Sainte Foy should definitely be on your shortlist if you are looking for your first ski holiday and have beginners in your group. One of Sainte Foy’s key attractions is that even during peak weeks, such as school holiday weeks, there is rarely a queue to be seen at a chairlift and ski runs are often empty. Beginners have the luxury of two wide, gentle nursery slopes just metres away from the resort centre, and it is free of charge to use the nursery slopes and the two ‘magic carpets’ lifts.

It is hard to find another ski resort were you can learn to ski without having to buy a ski lift pass until you’re confident enough to take the first chair lift up to another nursery slope and your first green run. You can then enjoy a beautiful, gentle and consistent ski slope with no hidden surprises that gently leads you back to the nursery slopes and the centre of the resort. Once you have mastered your turns, your can progress up the mountain onto long easy blue runs.

For those who are more confident skiers and snowboarders, Sainte Foy offers an excellent choice of runs with which to continue your progress. The long blue runs are ideal for improving wide carve turns whilst the steeper, more technical red runs are excellent for practicing tight turns and for controlling speed. Sainte Foy provides plenty of snow-covered area on which to practice, improve, have fun and explore!

Sainte Foy is rightly famous for its off-piste and known locally as the resort where ski instructors and guides go on their days off. Skiers and snowboarders alike will delight in the powder just metres from the piste or amongst the trees, which lasts for days thanks to its north-west facing slopes.

For those who are willing to hike or ski tour from the top lift, there are various breathtaking off-piste routes offering huge vertical descents. The ungroomed black runs of Crystal Dark, Morion and Crêt Serru du Haut offer steep descents, often with moguls, requiring off-piste knowledge or a mountain guide.

The resort itself is compact and built in a traditional style and offers stunning views over the valleys below and the mountains above. We love this resort, not only for the fabulous skiing and off-piste, but the very affordable lift passes and luxury chalets. That luxury includes some of the best outdoor hot tub views you will find anywhere in the Alps as well as locations offering either ski in ski out access or just a very short walk to the ski slopes.