Sainte Foy Resort

Why Is Sainte Foy Renowned?

Why is this quaint little resort with only four main lifts revered by off-piste experts around the world? Why do mountain guides travel from the nearby surrounding bigger resorts to taste the powder in Sainte Foy? Why do ski touring groups find themselves marking Sainte Foy as a ‘must do’ destination? To those not in the know, this must be a mystery, after all, just four lifts can hardly open up vast acres of terrain, can it? The powder must be similar in all the close proximity resorts in the Tarentaise, so why Sainte Foy? And surely touring groups have more on offer in the bigger resorts? The short answer is you have to try it out to believe it. However, we’lll let you into a few of the off-piste secrets before you visit!

Sainte Foy’s lift system is small but goes straight up to a height of of 2620 metres in a huge north-west facing bowl with a further 300 metres accessible via touring skins or bootlegging. From the top lift endless opportunities for off-piste lines fan out, and of course due to its extensive north-facing aspect, the snow stays deliciously chalky long after the powder is gone. Because there is so much to ski and because the lifts in Sainte Foy are uncrowded, this little jewel offers virgin powder several days after all the bigger resorts are skied out.

Watch Si James' video below of a day off-piste in Sainte Foy with friends:

'Snowboarding, Sainte Foy 2006'. Video courtesy of Si James.

Find out more about some of the best off-piste routes in and around Sainte Foy:

The Marquise:

Tree skiing is always challenging and fun and Sainte Foy is blessed with extensive coverage of pine, unlike its bigger resort brothers. This makes it a bad weather day magnet; the trees offer better visibility as they contrast against the snow and until the snow settles, skiing in the trees is safer. The most recently built and very fast six man Marquise chairlift (top at 2425m) takes you up over lots of tree-filled areas that are interspersed by a few pistes. This makes it a perfect choice for mixed ability groups; those that can, will head off through the powder in the trees, whilst those that can’t will have a great time on the wide blue and red pistes. But this is just the beginning of the possibilities off the Marquise lift alone, as one can also choose to head left off the lift into the whole of the eastern side of the Sainte Foy bowl - the top of which is just open terrain - masses of it, before it hits the trees lower down.

Shapers, Morion, Crystal Dark:

Each of these three areas are accessed from the top Aiguille lift. Shapers is the easiest and usually the first spot to open after a snowfall. Running right through the middle of the Sainte Foy bowl one can drop off the piste at several points to get to it. As it is not that steep it is a great place to start to enjoy the off-piste and get to grips with powder.

Morion is the steep face directly underneath the top Aiguille chair. It can be wind slabbed after a fall so please pay attention to the pisteurs’ markers. There are also quite a lot of rocks, so if there is not a great deal of snow be careful.

Crystal Dark is a black run and quite steep. Accessed from the top Aiguille piste it does mean a fairly long traverse left of the Sainte Foy bowl, but the huge area of off-piste that fans out from it is certainly worth it. Watch out lower down as the trees become quite dense, it is better to traverse right after the top pitch unless you know your way down or are prepared to do some serious tree dodging.

Le Monal:

Another simple route is found on the southern Vallon du Clou side of the Sainte Foy bowl, accessed and viewed from the top Aiguille lift. This is a well known route leading to the hamlet of Le Monal (award winning, picturesque, quaint and now protected). This route is a road in the summer, so is not difficult skiing. Bear in mind that if the off-piste is not for you, the views from the Aiguille will be. You can see right over to Val d’Isère and the Grande Motte glacier of Tignes. Looking right will reward you with the spectacular Aiguille Rouge, Mont Pourri and Dome de la Sache ranges with their glaciers; a splendid backdrop for any holiday photo. Once down in the hamlet of Le Monal there is a track (that does include some gentle uphill walking) that leads to the Plan Bois green run which runs back into the resort.

Les Pigettes:

On the track above the hamlet of Le Monal one can choose to take a short hike up and over to the next valley. This offers a huge number of off-piste lines that all eventually lead to Les Pigettes which is a small hamlet higher up the Isère valley on the road up to Val d’Isère and Tignes. This is great skiing earlier in the season or if snow depth is good it makes for a great spring ski descent. As this is south facing, one needs to get the timing right for conditions to be perfect. You will need to organise transport from Les Pigettes back to the resort; why not book a Première Neige local pickup.

Fogliettaz:

The most renowned off-piste route is the Fogliettaz which offers 1500m of vertical! This is not for the faint hearted or the inexperienced as it involves a 50 to 60 minute walk to the top at a height of 2930m, either bootlegging up the ridge from the top Aiguille lift, or heading up on skins which is a more gentle approach. There are several entrances to the north facing Fogliettaz bowl all of which can be very steep. If you find you don’t like the look of it once up there, you can of course ski back down the southern side towards the Lac du Clou, although as the Fogliettaz is a powder seekers' run, this usually means the southern side will not have transformed, but will have developed a crust. If possible try to leave the southern Vallon du Clou route for later in the season when it is delightful for billiard table spring descents.

The Fogliettaz route will end up at the hamlet of Le Crot from which there is a road (open to cars in the summer) that finally arrives at Le Miroir. Do remember that bus services are limited from Le Miroir back to the resort so it might be better to book a Première Neige local pickup, which you can organise with the concierge team. Alternatively book in for lunch at Chez Merie, you won’t be disappointed!

Col du Granier:

For those that know the area or have a guide there is an off-piste route called Col du Granier on the eastern side of the bowl which leads into the next valley. It ends up in the same spot as the Fogliettaz route, but is accessed straight off the top of the Marquise lift. Although it offers less of a descent than it’s big brother, it also means no bootlegging or skinning, but still gets away from the resort and is a great half day adventure.

Sainte Foy village (Chief Lieu):

If you are lucky enough to book a holiday with Première Neige in January, you will find that this is generally the month for the best snowfalls, and it is often possible at this time to ski right down into the main village of Sainte Foy which means a vertical descent of almost 1600 metres from the top chairlift. The best way down is off the bottom of the Marquise lift (from here, it's a vertical descent of 1365 metres) but go with a guide or a trusted experienced local as it is easy to get lost. If you do decide on this route, a decent lunch at Le Monal or Le Grange is a must.

Sainte Foy is ideally located just a few kilometres from Italy where heliskiing drops are possible. With its very own helipad near the resort centre, Sainte Foy is special in terms of heliskiing as you are able to jump into the helicopter just a short walk from your chalet or apartment. Take off and be whisked up across the mountains in just minutes to be dropped just across the border in Italy. Enjoy fresh, untouched snow and endless off-piste runs all day long then get dropped just a short distance from your chalet door!

The area surrounding Sainte Foy affords incredible, world-renowned heliskiing and off-piste. To get the most out of your heliskiing experience and for extra safety, always hire an experienced mountain guide.

For more information and to book heliskiing please contact us with your requirements.