Val Cenis

Q: What is the Escargot run in Val Cenis?

A green run of around 10 km winding down through larch forest, one of the longest easy descents in Europe. For a beginner it changes the week: instead of repeating a nursery slope, a first-week skier comes down the whole mountain.

Q: Can I drive from Val Cenis to Italy?

Not in winter. The road over the Mont Cenis pass closes for the season. Access is from the Maurienne side, with Modane about 30 minutes away on the Paris–Turin railway.

Haute Maurienne, SavoieSee it on the map

Region

Haute Maurienne, Savoie

Country

France

Local time

Europe/Paris

Currency

EUR

Val Cenis links the villages of Lanslebourg and Lanslevillard in the Haute Maurienne, and its signature is length: the Escargot, a green run of around 10 km winding down through the larch forest, is one of the longest easy descents in Europe.

That matters more than it sounds. A beginner who can only ski greens usually gets short laps; here they get a proper mountain descent.

Last reviewed 14 September 2026

Best suited to

Beginners
Families
Intermediates

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Where lessons start

One of the best places in France to be a beginner, precisely because of the Escargot: a first-week skier gets to come down the whole mountain instead of repeating a nursery slope.

Getting there

Modane is around 30 minutes; the road continues over the Mont Cenis pass to Italy, though that closes in winter.

See it on the map

Qualifications required in France

Teaching skiing or snowboarding for payment in France is a regulated profession: an instructor must hold the Professional card (diplôme d'État de ski). Instructors listed as certified on Alpine Pal have either sent theirs to us for review or are vouched for by the ski school that invited them.

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Val Cenis: common questions

What is the Escargot run in Val Cenis?

A green run of around 10 km winding down through larch forest, one of the longest easy descents in Europe. For a beginner it changes the week: instead of repeating a nursery slope, a first-week skier comes down the whole mountain.

Can I drive from Val Cenis to Italy?

Not in winter. The road over the Mont Cenis pass closes for the season. Access is from the Maurienne side, with Modane about 30 minutes away on the Paris–Turin railway.