French Alps

The west face of the Petit Dru above the Chamonix valley near the Mer de Glace.

The French Alps are those parts of the Alps mountain range which lie in France. They are within the regions of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and Rhône-Alpes.

The specific subranges of the Alps that are at least partly in France include (from south to north):

• Maritime Alps
• Cottian Alps
• Dauphiné Alps
  • Belledonne
  • Massif des Écrins
• Graian Alps
  • Mont Blanc Massif
  • Vanoise Massif
• French Prealps

Mont Blanc is the highest point of the French Alps and the second of the Alps as a whole, considering the point of the Monte Bianco of Italy

Notable towns include Grenoble, Chamonix and Chambéry.

Panorama of Chamonix valley

Ski areas

The largest connected ski areas are :

1. Les Trois Vallées (Courchevel, Méribel, La Tania, Brides-les-Bains, Saint-Martin-de-Belleville, Les Menuires, Val Thorens and Orelle) : 338 slopes, 600 km of pistes.
2. Portes du Soleil (Avoriaz, Châtel, Morzine, Les Gets, Saint-Jean d'Aulps, La Chapelle d'Abondance, Abondance, Montriond, Swiss resorts) : 288 slopes, 650 km of slopes not entirely connected.
3. Paradiski (La Plagne, Peisey-Vallandry, Les Arcs), Champagny-en-Vanoise  : 239 slopes, 420 km of slopes.
4. Via Lattea (Montgenèvre, Italian resorts) : 214 slopes, 400 km of slopes.
5. Évasion Mont-Blanc (Combloux, Megève, Saint-Gervais, Saint-Nicolas-de-Véroce, Les Contamines Monjoie) : 183 slopes, 420 km of slopes not entirely connected.
6. Espace Killy (Tignes, Val-d'Isère) : 137 slopes, 300 km of slopes.
7. Grand Massif (Flaine, Les Carroz, Morillon, Samoëns, Sixt) : 134 slopes, 265 km of slopes.
8. Les Aravis (La Clusaz, Manigod, Croix Fry, Merdassier, Le Grand-Bornand) : 133 slopes, 220 km of slopes not entirely connected.
9. Les Grandes Rousses (L'Alpe d'Huez, Vaujany, Auris-en-Oisans, Oz-en-Oisans, Villard-Reculas) : 117 slopes, 236 km of slopes.
10. Serre Chevalier : 111 slopes, 250 km of slopes.
11. La Forêt Blanche (Risoul, Vars) : 104 slopes, 180 km of slopes.
12. Les Sybelles (Le Corbier, La Toussuire, Les Bottières, Saint-Jean-d'Arves, Saint-Sorlin-d'Arves, Saint-Colomban-des-Villards) : 96 slopes, 310 km of slopes.
13. Valloire and Valmeinier : 83 slopes, 150 km of slopes.
14. Grand Domaine (Valmorel, Saint-François-Longchamp) : 82 slopes, 150 km of slopes
15. Espace San Bernardo (La Rosière, La Thuile - Italie) : 73 slopes, 150 km of slopes.
16. Les Deux Alpes and La Grave : 69 slopes, 220 km of slopes.

(ski areas ranked according to the number of marked runs; figure more reliable than the traditional number of km given by the resorts themselves). (2005).

The other large alpine ski areas are:

• Le Val d'Arly (Praz-sur-Arly, Notre-Dame-de-Bellecombe, Flumet) : 150 km of slopes.
• L'Espace Cristal (Les Saisies, Crest-Volland) : 80 km of slopes
• L'Espace Diamant is a combination of Espace Val d'Arly and Espace Cristal with 185 km of slopes
• Villard-de-Lans et Corrençon-en-Vercors : 125 km of slopes
• Valberg - Beuil les Launes : 90 km of slopes
• Espace Lumière (Pra-Loup, Val d'Allos) : 170 km of slopes
• Superdévoluy - La Joue du Loup : 100 km of slopes

See also

• List of ski areas and resorts in Europe
• List of national parks in the Alps
• Alpine French ski resorts mobile guide
• FrenchAlps.co.uk
• Ski Chalet
• Ski Technique Ski School Megeve

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