Saint-Colomban-des-Villards
Saint-Colomban-des-Villards is a ski resort in the Northern Alps (Savoie). The village sits at 1,085 m and the ski area rises to 2,584 m, a skiable vertical of 1,501 m.
The area offers 31 km of alpine pistes, 37 marked pistes (4 green, 14 blue, 17 red, 2 black), 8 ski lifts.
Saint-Colomban-des-Villards belongs to the linked Les Sybelles area: one lift pass covers the neighbouring resorts.
Measured on the OpenStreetMap map: the longest piste runs 5 km (Panoramique) and the highest lift tops out at 2,587 m.
Access: 59 min by road from Chambéry and 15 min from Saint-Avre - La Chambre railway station.
5 official webcams show the pistes live (on the French page).
Seven criteria rated from 1 to 5 stars, in half-stars, from this page's sourced data. A rating is a rank among the 322 French resorts we cover — 5 stars means “among the best in France on this point”, not “perfect”. Nobody types these in.
- SnowCan you count on the snow?3 / 5
Top of the ski area: 2,584 m · Bottom of the pistes: 1,083 m · Days above 30 cm per winter, measured: 78 days · Days above 30 cm, December to March, model: 74%
- Ski areaIs there enough to ski all week?3 / 5
Km of pistes at the resort: 31 km · Km of pistes across the linked area: 125 km · Lifts: 8 · Balance between piste levels: 81%
- ValueIs the lift pass reasonable for what you get?2.5 / 5
Adult day pass: €60.5 · Day pass price per km of pistes: €0.48/km · Adult 6-day pass: €307.2 · Price read at a neighbouring resort of the same area
- Families and beginnersIs it right for children and beginners?2 / 5
Share of green and blue pistes: 49% · Magic carpets: 1 · Sledging runs: 0 · Special prices out of 4 (beginner, child, family, free age): 3 · ESF ski school · Ice rink, pool, rail sledge…: 0
- AccessIs it easy to get to?3.5 / 5
Average drive time from 20 major cities: 4 hr 23 · Nearest railway station: 15 min · Station-to-resort shuttles per day: 0 · Nearest airport: 1 hr 11
- Atmosphere and après-skiIs there life in the evening and off the slopes?1.5 / 5
Bars and pubs: 0 · Nightclubs: 0 · Restaurants: 3 · Upcoming events: 0 · Collective tourist beds: 299 — index: what the map and the listings publish
- Luxury and comfortHow upmarket is the resort?1.5 / 5
5-star hotels: 0 · 4-star hotels: 0 · Share of hotel rooms in 4 and 5 stars: 0% · Spas and saunas: 0 · Jewellers, watchmakers, fashion boutiques: 0 · Adult day pass: €60.5 — index: what the map and the listings publish
“Atmosphere” and “Luxury” are indexes: they count what OpenStreetMap and the event listings publish within 2.5 km (bars, nightclubs, rated hotels, spas, upcoming events), not what you experience there. A zero means “nothing mapped”, not “nothing there”. Sources per criterion: snow (altitudes (OpenStreetMap, Wikidata), snow depth observed at the Météo-France station, ERA5-Land model) ; ski area (OpenStreetMap pistes and lifts, linked area (Wikidata)) ; value (the resort’s official price list) ; families and beginners (OpenStreetMap pistes, price list, ESF ski school, Famille Plus label, OpenStreetMap leisure) ; access (OSRM drive times from 20 cities, SNCF stations, GTFS shuttles, airports) ; atmosphere and après-ski (bars, nightclubs and restaurants within 2.5 km (OpenStreetMap), upcoming events (OpenAgenda), collective tourist beds (INSEE)) ; luxury and comfort (rated hotels within 2.5 km (OpenStreetMap) and by category across the commune (INSEE), spas and boutiques (OpenStreetMap), day pass price).
Open pistes and lifts will appear here during the season, as published by the resort. Out of season we show nothing rather than a misleading zero.
Right now at the ST-SORLIN D'ARVES station (1,694 m)
Avalanche danger
7-day forecast
Village 1,085 m · top 2,584 m
Forecast corrected for altitude; fresh snow = forecast total at the top; UV = peak of the day. Beyond 3 days, check the resort’s own report. Source:Open-Meteo.
Average snow depth by month
Reliable snow mainly in February; more irregular the rest of the winter.
☀️ Average daily sunshine : Nov 6.4 h · Dec 5.7 h · Jan 6 h · Feb 7.3 h · Mar 8.4 h · Apr 9.8 h — 25 bright days in April (Open-Meteo estimate, 2015-2025).
- November—no record
- December40 cmVariable · 61%
- January50 cmVariable · 77%
- February64 cmGood skiing · 87%
- March61 cmVariable · 70%
- April33 cmInsufficient · 36%
- May—no record
30 cm on the ground: the benchmark for groomed-piste skiing. Bar = monthly average depth; percentage = share of time above 30 cm.
- Good skiing: 30 cm on more than 8 days in 10
- Variable: 30 cm on 5 to 8 days in 10
- Insufficient: 30 cm less than one day in two
Snow actually measured, winter by winter
31 complete winters measured, from 1992-1993 to 2022-2023 — on average 78 days a winter with at least 30 cm on the ground.
- 1-15 Dec22 cmInsufficient · 29 %
- 16-31 Dec27 cmInsufficient · 40 %
- 1-15 Jan34 cmVariable · 53 %
- 16-31 Jan47 cmVariable · 73 %
- 1-15 Feb55 cmGood skiing · 85 %
- 16-29 Feb57 cmGood skiing · 84 %
- 1-15 Mar55 cmGood skiing · 82 %
- 16-31 Mar35 cmInsufficient · 48 %
- 1-15 Apr16 cmInsufficient · 22 %
- Best winter of the series
- 2012-2013 — 134 days at 30 cm or more
- Worst winter of the series
- 1992-1993 — 5 days at 30 cm or more
How much snow actually falls — 336 cm a winter on average, spread over 42 days of snowfall. Measured over 31 complete winters.
- Biggest 24-hour snowfall
- 50 cm — 2011-2012
- Snowiest winter
- 1993-1994 — 537 cm
- Leanest winter
- 1996-1997 — 135 cm
The ski area
Compare with another resort →37 pistes, by level — 31 km
- Skiable vertical
- 1,501 m (1,083 m → 2,584 m)
- Lifts
- 4 chairlifts, 3 drag lifts, 1 magic carpet
- Cross-country skiing
- 1 named trail — 2.2 km of marked loops (1.7 km of distinct track: the loops overlap) · Domaine nordique des Îles area, 8 km from the resortOpenStreetMap, lengths measured on the geometry, surveyed on 13 September 2026. A trail with no difficulty tag is shown as "n/a" — never guessed.
See the trails(1)
Trail Level Length Piste des Îles · Domaine nordique des Îles green 2.2 km - Without skis
- 1 km of snowshoe and walking trails
- Piste aspect
- N 28% · E 47% · S 24% · W 1% (descent direction of 42 OSM pistes, terrain model)
- Tourist office
- Office de Tourisme Espace Glandon · Chef-lieu - St Colomban des Villards, 73130 · 0479562453 · [email protected] (declared by the resort, ANMSM)
- Resort app
- Android (declared by the resort, ANMSM)
Resort data: declared by Office de Tourisme Espace Glandon and distributed by ANMSM · read on 18 September
Pistes and lifts surveyed on OpenStreetMap within 4 km of the resort — for a resort in a linked area, the figure may include neighbouring pistes.
Lift passes (2026-2027) detail →
| Adult pass | Price |
|---|---|
| 1 day | €60.50 |
| 6 days | €307.20 |
| Child, 1 day | €49 |
| Free | Free under 5 · free from 75 years |
Read on the official price list, full price, excluding promotions. Price list of the linked area, read on Le Corbier. Official price list ↗
The ski area in figures
Measured on 9 September 2026Measured on OpenStreetMap (altitudes: IGN RGE ALTI), not taken from the brochure. The vertical above is that of one piste, not of the whole ski area. Population: INSEE municipal population via geo.api.gouv.fr.
Source: national register of mechanical lifts (STRMTG, CAIRN), fleet as of 1 January 2025 — lifts attributed to Saint-Colomban-des-Villards only (“SAINT COLOMBAN DES VILLARDS”), magic carpets included.
Staying and hiring gear in Saint-Colomban-des-Villards
We compare the partners that cover this resort. Some links earn us a commission — never at the expense of the price or of the data.
Stay & accommodation
Live webcams
All webcams (8) →Official players of the resort, live image. Checked on 18 September 2026.
Piste map
Open on OpenSnowMap ↗Pistes coloured by level, lifts as lines. The resort’s official map is the reference in season.
Base map © OpenTopoMap (CC-BY-SA) · pistes © OpenSnowMap (CC-BY-SA) · data ©OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Getting to Saint-Colomban-des-Villards
From Paris: 6 hr 47 (646 km) by road.
By road
- From Chambéry: 59 min · 77 km
- From Grenoble: 1 hr 16 · 106 km
- From Annecy: 1 hr 28 · 124 km
- From Genève: 1 hr 58 · 162 km
- From Lyon: 2 hr 10 · 176 km
From other major cities (15)
- From Valence: 2 hr 19 · 199 km
- From Saint-Étienne: 2 hr 43 · 224 km
- From Dijon: 4 hr 02 · 377 km
- From Clermont-Ferrand: 4 hr 02 · 344 km
- From Besançon: 4 hr 18 · 334 km
- From Montpellier: 4 hr 26 · 404 km
- From Marseille: 4 hr 31 · 413 km
- From Nice: 5 hr 14 · 427 km
- From Perpignan: 5 hr 48 · 552 km
- From Nancy: 6 hr 09 · 587 km
- From Strasbourg: 6 hr 13 · 552 km
- From Toulouse: 6 hr 44 · 638 km
- From Paris: 6 hr 47 · 646 km
- From Bordeaux: 8 hr 01 · 731 km
- From Pau: 8 hr 38 · 828 km
Excluding traffic and winter conditions; passes closed in winter are avoided.
By train
Saint-Avre - La Chambre station
halt · then 15 min drive (13 km)
Nearest main station: Chambéry - Challes-les-Eaux, 58 min by road.
No direct bus line from the station to the resort appears in the open-data timetables (checked on 13 September 2026): ask the resort about a private shuttle or a taxi.
Shuttles and buses from the station: see the resort’s official website.
By plane
- Chambéry-Savoie (CMF): 1 hr 11 by road · 85 km
- Grenoble-Alpes-Isère (GNB): 1 hr 49 by road · 152 km
Take me there
These links open the app with Saint-Colomban-des-Villards as the destination. Your starting point is never sent by us — the app asks you for it, if you agree.
Charging an electric car
No freely accessible charge point is declared within 2 km of the resort (checked on 9 September 2026). Covered car parks in the resort may offer chargers reserved for their customers: those are not listed here.
Freely accessible charge points read from the French national EV charging database (data.gouv.fr ↗, operators’ own declarations), checked on 9 September 2026. Check availability before you leave: the database says what is installed, not what is free tonight.
Road conditions
From 1 November to 31 March, snow chains or winter tyres are compulsory in most mountain areas (French “Loi Montagne II”).
Driving times computed on the OpenStreetMap road network (OSRM), SNCF stations (open data), airports (Wikidata). Indicative, not a timetable: allow extra time in snow.
Off-piste & ski touring
The resorts for off-piste skiing →Named itineraries: Planet · 1811 · La Marolay · Les Bres · Col Du Glandon
Itineraries surveyed on OpenStreetMap within a 4 km radius (7 September 2026): “marked” means an itinerary exists on the map, not that it is open or safe on the day.
Ski touring routes described
Resorts for ski touring →12 ski touring routes documented within 10 km of Saint-Colomban-des-Villards — up to 1,680 m of climb.
| Summit and route | Ski grade | Climb | Altitude | Aspect | From resort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pic de Fremezan · Tour du pic de Fremezan par la combe Rousse | 4.1 · E3 | 1,600 m | 1,150 → 2,438 m | n/a | 1.6 km |
| Brèche du Villonet · Traversée NE >> SW | n/a · PD+ | 1,460 m | 1,200 → 2,660 m | S | 2 km |
| Rochers de Vallorin · Versant S | 4.2 | 1,000 m | 1,609 → 2,593 m | n/a | 2.1 km |
| Col des Fouages (Rochers de Vallorin) · Versant N | 3.1 · AD- | 1,367 m | 1,053 → 2,420 m | N | 2.7 km |
| Col des Balmettes · Versant E - depuis la route de Fremezan | 2.1 · E1 · F | 1,350 m | 1,100 → 2,438 m | E | 2.7 km |
| Pointe du Villonet · Couloir NE en banane | 4.2 · E2 · D | 1,680 m | 1,053 → 2,727 m | NE | 2.8 km |
| Rochers de Vallorin · Tour anti-horaire | 2.2 | 1,500 m | 1,053 → 2,457 m | n/a | 2.8 km |
| Rochers de Vallorin · Couloir NE du sommet W | 4.2 · E2 · D | 1,500 m | 1,053 → 2,593 m | NE | 2.8 km |
| Rochers de Vallorin · Couloir NE rectiligne du sommet E | 4.2 · E1 · D | 1,500 m | 1,053 → 2,557 m | NE | 2.8 km |
| Rochers de Vallorin · Couloir NE de l'antécime NW | 5.4 · E3 · ED- | 1,400 m | 1,053 → 2,450 m | N | 2.8 km |
| Grand Jarnalet · Col du Jarnalet, versant NE | 2.2 · E1 · PD | 1,191 m | 1,051 → 2,246 m | NE | 2.8 km |
| Brèche du Villonet · Brèche Orientale | n/a · AD+ | 1,650 m | 1,052 → 2,660 m | NE | 2.9 km |
Source: Camptocamp.org topo guide (CC BY-SA), routes starting within 10 km, read on 13 September 2026. Descriptions and photos are on Camptocamp; an empty cell is a field nobody has filled in. Camptocamp ski touring routes ↗
Beyond skiing at Saint-Colomban-des-Villards
Toboggan runs
- Tubing · Fontcouverte-la-Toussuire · 4.9 km away
Swimming pool
- Piscine des Soldanelles · Fontcouverte-la-Toussuire · 4.5 km away
- Spa d’altitude Ô des Cimes – Résidence CGH L'Alpaga · Fontcouverte-la-Toussuire · 5 km away
- Piscine extérieure chauffée · Villarembert · 6.6 km away
- Centre nautique et Espace aqualudique · Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne · 9.1 km away
Paragliding
- Parapente Airline · Fontcouverte-la-Toussuire · 4.5 km away
- Corbier Parapente · Villarembert · 6.3 km away
- Envergure Parapente · La Chambre · 9.4 km away
Museum
- Musée à ciel ouvert · Saint-Alban-des-Villards · 2.3 km away
- Musée de la Vie d'Autrefois · Saint-Sorlin-d'Arves · 8 km away
- Espace ludo-éducatif de la Fromagerie Coopérative de la Vallée des Arves · Saint-Sorlin-d'Arves · 8.4 km away
- Musée des Costumes, Arts et Traditions Populaires · Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne · 9.1 km away
Cinema
- Cinéma l'Igloo · Fontcouverte-la-Toussuire · 4.9 km away
- Cinéma Star · Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne · 9.3 km away
- Cinéma les Aiguilles · Saint-Jean-d'Arves · 9.3 km away
Source: DATAtourisme (open data), within 10 km of the resort; places in a large town of the valley are left out. Checked on 12 September 2026. Opening times and prices are the operator’s — check before you go.
Practical information
Collective accommodation
299 bed spaces in tourist residences, holiday villages and hostels
- 2 hotels · 20 rooms
- 1 tourist residence or apartment hotel · 299 bed spaces
- 2 campsites · 48 pitches
Commune: Saint-Colomban-des-Villards · INSEE tourist accommodation survey, 2026, read on 12 September 2026. Collective accommodation only — privately let flats and second homes are not counted. INSEE dataset ↗
Tourist office
Maison du Tourisme et de la Montagne
Ski school
ESF St Colomban Des Villards
🌐 esf-st-colomban-des-villards.com
8 instructors
🗓️ This school sells its lessons online — book ↗
Source: esf.net
In case of accident
112 — the European emergency number, free of charge, triggers mountain rescue. On the pistes, the ski patrol number is printed on the piste map and at lift ticket offices. Piste rescue is charged: check your insurance or take the option sold with the lift pass.
Nearby resorts
Frequently asked questions
How high is Saint-Colomban-des-Villards?
Saint-Colomban-des-Villards sits at 1,085 m at village level, and its ski area rises to 2,584 m.
How many kilometres of pistes does Saint-Colomban-des-Villards have?
Saint-Colomban-des-Villards has 31 km of pistes served by 8 lifts, within the linked Les Sybelles area (OpenStreetMap survey).
What is the longest piste in Saint-Colomban-des-Villards?
The longest piste is Panoramique: 5 km (blue run), for 440 m of vertical. Measured on the OpenStreetMap map, segments of the same name and level joined end to end, altitudes from the IGN RGE ALTI terrain model — a resort sometimes advertises a longer run by chaining several pistes.
How high do the lifts go in Saint-Colomban-des-Villards?
The highest lift, Col De Bellard (chairlift), tops out at 2,234 m. Source: STRMTG, French national register of mechanical lifts (CAIRN database), file dated 1 January 2025.
How many lifts does Saint-Colomban-des-Villards have, and what is their capacity?
The French national register of mechanical lifts records 7 installations at Saint-Colomban-des-Villards (3 chairlifts, 3 drag lifts, 1 magic carpet), for an authorised capacity of 5,644 people per hour, of which 1,100 for Ormet alone. The fleet spans 1970 to 2013, an average age of 30 years. This count covers the resort itself, magic carpets included, not the whole linked ski area — a resort brochure often announces a different number. Source: STRMTG, French national register of mechanical lifts (CAIRN database), file dated 1 January 2025.
How much is a lift pass in Saint-Colomban-des-Villards?
The adult day pass costs €60.50 and the 6-day pass €307.20 (2026-2027, read on the official price list, shared with Le Corbier).
How do I get to Saint-Colomban-des-Villards?
By road, Saint-Colomban-des-Villards is 59 min from Chambéry (77 km), excluding traffic and winter conditions. By train, the nearest station is Saint-Avre - La Chambre, 15 min by road from the resort. No direct bus line from the station to the resort appears in the open-data timetables. The nearest airport is Chambéry-Savoie, 1 hr 11 away.
How long is the drive from Paris to Saint-Colomban-des-Villards?
6 hr 47 for 646 km from central Paris, excluding traffic and winter conditions. Computed on the real road network (OpenStreetMap): allow more on a school-holiday Saturday.
Is the snow reliable in Saint-Colomban-des-Villards?
Yes: good snow in the core of the winter according to twenty winters of Météo-France measurements; in season the daily report prevails.
Is Saint-Colomban-des-Villards good for beginners and families?
49% of the pistes are green or blue: a rather technical area.
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