French Alps

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above the Chamonix valley near the Mer de Glace.The French Alps are those parts of the Alps mountain range which lie in France. They are within the regions of Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur and Rhône-Alpes.

The specific subranges of the Alps that are at least partly in France include (from south to north):

Maritime Alps
Cottian Alps
Dauphiné Alps

Massif des Écrins

Graian Alps
Pennine Alps
French Prealps

Mont Blanc is the highest point of the French Alps (and of the Alps as a whole).

Notable towns include Grenoble, Chamonix and Chambéry. Ski areas The largest connected ski areas are :

Les Trois Vallées (Courchevel, Méribel, La Tania, Brides-les-Bains, Saint-Martin-de-Belleville, Les Menuires, Val Thorens and Orelle) : 338 pistes, 600 km of pistes.

Portes du Soleil (Avoriaz, Châtel, Morzine, Les Gets, Saint-Jean d'Aulps, La Chapelle d'Abondance, Abondance, Montriond, Swiss resorts) : 288 pistes, 650 km of pistes not entirely connected.

Paradiski (La Plagne, Peisey-Vallandry, Les Arcs) : 239 pistes, 420 km of pistes.

Via Lattea (Montgenèvre, Italian resorts) : 214 pistes, 400 km of pistes.

Évasion Mont-Blanc (Combloux, Megève, Saint-Gervais, Saint-Nicolas-de-Véroce, Les Contamines Monjoie) : 183 pistes, 420 km of pistes not entirely connected.

Espace Killy (Tignes, Val d'Isère) : 137 pistes, 300 km of pistes.

Grand Massif (Flaine, Les Carroz, Morillon, Samoëns, Sixt) : 134 pistes, 265 km of pistes.

Les Aravis (La Clusaz, Manigod, Croix Fry, Merdassier, Le Grand-Bornand) : 133 pistes, 220 km of pistes not entirely connected.

Les Grandes Rousses (L'Alpe d'Huez, Vaujany, Auris-en-Oisans, Oz-en-Oisans, Villard-Reculas) : 117 pistes, 236 km of pistes.

Serre Chevalier : 111 pistes, 250 km of pistes.

La Forêt Blanche (Risoul, Vars) : 104 pistes, 180 km of pistes.

Les Sybelles (Le Corbier, La Toussuire, Les Bottières, Saint-Jean-d'Arves, Saint-Sorlin-d'Arves, Saint-Colomban-des-Villards) : 96 pistes, 310 km of pistes.

Valloire and Valmeinier : 83 pistes, 150 km of pistes.

Grand Domaine (Valmorel, Saint-François-Longchamp) : 82 pistes, 150 km of pistes

Espace San Bernardo (La Rosière, La Thuile - Italie) : 73 pistes, 150 km of pistes.

Les Deux Alpes and La Grave : 69 pistes, 220 km of pistes.

(ski areas ranked according to the number of marked runs; figure more reliable than the traditional number of km given by the resorts themselves). (2005).

The other large alpine ski areas are:

Le Val d'Arly (Praz-sur-Arly, Notre-Dame-de-Bellecombe, Flumet) : 150 km of pistes.
L'Espace Cristal (Les Saisies, Crest-Volland) : 80 km of pistes
Villard-de-Lans et Corrençon-en-Vercors : 125 km of pistes
Valberg - Beuil les Launes : 90 km of pistes
Espace Lumière (Pra-Loup, Val d'Allos) : 170 km of pistes
Superdévoluy - La Joue du Loup : 100 km of pistes