Ski Holidays in St Sorlin d`Arves, France

• St Sorlin d`Arves Resort Statistics+

  Slope Direction
  Very Easy Runs	4
  Easy Runs	10
  Medium Runs	9
  Difficult Runs	2
  Toughest Run Name
  Skiable Vertical	1050m
  Number Of Lifts	20
  Top Lift Height	2600m
  Night Skiing	N
  Snowboarding Parks	1
  Half Pipes	0
  Swimming Pools	0
  Night Clubs	1
  Mountain Restaurants	1

• St Sorlin d`Arves Piste Map+

  

• St Sorlin d`Arves Transfer Times+

  Grenoble:	2 hours
  Lyon:	0 minutes

St Sorlin is a small, traditional Savoyard village beneath the Aiguille d'Arves and the Etendard glacier. The village has a strong sense of cultural identity, and is largely unspoilt with traditional architecture maintained in new developments.

The area actually encompasses 13 small hamlets over a three kilometre (two miles) area, but all amenities are in the largest village. St Sorlin is especially proud of its baroque church of Saint Saturnin, resplendent with golden sculptures and ceiling paintings, of the traditional costumes still worn by the locals for age old events, and for its local Beaufort cheese-making.

Despite the resort's modest size, the local ski lifts are directly connected to those of half a dozen neighbouring ski areas on a lift pass network known as les Sybelles, which offers 310km (nearly 200 miles) of slopes in total between 1100m and 2620m high, all connected by a modern lift network.

For a change of scene, a free shuttle bus runs linking the village to neighbouring Saint Jean d`Arves, three kilometres (two miles) and a five minute journey away. This offers additional facilities and can also be reached on skis.

• Skiing for Beginners+

  A lovely resort in which to start a lifetime on skis or board, St Sorlin has good nursery slopes right by the village and long easy blues all around the area to progress on to.
  
  A special 'mini domain' lift ticket is available for beginners, which includes chairlifts 1 and 2 at Plan du Moulin and Lauze and two draglifts, Mollard and Choucas, as well as the easy-to-ride magic carpet conveyor lift.
  
  First time skiing packages are available through us which include equipment rental, two hours of tuition per day and a local area lift pass, at a discount on buying these separately.

• Intermediate Skiing+

  Intermediates will enjoy the feeling of being able to travel from resort to resort on the Sybelles pass. Ninety percent of the terrain is rated easy and intermediate, which means it's possible for average recreational skiers to travel right across the region.
  
  There's also an option of buying a cheaper St Sorlin local area pass which still covers 10km (75 miles) of runs in the immediate area, enough for most recreational skiers. The Balme area directly above St Sorlin has wonderful wide blues and reds for that perfect day of cruising.

• Advanced+

  Although not renowned for its steep terrain, there are half a dozen black runs in the wider Sybelles region, such as the Casse - Pipe descent above neighbouring Le Corbier and the 1.5km (one mile) long Vallee Perdue at La Toussuire.
  
  There is also a good range of off piste skiing in areas such as St Colomban des Villards, which is known for having wide empty slopes.

• Snowboarding at St Sorlin d`Arves+

  There are no less than three terrain parks in the Sybelles region, including a new park in St Sorlin itself, which opened in 2007, and the other in Le Corbier.
  
  St Sorlin also has a dedicated freeride area with excellent open terrain for carving up the powder.

• Other Activities And Facilities at St Sorlin d`Arves+

  Activities available in the area include a visit to a donkey farm (with donkey discovery, donkey tales and donkey rides for children), dog sleigh rides, snowshoeing, paragliding and snowmobiling.
  
  St Sorlin's museum was created in 1977 and recreates a room in a traditional chalet, explanations on the different architectural styles and a summary of the history of the village and life in olden times. It is open on Thursdays from 3.30 to 6pm.
  
  The Beaufort Cheese Dairy is open every morning from 9-11.30am except on Sundays. The St Saturnin Baroque church is also open for visits most afternoons from 3-6pm.
  
  There's a cinema in St Jean d'Arves, three kilometres (two miles) away by free shuttle bus.

• Apres Ski And Dining Out+

  Après ski is low key with a small choice of bars and restaurants, predominantly offering French mountain favourites with the local Beaufort cheese to the fore in the dishes on the menu.
  
  L'Avalanche, Les Neiges and La Petite Ferme are popular bars (the first is also a pizzeria) whilst the Sybell Club offers late night dancing. For crepes try La Gargoulette, and a good choice for local specialities is La Table de Marie.

• Ski Holidays in St Sorlin d`Arves suitable for Families+

  St Sorlin is a lovely location for a family ski holiday. A secured sledge area is located at Plan du Moulin, next to the tennis courts (depending on snow conditions).
  
  Les Petits Diables Halte garderie is a day nursery for children from three months to six years old. It operates from Sunday to Friday between 8.45am to 5.30pm. A list of baby sitters is also available at the tourist office.
  
  There's a ski school for children from three-and-a-half years old with two children's areas, one in the village centre during winter season and the other above the resort later in the season. A combination of nursery and ski kindergarten is possible for children old enough to start skiing and half day, day or week long bookings are all possible.
  
  There are free ski passes for children under five years old and special prices for children under 12 years old. For large families there's a free skipass for the youngest child of a family of five buying the same kind of ski passes at the same time.