Les Sybelles – by Alex Castle

Bag in hand, heart racing ten to the dozen, I walked through arrivals at Geneva airport ready for what Les Sybelles had to offer at Easter weekend. I had never heard of Les Sybelles, but as the majority of visitors are French, Belgian, and Dutch rather than British, the French text book came out and I had to muster every cell in my brain to remember my basic GCSE French!

A history lesson: Les Sybelles is comprised of six separate resorts that were connected in 2003 to make one big resort in the heart of the Maurienne Region in the French Alps. You may be thinking expensive right? No. Your lift pass covers all six resorts at around 38 Euros for a day. These resorts are Les Bottières, La Toussuire, Saint-Jean-d’Arves, Saint-Colomban-des Villards, Saint-Sorlin-d’Arves, Le Corbier, and many of these are 100% ski-in/ski-out.

The most distinctive feature of the mountain range was the views of the Aiguilles d’Arves (the three distinctive peaks). These three magnificent peaks, according to local legend were created by God, and those who are buried in the area have their feet facing them. Also worth a mention is that Les Sybelles is the 4th largest ski area in France.

As this is a relatively new resort, the price isn’t soul destroying, in fact, it’s around 30% cheaper than any other resort in the French Alps. It’s not like buying the Val Thorens - Three Valleys lift pass which will burn a hole somewhere in your wallet, Les Sybelles is a huge resort with plenty to offer both beginners and advanced skiers, so well worth it. It’s also got more snow fall than many of the resorts in the Alps too.

So, day one; weighed, measured and equipped with everything we needed from the hire shop, we headed up La Toussuire, the town’s main ski area linked to the summit connecting the rest of the resorts. There were no gondolas in the area, just chair lifts and button lifts, but I prefer this slower pace to take in the landscape surrounding you. Our tour guide showed us every nook and cranny of the resort as the small hamlets and villages flew past. With a mixture of some blue and some pretty steep red runs, it made for an easy days skiing to loosen up the joints and dust off the cobwebs.

Having had a good feed and a comfy nights sleep, the following morning I felt confident, so we decided it was time for a well deserved off-piste adventure for day two of our trip. Our guide passed us a transceiver and a back pack with a snow shovel and probe, just in case we got caught in an avalanche….which made me nervous, but it’s a precaution any skier or snowboarder should take when considering venturing off the main track. With snow falling all day long, we had fresh powder to glide through and some spectacular valleys to traverse, dodging through trees and seriously testing my nerves.

On the final day we took a 45 minute roller coaster ride down the mountain to Saint-Jean D’Arves, one of the six resorts, to visit the Mayor/dairy farmer, who farms 26 cows that produce part of the milk for the well-known Beaufort Cheese. What a treat! A personal guided tour took us round the surprisingly small factory where they make the world famous wheels of cheesy goodness. As a parting gift, they gave us each a Saint-Jean D’Arves welcome pack, including a brick of the beautiful Beaufort. The area is oozing with history and I tell you, the locals are some of the nicest people I have met, accommodating, friendly, and just want to show you a good time. I didn’t feel like a tourist.

We also got to try the local spirits, typically Junipe, and a Mont Corbier, a digestif we drank after dining on a mountain of duck, local beef and chicken cooked on a raclette. You can only buy Mont Corbier in the Maurienne, it’s distilled and sold in this area alone, so well worth the trip.

Les Sybelles is also the perfect place for families who want a slower paced ski holiday and the ski schools are fantastic. If you are an experienced skier on-the-other-hand, the off-piste is the perfect place to practice.

I have never felt so at home and looking out from my balcony at 5am on the last day, taking in the jagged landscape I was as impressed as when I arrived. A hard place to leave.

Peak Retreats offer 7 nights in La Toussuire from £202pp

Staying at Le Haut de Comborciere.

Price based on 4 sharing a 2 bed self-catered apt, including Eurotunnel crossing.

Full details on holidays in La Toussuire here: www.peakretreats.co.uk/winter/ski-resorts/maurienne-valley/la-toussuire

(Flight prices vary massively with the time of year) and we only offer self-drive package holidays.