Useful information

Ski passes

The ski resort at St Jean d'Aulps - previously known as La Grande Terche - is considered by many to be the best kept secret of the Portes du Soleil. Linking St Jean with the Bellevaux/ La Chevrerie valley, the resort's large beginners area and cheaper lift passes makes it the ideal resort for both novices and families.

The full Roc d'Enfer pass gives access to two of the longest red runs in the Portes du Soleil, with ten kilometres of skiiing through a beautiful, tranquil Alpine valley.

Just a couple of minutes from the door of Chalet La Moussière, there is plenty of skiing to keep even the most advanced skiers and boarders occupied for a day – especially worthwhile during peak weeks in the rest of the Portes du Soleil.

To get the most out of this vast ski area, we do recommend that intermediate and advanced skiers purchase a full Portes du Soleil pass, though novices might wish to consider a pass for one of the smaller domains – either the Roc d'Enfer pass at St Jean d'Aulps if your're at La Moussière, or perhaps the Morzine/ Les Gets pass.

A full Portes du Soleil pass does of course give you access to every slope within the area – whether in Les Gets, Champery, Chatel or St Jean itself.

Lift passes for the Espace Roc d’Enfer are reasonable at €25,90 a day/€153.70 a week for adults. There are discounts for children €19,50 a day or €115,40 a week. Students and seniors also gain discounts and a ‘happy hour’ pass before 2.30pm.

You can also get a Portes du Soleil lift pass which covers the whole area, but unless you plan to ski outside St Jean every day it’s better value to buy day passes (€57 per day/€321 a week for adults and €43 a day or €241 a week for children.

Ski school

We recommend ESF Ski School in St Jean D’Aulps, they are located just six minutes walk from the chalet and can cater for children as young as three with fully certified ski and snowboard instructors.

They offer classes for:

• Groups

• Private Lessons

• Children

You can discover more about ESF by clicking below.

Activities and entertainment

Getting around

We can help advise or book airport transfers and other parts of your stay including lift passes, ski schools and local nannies and a chef can be organised at request.

The nearest airport is Geneva or you can get the Eurostar from London to Paris then the fast train on to Geneva (takes around 5 hours and starts at €84).

From Geneva a shared transfer to La Grande Terche costs about €50 per person each way. There is a free bus from La Grande Terche to St Jean every hour and from there the ski bus takes you to Morzine and Les Gets (€1,50 each way).

Activities

For those who don’t want to ski or who fancy something a little different, you can go hiking or snowshoeing on many incredible routes.

There is an ice rink that is perfect for the whole family that is open all winter and is situated near the center of Saint Jean d'Aulps Station in front of the Ski School office.

Eating and drinking:

There’s a small supermarket in La Grande Terche and a slightly bigger one down in St Jean.

Up on the slopes are two restaurants, Chez Minut and La Licorne, which non-skiers can walk to from the cable car. If you’re feeling brave La Licorne run a weekly dinner up on the slopes where you stay up after the last lift and ski down the red run to the village by torchlight (don’t overdo the wines).

Down in the village itself there are four more restaurants, from traditional French to a pizzeria. Also recommended are the bars L’Avalanche (a friendly British-run place with free wifi) and L’Efanle (run by ski instructor Yann and his wife and the place to find a party, with live music some evenings).