The small French Alpine resort of Saint-Colomban-des-Villards has stunned the ski industry by announcing that lift passes on its remaining slopes will be entirely free for the 2025–2026 winter season. F

ar from a marketing stunt, the move is a last-ditch attempt by the struggling municipality to stem mounting losses, comply with French budget rules and begin reshaping its future beyond traditional downhill skiing.

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A Radical Decision in a Winter of Rising Costs

Across Europe, many skiers are grappling with higher prices for lift passes, accommodation and transport. In this context, the decision by Saint-Colomban-des-Villards to drop lift ticket charges altogether sounds almost unreal. Yet from the village’s perspective, it has become the only financially rational option.

The resort, located at about 1,100 meters in the Savoie department, had long been connected to Les Sybelles, one of France’s largest linked ski areas. That connection has now been cut, leaving Saint-Colomban with a modest, low-altitude front-of-snow sector aimed at beginners and families. Rather than close completely, the council voted unanimously in late September 2025 to keep a reduced ski area open, but free to use.

The municipality later confirmed operational details: from December 20, 2025, to March 8, 2026, subject to snow conditions, the Épinette and Rogemont drag lifts and the Ourson conveyor belt on the lower slopes are scheduled to run without any ticket checks. On December 20, however, the opening had to be postponed due to a lack of snow, highlighting the fragile conditions at this elevation.

Local officials describe the decision as both exceptional and, to their knowledge, unique in France for an alpine resort with mechanical lifts. What looks like a generous giveaway is in fact designed to save public money over the medium term.

When Free Skiing Costs Less Than Selling Lift Passes

The apparent paradox behind the policy lies in the financial structure of the ski operation. According to figures presented by the municipality, Saint-Colomban-des-Villards’ ski area has been loss-making for around a quarter of a century. In recent years, the deficit has ballooned, driven by unreliable snowfall, rising energy and maintenance costs, and the demands of operating a modern lift network.

By 2025, the annual operational shortfall had reached around 1 million euros. For a village with an overall budget of approximately 2.7 million euros, that meant close to 40 percent of public funds were being used to prop up a single, money-losing activity. Under French rules governing local authorities, such a situation is not sustainable indefinitely, and the prefecture pressed the commune to slash the imbalance.

When officials modeled a scaled-down ski offer on the front-of-snow, they found that selling even low-priced beginner passes did not add up. Running ticket offices, staffing sales points and maintaining a digital ticketing system for a small, stand-alone area would have cost an estimated 36,000 to 41,000 euros over the season. Forecast revenues, however, were only around 18,000 euros. Charging for access would likely deepen the deficit instead of closing it.

Faced with this arithmetic, the council concluded that eliminating ticketing entirely was cheaper than continuing to operate a conventional pass system. The municipality now estimates that keeping the three lifts running for free this winter will generate a deficit of between 150,000 and 200,000 euros. That figure is roughly five times lower than last season’s ski-related losses and brings the budget closer to targets requested by the state.

The financial crisis at Saint-Colomban-des-Villards has been sharply aggravated by the loss of its long-standing connection with Les Sybelles, the extensive ski domain that includes well-known resorts such as Le Corbier, La Toussuire and Saint-Sorlin-d’Arves. For more than two decades, being part of that network gave the valley broader appeal to intermediates and advanced skiers willing to pay for a large lift pass.

As costs climbed and legal and regulatory constraints tightened, the municipality concluded that it could no longer sustain its end of that partnership. From the 2025–2026 winter, the mechanical link to Les Sybelles ceased operating. Overnight, Saint-Colomban-des-Villards shifted from being a gateway to the country’s fourth-largest linked ski area to a small, self-contained local hill with three lifts.

The mayor has been frank that the village can no longer chase the big-resort model. At 1,100 meters, and with many south-facing slopes that struggle to retain natural snow, he argues that classic alpine skiing in the valley is “ultimately doomed to disappear.” Instead, the free-skiing initiative is presented as a transitional step, allowing the community to maintain some winter activity while it works on a new identity.

Local communications now emphasize a back-to-basics experience: a human-scale station, focused on nature, tranquility and authenticity rather than high-speed lift networks. The narrative is less about carving across dozens of kilometers of pistes and more about taking time with family, learning the sport, or simply enjoying the mountains at a gentler pace.

What Skiers Will Actually Find on the Slopes This Winter

Travelers arriving in Saint-Colomban-des-Villards this season should not expect a full-fledged ski circus. The offer is deliberately modest: a compact front-of-snow with two drag lifts and a beginner conveyor belt. The skiable terrain is aimed squarely at novices, young children and those returning to the sport after a long break.

The three lifts – Épinette, Rogemont and the Ourson belt – are set to operate daily during the planned opening period, snow permitting. With no passes to check or reload, skiers simply clip on their equipment and join the queue. For families used to paying hundreds of euros for a week’s lift access in major resorts, the absence of ticket counters will be striking.

The municipality has created a dedicated public operator to run the lifts, train staff and oversee safety. While the technical setup is operational, Mother Nature will be decisive. On the original opening day of December 20, a shortage of snow forced the village to postpone welcoming skiers, even as it confirmed that personnel and infrastructure stood ready.

Alongside the mini ski area, the local tourist office is promoting a broader program of winter activities and events. These include snowshoe hikes when conditions allow, guided village walks, and family-oriented entertainment aimed at making the valley appealing even on non-ski days or during warm spells.

Free Buses for Stronger Skiers and the Wider Region

Acknowledging that advanced and expert skiers will quickly outgrow the beginner slopes, Saint-Colomban-des-Villards is backing up its free-skiing experiment with a complementary transport offer. From December 20, 2025, the municipality is launching free shuttle buses to the larger resort of Saint-François-Longchamp, which boasts around 165 kilometers of pistes.

The bus service, approved unanimously by the council at the end of November, is scheduled three times a week on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays during the key Christmas and winter vacation periods. Places on each coach are capped at 51 passengers. Departures are slated for 8:15 a.m. from the hamlet of La Pierre, in front of the lift-operations building, with a return from Saint-François-Longchamp at 5 p.m.

For visitors staying in Saint-Colomban-des-Villards, this arrangement offers a way to combine a low-cost base with access to a fully equipped ski area. Families might spend some days enjoying the free local slopes and others venturing out to the bigger domain, while still benefiting from the valley’s quieter atmosphere and typically lower accommodation prices.

The buses also serve a political purpose. They demonstrate that the municipality is not turning its back on skiing altogether, but rather trying to balance financial prudence with the expectations of residents, businesses and holidaymakers who have long associated the valley with winter sports.

A Test Case for Climate and Mountain Policy

Beyond the boundaries of Savoie, Saint-Colomban-des-Villards has rapidly become a talking point in debates over the future of low- and mid-altitude ski resorts. Its decision to make skiing free in order to save public money encapsulates several pressures converging on mountain communities: climate change, demographic shifts, legal constraints on public spending and evolving tourist tastes.

Warmer winters are already reshaping the snowline in the Alps, leaving lower villages increasingly vulnerable to rain, bare slopes and stop-start seasons. Investing heavily in snowmaking infrastructure is not always viable at these elevations, either due to cost, water availability, environmental concerns or simply the physics of maintaining snow cover during warm spells.

As a result, many smaller stations face the same dilemma as Saint-Colomban-des-Villards but have not yet taken such a dramatic step. The village’s choice to treat this season as a “transition” is being watched closely by other mayors and regional authorities. If the experiment stabilizes finances without emptying the valley of visitors, it could provide a template for refocusing on four-season tourism and soft-mobility mountain experiences.

For now, the future beyond 2025–2026 remains open. Local leaders admit that free skiing on a limited domain is not a permanent business model. It is a bridge between the old era of all-out ski investment and a new paradigm yet to be fully defined.

Planning a Trip: Practical Considerations for Travelers

For would-be visitors drawn by the prospect of skiing at zero lift cost, timing and expectations will be crucial. The scheduled opening of the front-of-snow area runs from December 20, 2025, to March 8, 2026, but the actual operating days will depend heavily on snowfall and temperatures. As the delayed start already demonstrates, flexible plans and a willingness to embrace non-ski activities are advisable.

Saint-Colomban-des-Villards is positioning itself as a base for a simple, convivial mountain holiday rather than a high-mileage ski marathon. Families with small children, beginners eager to learn without financial pressure and travelers looking for a quiet Alpine setting may find the offer particularly attractive.

Those whose priority is clocking up vertical meters will likely want to combine their stay with outings to larger neighboring areas such as Saint-François-Longchamp via the free shuttle.

Accommodation in the valley ranges from small hotels and guesthouses to rental apartments and chalets, with a scale much more intimate than that of purpose-built mega-resorts. Local businesses, from restaurants to equipment hire shops, are counting on the free-skiing novelty to bring in guests during what might otherwise have been a very subdued winter after the loss of the Les Sybelles link.

Travelers should also keep in mind that the resort and local authorities are actively developing non-ski attractions, including hiking and nature activities outside the snow season. For some, the chance to support a community in transition and witness first-hand how Alpine villages are adapting to climate and economic challenges will be part of the destination’s appeal.

FAQ

Q1. Is skiing really free all winter in Saint-Colomban-des-Villards?
The municipality has announced that lift access on the front-of-snow area will be free of charge for the 2025–2026 winter season, on the lifts Épinette, Rogemont and the Ourson conveyor belt, during the planned operating period and subject to snow conditions.

Q2. Why did the resort decide to stop selling lift passes?
Local officials determined that the cost of running ticket offices and a pass system for the reduced ski area would exceed the revenue generated, deepening an already large deficit in the ski operation, so making access free is actually less expensive for the municipality.

Q3. Which slopes and lifts are included in the free offer?
The free skiing covers the small front-of-snow domain in the village, specifically the Épinette and Rogemont drag lifts and the Ourson beginner conveyor belt, which together provide terrain mainly suited to beginners and families.

Q4. What are the planned dates for the free-ski season?
The commune has set a provisional opening window from December 20, 2025, to March 8, 2026, but has already postponed the initial opening because of insufficient snow, so actual operating days may vary depending on weather conditions.

Q5. Can advanced skiers find challenging terrain in Saint-Colomban-des-Villards this winter?
No, the local ski offer is limited to beginner and easy slopes; stronger skiers are encouraged to use the free shuttle buses to the larger resort of Saint-François-Longchamp if they want access to a more extensive and demanding piste network.

Q6. How does the free shuttle to Saint-François-Longchamp work?
During the Christmas and winter school holidays, free buses are scheduled three days a week, departing at 8:15 a.m. from the hamlet of La Pierre in Saint-Colomban-des-Villards and returning at 5 p.m., with seating limited to 51 passengers per coach.

Q7. Is this free-skiing measure permanent?
The municipality describes the 2025–2026 season as a transition year and has not committed to repeating the free-ski system in future winters, viewing it instead as part of a broader process of redefining the resort’s tourism model.

Q8. Why was the link with the Les Sybelles ski area closed?
The connection ended due to a combination of economic, financial, legal and regulatory factors that made it impossible for the municipality to continue supporting the infrastructure and obligations required to remain integrated into the large Les Sybelles domain.

Q9. What other activities are available if there is little or no snow?
The valley is developing a program of alternative winter experiences, including guided walks and family-friendly events, and is also promoting its strengths as a nature destination with hiking, walking and outdoor activities that extend beyond the ski season.

Q10. Is Saint-Colomban-des-Villards a good choice for budget-conscious families?
For families focused on learning to ski or enjoying gentle slopes without the burden of lift-pass costs, the resort can be attractive, especially when combined with relatively modest-scale accommodation and the option to access a larger ski area via the free shuttle.