dish and it introduced again a number of fond recollections of my current 5-week journey to Japan with PlanetSKI.

Les Sybelles, France. Picture © PlanetSKI.

This time it was good to have a fork to accompany the chopsticks.

The Sybelles space has an altogether much less frantic and full-on environment than the more-famous French mega resorts.

There isn’t any Folie Douce right here, and no plans for one.

Apres ski and nightlife are restricted with individuals coming to calm down quite than social gathering.

There are a number of winter occasions operating by the season.

They’re extra designed to entertain the individuals already right here, quite than convey within the large crowds that may come for World Cup occasions, freeride snowsport competitions, large finish of season live shows or massive scholar teams out on the lash.

Les Sybelles is altogether extra sedate.

One exercise that comes excessive advisable is a ‘First Tracks’ programe the place you possibly can go up on the slopes an hour earlier than they open to most of the people with one of many pisteurs.

Les Sybelles, France. Picture © PlanetSKI.

You get to the ski the slopes earlier than everybody else, although it was a bit murky on our morning.

Plus have a behind-the-scenes take a look at their work.

Xavier Gaboriaud has been with the patrol for 11 years and defined how the world is made protected from avalanches after a snowfall, and confirmed us the security tools within the pisteurs hut.

The pisteurs take care of a median about 10 incidents a day the place individuals require first assist on the slopes and the utmost quantity they’ve needed to assist in a day is nineteen.

“Security is our primary precedence and we wish all our visitors to have their finest day’s snowboarding and to complete their day smiling and completely happy, not being taken off the slopes injured,” stated Xavier.

“I urge everybody to ski in management and respect different individuals on the mountain.”

The First Tracks programme runs thought the excessive season dates and prices €15 per particular person.

Away from the slopes Les Sybelles affords extra conventional points of interest, together with cani-rando which I will likely be reporting on shortly.

Cani-Rando, or canine climbing, is an odd outside exercise that mixes climbing with the help of a skilled sled canine.

You placed on a particular harness belt and are then linked to the canine by a bungee leash.

This permits the canine to assist pull and information you alongside the paths.

Suffice to say it was like little else I’ve carried out within the mountains.

Do look out for that replace.

Oh, and I will likely be reporting extra particulars on the ski space – I used to be greatly surprised by it and the alternatives it affords.

My favouite space, with no shadow of doubt, had been the slopes round Les 3 Lacs and from the excessive level at 2, 600m on the left of the ski space when trying on the piste map.

Les Sybelles is ready to be found by us Brits – on and off the slopes.

See right here for extra on Les Sybelles.

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