Crest Voland ski resort guide Ski area, apres-ski, things to see & do in Crest Voland
Overview
Ski holidays in Crest Voland Cohennoz- a little gem of a resort in the Val d'Arly in the Savoie region, France. Sitting on the River Arly, surrounded by mountain peaks and pine forests, you can enjoy extensive skiing in winter and relaxing walks in the summer.
The emphasis in Crest Voland Cohennoz is definitely on the family, with a laidback atmosphere and lots of facilities for families, especially during school holiday periods, where there are activities and events every day and evening.
Après-ski
There are plenty of good standard restaurants and several bars for early après ski. If you are looking for wild parties and nightclubs, you should probably head to Chamonix or Ischgl in Austria.
Crest Voland ski area guide
For family friendly ski resorts, Crest Voland Cohennoz is up there with the best having great facilities on and off the piste.
The Crest Voland Cohennoz ski resort is part of the Val d'Arly and the larger Espace Diamant ski area which was created in 2006 and provides 185km of linked pistes.
The outer reaches of the area spread to the Western side of Hauteluce which you can get to by going over the back side of Mont Vores or La Legette.
| Key information (whole area) | |
|---|---|
| Altitude | 1230m |
| Top lift | 2069m |
| Family | |
| Beginner | |
| Intermediate | |
| Expert | |
| Piste (km) | 185 |
| Longest run | 4 km |
| Off piste | |
| Cross country | 120 km |
| Season | Dec - April |
| Snowboard parks | 8 |
| Heli Skiing | ✘ |
| Summer skiing | ✘ |
| Glacier skiing | ✘ |
| Babysitting | ✘ |
| Creche | ✔ |
| Apres ski | Relaxed & Informal |
If you catch the free shuttle to the other side of Haueluce, you can then get the chairlift that connects with Les Contamines - yet another ski area with a further 120km of pistes!
There is also an exciting project underway to link Espace Diamant to Megeve / St Gervais providing an additional 300 km of slopes to explore.
With so much terrain in the offering and heights ranging from 1230 to 2069m, even the most accomplished skier will be hard pushed to cover every inch of the area on a weeks ski holiday in Crest Voland Cohennoz.
Beginners
Crest Voland Cohennoz is a great resort if you are starting out for the first time. Lots of wide greens and blues on both sides of the resort will get you touring around in no time.
Intermediate
Intermediate skiing is what the Espace Diamant circuit is all about and we can heartily recommend the pistes around the Mont Lachet and Les Saisies areas. It's also really easy to move around the linked ski resorts so you can start the morning and go exploring.
Its also really easy to move around the areas included in the basic St Gervais Mont Blanc lift pass, so you can start the morning in St Gervais at Bettex and head over towards the shady Cote 2000 on the Megeve side for best quality snow in the afternoon without having to catch a bus or get in the car.
Advanced
Crest Voland Cohennoz and the whole Espace Diamant area is not known as a mecca for the expert skier and does not have a reputation for serious off piste, but search a little bit and you will find that secret stash of powder in the Les Saisies sector down towards Chard du Beurre and through the trees.
Things to see & do
Apart from skiing, there are many other sports to try such as...
- Snow mobiling
- Night skiing
- Sledging
- Parapenting
- Dog sleighs
Snowparks
Any young freestylers will love the various snow parks within the area such as Snowpark du Torraz at La Giettaz and Waouland (Boarder Cross).
Children
Younger children and tots are well looked after too, with special mentions for the Opoualand park over at Cohennoz / Crest-Voland which has a dedicated ski area for the beginners.
Our view on Crest Voland ski resort
Crest Voland Cohennoz is often in the shadow of neighbouring heavyweight resorts, but deserves to be in the spotlight as a fantastic destination for families who want easy access to the resort, extensive piste skiing with stunning views of Mont Blanc and good facilities for all.
- Try skiing round the full circuit in a day - its easy going and you don't have to motor around at speed to make it back before the lifts shut
- One of the most famous year round spectacles in the area is hot air ballooning at Praz sur Arly and Les Saisies - week-long festival each January and the chance for you to take a hot air balloon flight in winter or summer
Similar resorts to Crest Voland are Alleghe and Canazei in the Italian Dolomites.
