Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, French Alps
French Alps

Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval

Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval is the quietest of the Grand Massif villages, set at 760 m at the head of the Giffre valley and listed among the Plus Beaux Villages de France. The Cirque du Fer-à-Cheval (a U-shaped wall of cliffs with summer waterfalls) is at the back door, and the village's own lift system links into the wider 265 km Grand Massif.

Find a hotelSnow reportauthenticfamilynational parkbig domain
Altitude
760 - 2500 m
Vertical drop
1740 m
Pistes
265 km
Lifts
60
Snow score
74/100
Season
Dec 14 → Apr 14

Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval is a ski resort in France, in the French Alps. The village sits at 760 m and the lifts top out at 2500 m, with 265 km of pistes and 60 lifts. Its BestSnowHotels snow score is 74/100, and the season usually runs Dec 14 → Apr 14.

How we score and classify resorts

Pistes and lifts

What you can ski here
AlpineSnowboardFreerideSnowparkSki touring
115 marked runs
Green
18
Blue
45
Red
40
Black
12
Average snow by month
100cm
Dec
145cm
Jan
180cm
Feb
170cm
Mar
110cm
Apr

Run counts and piste kilometres are indicative. Green runs only exist in France, Spain, Andorra, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Japan, the United States, Morocco, Algeria, Lesotho, South Africa, Egypt, Canada, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and Chile; Italy, Austria, Switzerland and Germany start at blue. Indicative average snow depth near the top of the resort, in cm.

Where to stay

A handful of well-rated hotels in and around the resort. Pick one, then compare live prices across Booking, Expedia and Hotels.com.

Hotel Le Choucas
4.8121 reviews
155
Top pick

Hotel Le Choucas

Excellent · 121 reviews

Why we like it

Strong value for Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, with a high guest rating that punches above its nightly price.

Guests rate this hotel as excellent (4.8/5 from 121 reviews). It sits about 3.1 km from the slopes. A mid-range option for Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, with live nightly rates shown for your exact dates so you always see the best price.

≈ 3.1 km to the slopesMid-range
From
155/ night
Check availability
Le Salvagny Village Vacances Cap France
4.5146 reviews
140

Le Salvagny Village Vacances Cap France

Very good · 146 reviews

Why we like it

Strong value for Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, with a high guest rating that punches above its nightly price.

≈ 1.9 km to the slopesMid-range
From
140/ night
Check availability
Chambres d'hôtes du Mont
5.021 reviews
140

Chambres d'hôtes du Mont

Excellent · 21 reviews

Why we like it

Strong value for Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, with a high guest rating that punches above its nightly price.

≈ 1.5 km to the slopesMid-range
From
140/ night
Check availability
Chalet Narcisse
4.818 reviews
155

Chalet Narcisse

Excellent · 18 reviews

Why we like it

Strong value for Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, with a high guest rating that punches above its nightly price.

≈ 1.4 km to the slopesMid-range
From
155/ night
Check availability
Le Refuge des Trolls
4.714 reviews
140

Le Refuge des Trolls

Excellent · 14 reviews

Why we like it

Strong value for Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, with a high guest rating that punches above its nightly price.

≈ 1.5 km to the slopesMid-range
From
140/ night
Check availability
Chalet cosy à Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval avec vue sur la montagne
4.112 reviews
105

Chalet cosy à Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval avec vue sur la montagne

Great · 12 reviews

Why we like it

A dependable, well-reviewed choice for a stay in Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval.

≈ 1.4 km to the slopesBudget-friendly
From
105/ night
Check availability
RESIDENCE Le Petit Tetras
3.811 reviews
95

RESIDENCE Le Petit Tetras

Good · 11 reviews

Why we like it

A dependable, well-reviewed choice for a stay in Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval.

≈ 1.8 km to the slopesBudget-friendly
From
95/ night
Check availability

Ratings from Google, prices indicative per night. Live availability and rates via our booking partners.

Ski-in/ski-out

Sixt is not a true ski-in/ski-out village: the lift base is at Le Salvagny, around 4 km outside the historic core. Stay near the lift if door-to-piste matters; stay in the village if the cirque and the abbey do.

Get to know the resort

Sixt feels like a village first, a ski station second: stone houses around a 12th-century abbey, an old quartzite roof on the church, and almost none of the apartment-block sprawl that defines Flaine one valley over. The local Salvagny-Sixt lift is the entry point into the Grand Massif, and from there the full 265 km of linked piste opens up across Morillon, Flaine, Les Carroz and Samoëns on the same lift pass. Most of the on-piste skiing is at altitude, with the village low at 760 m, so you ride up to ski and ski down only on good-snow days. The Cirque du Fer-à-Cheval and the surrounding Réserve Naturelle de Sixt-Passy add a national-park dimension you don't get in the louder Grand Massif resorts, and the snowshoe and ski-touring trails into the cirque are genuinely worth a day off the pistes. Rentals are cheaper here than in the bigger neighbouring villages, which suits families and skiers who want quiet evenings.

Good to know

  • The terrain is well balanced: 18 green, 45 blue, 40 red and 12 black runs, which suits a mixed group skiing together at different levels.
  • From 760 m at the base to 2500 m up top, the resort leans on grooming and snowmaking in lean spells (score 74/100).
  • It is one of the bigger domains here, 265 km of piste on 60 lifts, enough to ski a different sector every day of a week.
  • The lifts typically turn for about 17 weeks a season, planning around late January to late February tends to land the most reliable cover.
Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, French Alps
Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, French Alps

Hotels in Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval

Hotels and apartments around the lifts. Compare prices on Booking, Expedia and Hotels.com.

Plan your trip

Keep exploring from here

Everything on our site connected to Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval: its area, the lists it makes, head-to-heads and trip guides.

Frequently asked questions

Is Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval good for beginners?+

Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval offers 265 km of pistes across 60 lifts, from 760 m to 2500 m. Whether it suits beginners depends on the dedicated learner zones at the base of the slopes, so check the local ski-school options for green and blue run access.

When is the best time to ski Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval?+

The season runs from Dec 14 to Apr 14, with a snow score of 74/100. The best conditions are usually from late January through February, while spring skiing in March and April brings longer days and softer afternoons.

Where should I stay for true ski-in/ski-out?+

Sixt is not a true ski-in/ski-out village: the lift base is at Le Salvagny, around 4 km outside the historic core. Stay near the lift if door-to-piste matters; stay in the village if the cirque and the abbey do.

How big is the Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval ski area?+

Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval has 265 km of marked pistes served by 60 lifts, between 760 m and 2500 m of altitude.

Is Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval more for beginners or experts?+

Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval counts about 115 marked runs in total. The colour breakdown above shows how they split by difficulty, a good guide to whether the resort fits your level.