Saint-Colomban-des-Villards
A Maurienne village that had skied since 1958 and was linked into Les Sybelles in 2003; from the winter of 2025-26 the link and the upper domain are finished, leaving two drag lifts and a carpet at the village.
- Region
- Savoie
- Country
- France
- Status
- partially abandoned
- Year opened
- 1958
- Year closed
- 2025 (upper domain and the Sybelles link)
- Reason for closure
- Economic, financial, legal and regulatory grounds after thirty consecutive years of deficit. Running the lifts had come to cost around 1.2 million euros out of a total municipal budget of 2.7 million. A meeting on 24 September 2025 between the commune and the Sybelles operators established that the ski link could no longer be maintained, and from the winter of 2025-26 only the village sector operates.
History
Saint-Colomban-des-Villards lies in a side valley of the Maurienne in Savoie, and its skiing history is longer than its profile suggests: the commune put in its first drag lift at the hamlet of Le Châtelet in 1958, and added the Rogemont lift at Nantchenu in 1970 - a Poma that is still turning today, which makes it the oldest surviving installation on the hill. The transformative moment came in 2003, when the Sybelles link opened and Saint-Colomban became one of six domains joined into what was then marketed as one of the largest ski areas in France, alongside Saint-Sorlin-d'Arves, La Toussuire, Les Bottières, Le Corbier and Saint-Jean-d'Arves. The lifts built for that ambition are the ones now idle: fixed quads at La Charmette (1998), Col de Bellard (2002) and L'Ormet (1988), with drag lifts at L'Ormet (1988) and Mont Cuinat (1998). The arithmetic behind the retreat is stark - the station had run at a deficit for thirty years, and in its last full year the operating cost of the lifts reached about 1.2 million euros against a total municipal budget of 2.7 million. A meeting on 24 September 2025 between the commune and the Sybelles operators concluded that the link could no longer be assured, and from the 2025-26 winter the skiing is confined to the front de neige at the village: the Ourson carpet, the Épinette detachable platter of 1996 and the Rogemont drag lift, offered free of charge as part of a deliberate reorientation towards local and beginner use. The upper lifts have not been reported as dismantled. Piste names are not compiled in accessible sources.
Lifts
| Name | Type | Manufacturer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Col de Bellard | Chairlift - Quad | Poma | Fixed-grip quad built 2002, the lift that carried the link towards Saint-Sorlin-d'Arves. Out of use from the winter of 2025-26 |
| La Charmette | Chairlift - Quad | Poma | Fixed-grip quad built 1998. Out of use from the winter of 2025-26 |
| L'Ormet | Chairlift - Quad | Poma | Fixed-grip quad built 1988. Out of use from the winter of 2025-26 |
| L'Ormet | Platter | Poma | Drag lift built 1988 beside the chairlift of the same name. Out of use from the winter of 2025-26 |
| Mont Cuinat | Platter | Poma | Drag lift built 1998. Out of use from the winter of 2025-26 |
| L'Épinette | Platter | Doppelmayr | Detachable platter built 1996. One of the three installations still running at the village |
| Rogemont | Platter | Poma | Built 1970 at the hamlet of Nantchenu. Still running at the village, making it the oldest surviving lift on the hill |
| Ourson | Surface lift | Magic carpet on the front de neige. Still running |
Sources and further reading
- https://www.remontees-mecaniques.net/bdd/station-saint-colomban-des-villards-61.html
- https://www.francebleu.fr/infos/environnement/dereglement-climatique-dans-la-station-de-saint-colomban-des-villards-les-hivers-ne-seront-plus-jamais-comme-avant-5580759
- https://www.mon-sejour-en-montagne.com/bons-plans/skier-gratuitement-tout-l-hiver-la-strategie-inedite-de-saint-colomban-des-villards/
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Location
45.2891, 6.2189