Enjoy cross-country skiing in Samoëns, in the heart of the Haut-Giffre mountains.

Cross-country skiing in Samoëns is an essential part of winter sports in Haute-Savoie. Both gentle and sporty, depending on what you want to do, cross-country skiing is a good alternative to other snow sports and allows everyone to enjoy a beautiful day in the snow. With more than 50 kilometres of groomed and maintained tracks, you can, depending on your level, ski the Giffre valley or the heights of the Joux Plane pass.

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The cross-country skiing area around Samoëns

The Haut Giffre domain – Giffre valley sector

The Samoëns Nordic ski area is just a stone’s throw from the village centre! There are many access points to park near the slopes before putting on your boots and skis. Whether you start from Morillon, Samoëns (next to the Lac aux Dames), Sixt or from the Cirque Fer à Cheval, you will be able to cover the whole of the valley on more than 40 kilometres of runs. Accessible in skating or classic, the tracks will take you along the Giffre, between villages, forests, plains and lakes.

The route remains particularly accessible by using green and blue runs, except for the red link between the Perret bridge and the Champ L’Evêque around Sixt. The valley domain is therefore ideally suited to families, beginners but also to the more athletic who can take advantage of the multitude of runs and loops to devour kilometres in a magical setting!

More informations.

Le domaine du haut Giffre – Joux Plane sector

In the heart of the exceptional domain of Joux Plane, located on the heights of Samoëns, you will have a front row seat to a breathtaking panorama. The magnificent Giffre valley and the Mont-Blanc massif are revealed before your eyes, for your greatest pleasure. While skiing, you will enjoy a unique moment, in the middle of nature, on tracks groomed for skating and classic skiing.

Once you arrive at the Joux Plane pass, you will find a reception chalet where you can buy your ski passes as well as a sledge run, a groomed pedestrian circuit for non-skiers (or skiers after a moment of skiing on the slopes) as well as a bar – restaurant (closed on Mondays). Enough to make your day in the mountains on the heights of Samoëns!

More informations.

The cross-country skiing area of the Haut-Giffre valley in figures :

Valley sector :
– 42.6 km of trails
– 6 green runs
– 4 blue runs
– 2 red runs
– 2 toboggan runs
Joux Plane Sector :
– 17.7 km of trails
– 3 green runs
– 2 blue runs
– 3 red runs
– A snowshoe trail

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``We have been coming to Samoens for 9 years now to alternate between snowshoeing and cross-country skiing: alpine skiing is not my thing! We take the time to be with our family and to spend good times together. Joux Plane is ideal with children. And it's just a delight to be in such a beautiful environment. We ski, we walk and we go for a drink at the Relais des Vallées. Conviviality as we like it in the North!
NORDIQUE ET NORDISTE Tonino (Nord)
Cross-country ski pass prices

 The Haut-Giffre Nordic site offers daily, weekly and seasonal ski passes.

Pre-sales of ski passes and associated discounts are available until mid-November, after which the prices shown below apply.

Day passes and all other passes can be purchased at the Nordic welcome desk located in the Tourist Offices of Samoëns, Morillon, Sixt and also at the welcome chalet in Joux Plane.

Rates

Day pass
Pass valid for one day on the entire Haut-Giffre site: Joux-Plane, Fer à Cheval and Vallée

Adults: €10
Eterlou (young person aged 16 to 21): €8
Young person (children aged 5 to 15): €4.50
under 5s and over 75s: free

 

Week Pass
Pass valid for 7 consecutive days on the entire Haut-Giffre site: Joux-Plane, Fer à Cheval and Vallée

Adults: €42
Eterlou (young person aged 16 to 21): €33
Young person (children aged 5 to 15): €19
under 5 and over 75: free

 

Cross-country ski rental
To equip yourself before setting off to hit the slopes, you will find a multitude of shops in the heart of Samoëns offering all the necessary equipment for hire. Skating or classic, all the shops that offer this service are available on our site.

Find our shops.

Shuttles to access the sites
Get rid of your car and simplify your access to the slopes! During the whole winter season, free shuttles are available to facilitate access and avoid the tedious search for a place. Available to get to the Col de Joux Plane (timetable here) and the Cirque du Fer-à-Cheval (timetable here), they are in circulation from 19 December to 26March.
Cross-country skiing courses
This winter, the Samoëns instructors welcome you to offer you cross-country skiing lessons. For your children or for yourself, the lessons allow you to improve your technique and to progress under the expert advice of an instructor. On our website you will find all the organisations offering these courses throughout the winter.

Book your courses.

The map of the tracks
You can enjoy cross-country skiing on the valley trails (from Morillon to Fer à Cheval) or at Joux Plane. In each sector, there are circuits for all levels, in classic and skating styles.

In the valley 670 to 900 m: along the Giffre, 5 green runs – 5 blue runs – 2 red linking runs – 42.5 km. See the map here.

In Joux Plane 1 700 m : 3 green runs – 2 blue runs – 2 red runs – 15 km – A nordic park, a groomed sledge run, picnic tables, near the reception chalet. See the map here.

Simon (Indre-et-Loire)

“I celebrated my majority today by spending an exceptional day at Joux Plane doing cross-country skiing under a big blue sky. I train a lot in my cycling club, I’m taking my baccalaureate at the end of the year so I take advantage of this activity to get away from it all. It’s more about relaxing and having fun than training and I enjoy seeing the terrain: it’s just great.

Frequently asked questions

What slopes are accessible from the village of Samoëns?
From Samoëns, you have access to two green runs from the Lacs aux Dames. Situated a stone’s throw from the town centre, this area has a large car park as well as numerous pedestrian circuits. The 4 km long cross-country skiing circuit of the Bois de l’Etelley (C, on the maps) and the 1.5 km long cross-country skiing circuit of the Lacs aux Dames (D, on the maps) offer an accessible but just as exotic route. It is possible to continue towards Morillon or Sixt along the way.
Live information: weather, opening of the slopes
To find all the information on the cross-country ski trails before you put on your skis, you can go to Haute Savoie Nordic website which lists all the pistes, their opening times, the weather and useful links.
Skating and/or classical?
There are two options for cross-country skiing. Classic and skating. Skating is more physical and is practised on groomed tracks and requires the skating technique to advance. Classic skiing is practiced on the slopes, on rails groomed for this purpose. This last technique is relatively easy to access, it allows for a more leisurely stroll and is therefore more accessible to beginners.
Opening dates
Opening of the valley sector: From 10/12/2022 to 19/03/2023*

Opening of the Joux Plane sector: From 17/12/2022 to 02/04/2023*

*Dates to be confirmed depending on snow conditions.