Montchavin Archives - France Skiing

Montchavin is a wonderfully traditional resort nestled into the La Plagne and Paradiski ski areas. Far from the hustle and bustle that you’ll find in the bigger villages higher in this world class skiing domain, Montchavin offers you a touch of authenticity rarely seen in the Alps. You won’t find any of the major ski tour companies here, nor any of the major hotel chains. You’ll only find small, family run businesses offering chalets and apartments with their own personal touch. Here, you’ll see that the locals really do care about your experience in this lovely village offering rustic architecture all built using locally sourced materials, friendly service and top-notch skiing right on your accommodation doorstep.

We are going to go through several reasons why you should try out this great resort for your next ski holiday and why making that extra effort through tailor making your ski holiday will really pay and you’ll be coming back time and time again.

Traditional Village

This village offers an incredible location in the centre of the Paradiski domain, offering the possibility to either go straight up to La Plagne with its dizzying peak at 3300 metres, or you can go to the left and ski Les Arcs taking the Vanoise Express opening up another massive ski area that you’ll never have time to totally cover in 1 week unless you are really hungry to put kilometres under your belt! Another huge advantage to Montchavin is that the ski lift is right in the centre of the small village which makes ski in/out very possible, or for a worst-case scenario, a 2-minute walk to get to the chairlift. The chairlift itself is very modern, comfortable and quick and has the added bonus of avoiding the queues you find elsewhere in the region even at peak times. Even on the crazy weeks such as half term, the queues are very minimal, and you’ll very quickly be onto the pistes. Plus, you can ski back to the village which is at a good height of 1250 metres, meaning that it is pretty snow sure throughout the season.

Montchavin Ski Resort

The Montchavin village itself is a joy to wander around with its traditional architecture and wooden and stone buildings that beautifully blend into the mountains themselves giving you the feeling that you are in a genuine village and not a purpose-built resort. Majority of the buildings were built using locally sourced wood and stone which means the colours of the surrounding area is totally respected. There is so much to do for a relatively small resort such as wandering the cobbled streets, visiting the local farm animals whilst they graze peacefully in the fields and visit the shops selling locally made products such as toys, ornaments and of course food such as cheeses, meats and sweets.

There is the aquatic centre called Espace Paradisio which offers slides, saunas, steam rooms and relaxation areas which are perfect after a hard day on the slopes or if you simply want to relax and have a massage. There is an ice rink, a cinema, husky rides and snowshoe walking; all inside a car free village which means it is also very safe to let the children run relatively freely without the fear of passing cars zooming by to get to the village above.

Montchavin Piste Map

Montchavin Piste Map Download

Click on the download link to check out the Montchavin piste map and see its exceptional position within the domain. It is right at the bottom in the middle of the Paradiski region. One of the most wonderful things about this village is the tree lined pistes you can find starting from the Dos Rond lift at 2340 metres all the way down to the village. This makes for wonderful skiing compared to the massive empty pistes that you find in say Tignes or Val Thorens (which do have their advantages of course).

Looking again at the Montchavin piste map, you’ll see that there are 2 possibilities to go up to the skiing. You can either take the Cabin lift up to Les Coches which makes it perfect for beginners or those who simply want to visit another village (with or without skis). You can then choose to either ski back down the red run on the left called Montchavin or follow the wonderful blue run called Mont Blanc that slowly makes it way back down through the pristine and untouched forests on a calm piste often with practically no people on it. Making it perfect for beginners or those uncomfortable having people zip past you very quickly as you can take your time and enjoy the incredible views of the forests and the snow-covered valley in front of you.

There is of course the other option to keep going up higher and higher very easily via either the Vanoise Express (which needs the Paradiski area pass) and is an experience in itself taking you across the valley in a massive stand up cabin with views across the entire valley. You’ll then be able to ski all of Les Arcs and of course make your way back at the end of the day and arrive practically in front of Montchavin with only a tiny bit if skiing to get back to the village if you are very tired (this is a massive domain!). The other option is to stay within the La Plagne area and keep going up and up via fast and modern chairlifts to then access all that La Plagne has to offer with skiing for every level from beginners up to hardened skiers and boarders searching for a real challenge.

Montchavin Weather

One of the big advantages here is the Montchavin weather due to the fact that the village and its respective pistes are protected by its surrounding forests. Like said before, this offers beautiful skiing and stunning views. However, there is another massive advantage, which is that the pistes are protected from storms and fogs which you can naturally experience when skiing. Even when the higher open pistes are being battered by high winds, white outs and bad weather, you can be sure that the Montchavin pistes will be open, offering protected pistes that will allow you to ski no matter the weather. This is fantastic for those who don’t like to ski when you can’t see what you are doing as well as those who love some off piste skiing through the trees. There are so many possibilities to ski or board down through the trees for those with a higher level, or for those with a lower level can enter the forest right next to the runs and then ski back onto them very easily whenever you feel you have had enough. There are so many opportunities!