Cote d'Azur Montagnes: 700KM Of Sunny Ski Slopes The Cote d'Azur Montagnes in the Southern Alps are bathed in sunshine 300 days a year. The 3000-metre-high mountains are home to more than 700 kilometres of slopes for alpine and cross-country skiers. The ski season here starts mid-December and ends mid-April. Picturesque ski... Full Overview

Cote d'Azur Montagnes: 700KM Of Sunny Ski Slopes

The Cote d'Azur Montagnes in the Southern Alps are bathed in sunshine 300 days a year. The 3000-metre-high mountains are home to more than 700 kilometres of slopes for alpine and cross-country skiers. The ski season here starts mid-December and ends mid-April.

Picturesque ski villages are perched on mountainsides; some of the most popular are Auron, Isola 2000, Valberg, and Beuil Las Launes.

Auron, although a small, intimate village, offers the largest skiing area in the region (135 kilometres). Set at the entrance to the Mercantour National Park, Auron is situated at 1600 metres and has managed to preserve its traditional way of life. Auron shares a lift pass with neighbouring Isola 2000. The joint ski area extends from 1600 metres to 2450 metres. The 135 kilometres of lift served runs include two greens, 16 blue, 15 reds, and nine blacks. Off-pisters also have eight routes to choose from.

Valberg is set at 1700 metres and is particularly well suited to families. It is the only resort in the Alpes-Maritimes to have obtained the ‘Famille Plus Montagne' accreditation, which guarantees the best possible care for children.

Valberg offers 90 kilometres of downhill slopes set between 1500 and 2066 metres and are suitable for all levels (11 green runs, 13 blue, 22 red, and six black). There are also 25 kilometres of cross-country ski tracks, artificial snow cover on 85 percent of the slopes, state-of-the-art chairlifts, a snowpark, and sledging park. All this is accessed via a hands-free ski pass system.

The resort of Valberg shares a ski area with the picturesque resort of Beuil-Les Launes. Beuil is set at 1400 metres and neighbouring Les Launes is slightly higher at 1500 metres. There aren't as many ski lifts in Beuil-Les Launes as there are in Valberg, so the slopes on this side of the valley tend to be quieter.

Non-skiing activities in the Cote d'Azur Montagnes region include dog-sledding, ice climbing, igloo building, and ice driving.

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