Les Sybelles Ski Resort France

Sybelles ski resort is a huge French Alps intermediate skier's paradise comprising the villages of La Toussuire, Le Corbier, St Sorlin d’Arves, St Jean d’Arves, Les Bottières & St Colomban des Villards. With around 310km of ski trails (over 75% rated for intermediates), 67 lifts, & a skiable vertical of 1,520m, Les Sybelles is one of the top 10 largest ski areas in the world. Plus it has a peak season daily lift pass for less than €50. So why haven't you heard of it? That’s a very good question indeed! We will find out soon.

Pros & Cons for Sybelles Ski Resort

Pros

• One of the Top 10 largest ski resorts in the world (& 4th largest in France - which says a bit about the size of ski areas in the French Alps!).
• Long skiable vertical of over 1,500m.
• Vast network of lifts & ski trails.
• Sensational on-piste trails for progressing beginners plus intermediate skiers & snowboarders.
• Excellent value lift pass.
• Public transport access by train & bus is good (for France!).

Cons

• Some low-elevation villages may not have natural snow for much of winter.
• Limited advanced & steep off-piste terrain.

Pro or Con (depending on your perspective!)

• Six villages to choose from - where to start?

Skiing & Snowboarding, Lift & Terrain

The Sybelles skiing & snowboarding terrain & 310km of on-piste trails are mainly north-east aspect and range from 1,100m altitude at St Colomban des Villards up to 2,620m on Les Perrons above St Sorlin d’Arves. The single longest skiable vertical on the piste trails is 1,331m from the central peak of L’Ouillon (2,431m) all the way down to St Colomban village. Most skiable verticals from the villages are around 500 to 1,000m, with the terrain above St Sorlin to Les Perrons appearing to be the pick of it from a powder hound perspective! However with over 225km of trails rated for intermediates across the combined ski area, Les Sybelles is all about cruising. Given the sheer dimensions of the resort and its predominantly intermediate on-piste, the off-piste at Sybelles must have tonnes of potential for long quiet turns away from any crowds. To our eye, the backside of Point du Corbier ridge, the couloirs on Les Perrons and the alpine valley below Plan La Guerre and down between Le Corbier & La Toussuire will be the subject of our initial investigation on a powder day.

Before we finally visit Les-Sybelles to ride its mass of pistes at warp factor 11, check out the Sybelles ski trail map to get a feel for the vast terrain. 

Les Sybelles Ski Trail Map

The ski lifts at Les Sybelles total 68, of which 29 are chairlifts and one is a new gondola. Chairlifts are an even split between modern detachable express and fixed-grip varieties. The huge number of surface tows and conveyors are predominantly associated with the many novice areas near the respective villages. The most important exception is the long surface tows taking skiers out of La Bottieres village. Away from there, most of the uphill lift is undertaken by the chairs.

There are future plans to link Sybelles to the Alpe d’Huez Grand Domaine at Vaujany. Alpes d’Huez is itself looking to connect via a ski lift to Les 2 Alpes. If all three get together, that is going to be a resort of over 800km of trails, eclipsing the current world’s largest fully interlinked ski region, Les 3 Vallèes.

Where is Sybelles France?

Les Sybelles ski resort is the Maurienne valley of the Savoie region in the French Alps, 77km (1-1⅓hr) drive south of Albertville, 670km southeast of Paris and 150km (2-3hr) west of Turin, Italy. Five of the resort’s villages (and the vast majority of its ski lifts & terrain) are accessed from the valley via the visibly downtrodden town of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne. All are less than 30min drive for St Jean. The sixth village, St Colomban des Villards, is accessed in 20min via the town of La Chambre.

Train or rental car is the recommended mode of travel to the region. Both valley towns have useful train stations nearby, connecting the region via fast train to Paris-Lyon-Geneva & Grenoble to the west & north and Turin-Milan-Venice to the east. Alight at either Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne Arvan (for most of the villages) or Saint-Avre - La Chambre station (for St Colomban), depending on your final destination. From Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne Arvan station, regular winter buses meet the trains. Take the route M4 bus for the Les Sybelles villages of La Toussuire or Le Corbier, and the M5 bus to St Sorlin or St Jean d’Arves.

Search & book here for train tickets to Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne Arvan. Get bus tickets from the driver.

If driving, the resort is conveniently located just south of the A43/E70 motorway. Exit 27 will see you get to most villages. Be prepared for a hefty road toll for the Frejus Tunnel if coming from Italy!

Sybelles Accommodation

With six mountain villages interconnected across the resort, there are loads of accommodation location options. Sadly, in keeping with the worst traditions of modern French ski resorts, most of the lodgings are apartments, with only limited quality hotels & local guesthouses. From a ‘snow-snobs’ point of view, the four upper mountain villages of La Toussuire (1,750m), Le Corbier (1,550m), St Sorlin d’Arves (1,600m), St Jean d’Arves (1,550m) not only have the better all-season long snow coverage, but also the best access to the ski terrain. Of the four villages, the larger La Toussuire & neighbouring Le Corbier are where most of the action occurs. However, despite their splendid alpine locations, both suffer from unsightly high-rise development around the fringes of the ski lifts. For an authentic French Alps’ mountain stay, we recommend finding lodgings at St Sorlin d’Arves

The quietest of the resort villages is the traditional outpost of St Colomban des Villards, whilst La Bottieres has a mix of apartments & chalets, but limited services.

If you are looking to visit the resort and stay in one of the villages, search & book via our Sybelles ski accommodation listings page.

Ski Rentals, Lessons, & Guiding

Ski rentals are available throughout the Les Sybelles resort villages via our local partners. Receive a discount when you search & book via our Les Sybelles Ski & Snowboard Rental page.

Search, compare & book ski or snowboard lessons & mountain guiding from the listings below.

Review

The Powderhounds will review Les Sybelles in the coming season. In 2023/24, Les Sybelles celebrates its 20th year as a fully integrated ski resort, we hoped to be there, but will go next season to belatedly join in the festivities. More info will be added following our visit. Stay tuned for our sparkling repartee, new photos & insights.

See how Les Sybelles compares to the rest of the French ski resorts on the France ski resort ratings page, or compare to the rest of Europe on the European ski resort ratings page.

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