Last Updated on 31st August 2022 by Steve
The number of ski areas offering summer or early autumn skiing in France has declined over the years. Despite the information in older articles still online there are now only three hard-core areas offering relatively short summer ski seasons.
Les Deux Alpes
The summer skiing in Les Deux Alpes is on the glacier above the resort and goes from an altitude of 2800m up to 3600m. It has a surprisingly large number of lifts open in the summer (17) although many of these are serving the snowpark or the short runs aimed at beginners. The lifts also include an underground funicular railway which was bored through the rock under the glacier and which rises to 3400m. The summer ski season lasts from the middle or end of June through to near the end of August.
Tignes
The summer skiing in Tignes takes place on the Grande Motte glacier above Val Claret. This is another resort where an underground funicular railway – the Perce-Niege – whisks people up onto the snow from the summer temperatures down in the resort. Tignes offers 20km of skiing with a snowpark and generally opens from the end of June through to the beginning of August, snow conditions permitting.
Val d’Isère
The well-known winter resort of Val d’Isère offers quite limited summer skiing on the Pisaillas glacier above the town. It is only open for just over a month from mid-June through to mid-July.
