It's one thing to glide gracefully down a moving chairlift with skis on. Without it it is very different. This was why I spent the drive up the mountain thinking about how best to tackle the impending awkward descent with dignity in ski boots, rather than enjoying the kaleidoscopic view of the Alps - toy-sized painted church framed by white meadows underfoot, the wild Chaîne de Fiz sawtooth ridge across a blue sky to the north and Mont Blanc peeking over Dômes du Miage to the east.
Nowadays, it is rare to find chairlifts in France that require skiers to take off their skis before boarding. But on the other hand, the ski village of St-Nicolas de Véroce - located at 1,180 meters altitude in the Val Montjoie ski arena in Haute-Savoie and just 30 km from the colossus Chamonix - is no ordinary vintage.
Keeper of tradition
Born from simple agricultural produce, it found its fortune in the 16th century when most of its young men headed east over the mountain passes of the Alps on foot to sell haberdashery they had bought in Geneva. Money sent home by these traveling people from Switzerland, Austria and beyond colporteurs financed the Sint-Niklaas jewel of a Baroque church from the 18th century. A small museum of sacred art nearby dazzles with lavish artistic riches acquired during their travels.
"Each valley traded a different kind of goods - fabrics, buttons, thread, everything to make clothes in our valley, but others sold seeds for the garden or hair to make wigs for the nobility," local historian Caroline Duperthuy told me during a post-ski tour of her village in Savoie, home to 250 inhabitants all year round and no more than double that number in winter.
Just down St-Nicolas's only street, the retro two-seater that connects the Route de Ste-Nicolas to the snow-capped Plateau de la Croix at an altitude of 1,450 meters has not changed one iota since it opened in 1970. Skiers thread their skis into a metal tube which is bolted to the back of the chair and rely on the helping hand, literally, of a lift attendant at the top to safely jump off the rocking chair - and get out of the way. The budget for a €6 million cable car to replace it in 2025 has been approved, but in the meantime the wonderfully whimsical Télésiège du Chef-Lieu remains the symbol of a hidden mountain village committed to tradition and a quieter, slower way of life than his neighbors.
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Average top-shelf skiing
"Guests come here to ski and enjoy nature," general manager Damien Bastiat told me that evening over a locally distilled Gin du Mont Blanc in the bar of Armancette, St-Nicolas' only hotel. "From here they can immerse themselves in the festivities of Megève, but return to the tranquility."
Bastiat moved with his family from St-Barts to St-Nicolas in late 2022 to oversee the Almae Collection, a small French luxury hotel group committed to community partnerships and regeneration. When it opened in 2019, the first thing five-star Armancette did was breathe new life into the village boulangerie (there's little like the smell of freshly baked baguette wafting across your balcony as a wake-up call). Lake fish, charcuterie and seasonal produce - all religiously produced within a 90-minute radius of St-Nicolas - fuel the gourmet cuisine of hotel chef Fabien Laprée.
From the beginners' area on Plateau de la Croix - accessible by a few toddler-friendly drag lifts, an ESF ski school and café Le Schuss serving locally brewed Marmotte beer - I headed up to Mont Joly. At 2,525 metres, it is the highest point of Domaine Évasion-Mont Blanc, a vast ski area with 400km of slopes connecting St-Nicolas to Parisian favorites Megève and St-Gervais-les-Bains.
The Grand Chamois run from the top of Mont Joly is as hairy and white as ungroomed blacks, and off-piste trails to Megève and Les Contamines keep powder hounds on their toes. Telemark skiing is hugely popular and night skiing by torchlight between pine trees along the red Marmottes piste is alpine cool on steroids. For skiers who want to stay close to home, a micro-ski pass for St-Nicolas costs €17 per day, compared to €55 for the entire Domaine Évasion-Mont Blanc.
At the bottom of the Mont Joly drag lift in St-Gervais I skip the Jägerbombs, rosé on ice and après-ski dancing on tables at A-lister La Folie Douce. I have to go back to St-Nicolas - 15 minutes skiing away - to see the cows being milked and to learn how creamy Tomme de Savoie cheese is made at La Ferme de Véroce.
Beginner-friendly mountain bowls
As we left St-Nicolas the next day and after the exhilarating thrill and speed of turbocharged Chamonix, it was honestly a relief when the Mont Blanc Express train pulled into the village of Vallorcine, a 30 minute ride north towards the end . of the valley. The cherry red carriages in the snow are storybooks with last frontier charm.
Skiing from the resort, in the Domaine de Balme-Le Tour area, is rugged and outrageously scenic, with eagle panoramas of the Chamonix Valley and Swiss Alps. Unlike other sectors in Chamonix's world-famous Mont Blanc Natural Resort domain, Balme is friendly to beginners and timid intermediates. A state-of-the-art cable car in Vallorcine and the Charamillon gondola in La Tour provide easy access to 21 easy blue and red runs, some beautiful among the trees.
Ski like it's 1959
"Viva la vida! " call out racer Gérard between deft slices of warm raclette cheese. Behind the picturesque Vallorcine train station with its green wrought-iron canopy and beautiful mosaic plates, I had lunch on the sun-drenched terrace of Le Café Comptoir.
The boisterous crowd was predominantly French and it was no surprise to hear skiers in vintage gear from the 1930s to the 1970s sipping glasses of Génépi here after Vallorcine's riveting retro ski racing festival in March. I tucked into some pickles and boiled potatoes, swimming in a delicious pool of silky, sun-kissed cheese. It may not have been the bright lights of Chamonix, but I had struck alpine gold and discovered France's best-kept skiing secret.
Essentials
Where to stay
St-Nicolas de Veroce: Armancette (almae-collection.com/armancette) offers double rooms from €750 or ski-in/ski-out chalets for up to 14 people from €1,235 per night.
Vallorcine: Les Chalets du Plane by Le Café Comptoir, (lecafecomptoir.com) offers double rooms with half board from €120 and chalets for up to eight people from €800 per week.
How to get there
Fly from London to Geneva, then travel 60-90 minutes by car or private transfer to St-Nicolas de Véroce and Vallorcine. By train: take the Eurostar to Paris and then the direct SNCF high-speed train to Sallanches (five hours, then a 30-minute minibus transfer to St-Nicolas de Véroce) or St-Gervais-les-Bains (five hours, then Mont Blanc Express to Vallorcine in 90 minutes).
