Essential Information Vertical Drop 830mTop Elevation 2350 mTotal Pistes 110kmTrails 66Terrain 11 km Green 38 km Blue 45 km Red 13 km Black Lifts 52Cable cars 5Terrain parks 1Snow Making 20%Total X-Country 12 kmInformation www.lesgets.com

Les Gets


Clicking your skis on outside your hotel and hitting the slopes less than three hours after taking off from Dublin airport is just one of the things that makes a ski break in Les Gets our top tip for those looking for one more ski of the season. Direct flights from Ireland to Geneva and a one-hour transfer to Les Gets make for an easy connection. The resort is part of the Portes du Soleil which gives you access to one of the best ski areas in the Alps. Morzine and Avoriaz are just two of the more popular resorts that can be reached through a combination of blue/red slopes and chair lifts but for the more adventurous why not ski to Switzerland for lunch or attempt the steepest black slope in Europe, the feared Swiss Wall.
We were lucky enough to be brought on a tour of the area by Chrystelle Felisaz from the Les Gets tourism office and we skied on both Chavannes and Mont Chery mountain where we enjoyed an excellent lunch at La Grande Ourse, a restaurant well worth seeking out if you’re heading that way. This really is an area that provides a huge amount of value for your lift pass with excellent planning and constant development going into both runs and access. An ideal resort for family groups and mixed level groups, the ski area has plenty to suit everyone. Dedicated kids areas abound like the Indian-themed le Grand Cry complete with whooping sound effects issuing from the trees. We can vouch for the fact that it’s a lot of fun for adults too.
There is plenty of both self catering and hotel accommodation available within a five minute walk of the slopes a fact which makes things a lot easier for family groups. The town itself is still a working French town with a warm and friendly atmosphere. A wide array of restaurants provide everything from upmarket treatments of local specialties like tartiflette, to cheap and cheerful pizzas, and the local Irish pub brews its own beer. For those self-catering there are a number of supermarkets right in the centre of town, along with boulangeries baking delicious bread and croissants, and delicatessens selling roast chicken from the spit. Chocolate lovers beware, it is very hard to walk down the street without being brought to a halt by mouth watering displays in the local shop windows. Gift shops galore, a musical-themed museum, and an ice-skating rink right in the centre of town provide plenty of interest for when you're not up on the slopes.
We visited Les Gets at the beginning of March when snow conditions were still good. More snow is forecast and the season there runs until the beginning of April, giving you just enough time to get your skates, skis or snowboard on. Find out more here.