Auron Resort Reviews
Visitor reviews for Auron Ski Resort
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(NOTE: Reviews may be edited by our content team for the purposes of ensuring accurate and relevant information)
(NOTE: Reviews may be edited by our content team for the purposes of ensuring accurate and relevant information)
Latest
January 06, 2013
Frances Stede from
France
Frances Stede from
France
We've been regularly skiing Isola for years & never given Auron much thought as we thought it too low. What a mistake that was!
Firstly, compared to Auron village, Isola 2000 is the absolute pits. The main Auron village square is a pretty alpine affair set around an ice ring that provides fun for children & adults alike. Little chalet stalls like those of Christmas markets are set to one side, while shops flank the other. Plenty of shops, bars, restaurants & hotels to choose from, all with friendly attentive service.
Yes, you can't ski back to the village itself but you can drive or catch the gondola that is just a few minutes up to the main ski area that features an excellent debutant green served by a chair lift perfect for beginners (no hideous drag lifts to put beginners off).
The skiing is perfect for a long weekend with lots of choice in both difficulty & length, plenty of lifts & some good off-piste if the conditions are right. Good snow cannon cover too, ensuring you can make a circuit of the resort runs. Like Isola2000 they have an airbag, but it's FREE & they also do bulk deals on ESF lessons, again unlike Isola2000.
Lots of lovely places to stop for lunch or a drink, from converted stone shepherd huts to large self service affairs & everthing in between. Wish we'd made the effort before, way better than Isola in all but altitude. We've switched our allegiance! Couple of top tips; Le Grizzly on St Etienne side has good food & rooms so you can stay on piste. Blanch on near the debutant runs is great for lunch & the best little hotel we found was Hotel Le Blainon. Faultless in terms of cleanliness, service & location....
December 19, 2010
Vickie Cantwell from
United States
Vickie Cantwell from
United States
I skied Auron and Vallberg as a kid of 12, 13, and 14. Wow, that was 47 years ago. Still looks like a great little place. Would love to go back some day. I remember one New Years eve we were swimming in the Med on the Cote D'Zure (where we lived) and the next day: New Years Day, we were in such a blizzard of a snow storm in Auron, even yellow goggles didn't help much. I have great memories!
March 20, 2010
conal from
Ireland
conal from
Ireland
I have skied in Auron for the past 30 years, and every year the runs and lifts have been improved, to the point where there are the best part of 150 Km of pisted descent to enjoy. Quick lifts, practically no queuing, well maintained runs, mostly red or blue, some blacks to keep the adrenalin flowing (but not terrifying!).
A good holiday resort, but not by any means "Bling": no shopping, hip nightlife etc. But for the" golden oldies" free ski passes- yes, if you are 70 or over you ski for free at Auron!!!
February 05, 2010
George Munton from
Afghanistan
George Munton from
Afghanistan
I have been fortunate to ski since I was a child all over Europe; in small 'off the beaten track' resorts in Austria, in Switzerland, but mainly in the larger and rather obvious French resorts of Val d'Isere and the 3 vallees. My parents moved to the South of France about 7 years ago and being the Geographer that I am, I would spend my days looking at maps of the local area and would eventually discover a host of resorts in "Southern Alps" or Alpes Maritimes as they are known down here. To quote the other review here, not only had I never heard of Auron, I never even knew that you could ski this far south.
My wife to be and I set off one late autumn morning from the mild climes of the Var, in search of some potential ski resorts and a few days away in the mountains. As we drove north from Nice we called in at Isola with its modern highway taking us up to 2000m. As you drive up, it appears a pretty inaccessible place and I imagine that before the purpose built resort was developed there would have been nothing there. In the summer (even early November) you can drive up the dirt track to the Col (I can't remember its name) and admire the views over into Italy. But, for us, Isloa seemed void of charm and so we headed off.
Next on our list was Auron, a short hop up the valley. We arrived at dusk to a quiet, small but traditional Alpine village nestled into the side of the valley. This would suit us pretty well we thought. We cagily stuck our noses into one or two hotels and settled on one at the top of the square. We enjoyed a very good raclette for dinner across the road, which was very good value by general resort standards, and headed back to the bar in our hotel for a few drinks after, mainly because that was where all the noise was coming from. My fiancee has been spoiled on the best and biggest ski resorts in Europe and wasn't convinced. Not big enough. Won't be enough runs, no nightclubs. But I was determined to come back.
So we did; last year in March. By all accounts way too late to be skiing down here. "March in Auron", the locals would say, "take your sun lounger". We sort of guessed this, but also knew that it was unseasonably wet with Mum and Dad and that meant that snow would still be falling. Auron and Isola had also had more than its fair share all winter. We had an amazing four days. Plenty of easy stuff and enough reds and blacks for the more competent. For those with experience you will ski this resort out in a few days, but there is plenty to go at and above all it is empty. The Nice'oise come up for the weekends and you can, apparently, have to queue; whilst the school kids get a half day on Wednesday and the place is awash with little tiddlers bombing around the place. But other than that we had the run of the place to ourselves. Blistering weather, skiing in t-shirts all week, though the air temperature was cold enough to hold the pistes together for most of the day. After lunch, it got a bit slushy further down, but we soon worked out that there are some good north facing runs in front and to the left of the village and a whole lot more over the back. All the off-piste was baked hard - so we were confined to the motorways, but they were beautifully kept.
We opted for a different hotel to one we had previously stayed in and if I had a criticism, it might be the accommodation. The hotel we stayed in on our reconnaissance trip had undergone something of a facelift and was now the place to be seen in the town (again I can't remember its name, but we might stay there the next time we visit). Our hotel included an €8 breakfast supplement, which seemed extravagant for a croissant and a chocolat-chaud, so we ended up buying a couple of croissants form the boulangerie in the square and enjoyed them with a chocolat-chaud on the terrace of the hotel at the top of the square again. They didn't seem to mind and the blond girl in tight jeans serving us seemed happy to see us.
If you are looking for Val d'Iere - then you should head there. But if you are looking for something a little different, a bit of old fashioned charm, a decent steak-frites on the mountain and somewhere to come with a young family of some friends for a few days - try Auron. I loved it. The misses liked it - one day I'll get her to see it like I do. Next time we would go in January or February.
November 13, 2009
Julie Smith-Moorhouse from
United Kingdom
Julie Smith-Moorhouse from
United Kingdom
Auron is a pretty village full of charm and is a little gem in the Alpes-Maritimes. It is located just 55 miles from Nice & Monaco.
I have skied for over 30 years and had never come across this resort in any of the UK ski brochure. I discovered it 3 yrs ago when I was touring the region. I liked it so much I ended up buying a property there.
Auron has a 135km of excellent beginners/intermediate slopes and 9 black runs along with plenty of excellent off-piste skiing. Well groomed slopes and supported by an abundance of snow cannons. There are great family facilities including a creche and an excellent adult/childrens ski school. There is good access to slopes at Auron and hardly ever any queues. There is also an excellent bus service from Nice airport direct to the village for just 1 euro. You don't need a car once you are in the resort. In the spring months you can combine it with a visit to the French Rivieira. This region boasts excellent snow conditions and more sunny days than anywhere else in the Alpes. Auron must be on your list of ski resorts to visit.
December 18, 2008
Anthony Ellard from
United Kingdom
Anthony Ellard from
United Kingdom
Auron is generally considered to be the best intermediate/advanced skiers resort in the Alpes-Maritimes. When fully open it covers a wide area & offers varied terrain above & below the tree line. Auron is not as snow sure as nearby Isola2000 but the snow cannon coverage seems to improve every year. A tip for people thinking of going; stay in linked St Etienne de Tinee; beautiful little village, no crowds & direct access to the best slopes