Ste-Foy may be a small resort in terms of piste skiing, but it is clearly in the Premier League for off-piste. There is skiing from 3000m (if you're willing to take a hike from the top lift) down to about 1200m. (For more on the debate on extending Ste-Foy's ski area click here.)
Ste-Foy offers off-piste slopes for all abilities (easier on the south side; more challenging on the northern flank). Along withe La Rosiere, it also makes a bit of a thing about heli-skiing. This is banned in France, but they "cheat a little" by dropping skiers off over the Italian border for their descent back.
In honour of these possibilities, the local ESF has set up a special "pole hors-piste".
Some links:
1. The White Room Chalet guide, which covers the special off-piste areas which are secured from avalanches by the pisteurs, but otherwise left to nature.
2. Premier Neige also gives a pen picture of the various runs.
3. And here's the guide from pistehors.com
Meanwhile, here are some shots of the run to Le Monal:
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| The start: Col de l'Aiguille |
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| Looking down on Le Monal, with Tignes in the distance |
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| Le Monal: many of the chalets are being renovated. Deserted in winter |
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| Le Rocher de Pierre d'Arbine |
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Looking back from the track to Ste-Foy
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To see some real skiers take the route, have a look at the video below. It's from the Quebecois Plaisir de Skier series, with our presenter taken round the local slopes by local monitrice Marian Bréchu. In addition to the run to Le Monal, they take to the north face and ski down for a meal at Le Miroir, just above the road to Bourg St Maurice.
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