Val Cenis Off Piste

The most noteworthy off-piste terrain in Val Cenis itself lies to the left of the Plan Cardinal chairlift above Lanslevillard at the eatern boundary of the ski area (left hand ege of the piste map). The terrain features forest, rock-outcrops and gullies and that area alone is large enough to take up an entire day for even the best off-piste skiers.

Underneath and around the Solert and Arcellins chairlifts provides further off-piste opportunities. The Arcellins area is the more extensive of the two and lower down the terrain is forested. Skiers and boarders with limited off-piste experience who are looking to improve their skills can look between the Solert and the Plan Cardinal for easy off-piste opportunities

One excellent area to try skiing off-piste is above the so-called “Far North” area at the Col du Mont Cenis. From the top of the Mont Cenis lift at 2,330m there is an inviting face down to the right which takes you down to between the dog sledding area and the top of the Buffa drag lift. It also has great views of the lake.

Further along the valley, and outside of Val Cenis’s own area but still covered by the Eski-Mo ski pass, Bonneval-sur-Arc provides some excellent off-piste skiing with the 3,752m of the Pointe Charbonnel and the 3,637m Point Albaron offering some pretty steep and extreme opportunities for those who are willing to hike and traverse. The perfect pyramid of the Aiguille Rousse, approached from the Refuge du Carro or Refuge du Prariond is another favourite.

In the other direction, Aussois provides some extreme off-piste skiing, especially off the 3,697m Dent Parrachee, while the back of Valfrejus, off the Pointe d’Arrondaz also provides some inviting lines. In poor light, La Norma has excellent treelined skiing, both on and off-piste. All these resorts are covered by the Eski-Mo ski pass and there is a free shuttle bus linking them to the Val Cenis villages, but it is not very frequent.