We returned to Auron in mid’ February of 2013, but this time to ski not just to visit. We arrived on a Monday and it had been snowing all the night before and continued all the way up. We took the bus, which was a good idea as there were a lot of cars along the side of the road, and we reached Auron in 2.5 hours. When it cleared up in the afternoon we had more than 15 cm. of new snow on the hill. We took an afternoon pass (US$20), and enjoyed fresh power and sunshine. The next day they opened the other side of the mountain; so more fresh powder and even more sunshine. Not a cloud in the sky by mid’ afternoon.
Auron has 8 black runs, 17 reds, 15 blues and 2 greens. The reds are more like blue runs though, and the blues like greens. For their greens, you are probably not moving at all. Not many blacks and no double-diamonds unless you ski the bowl of Dome.
Auron is not a big place, but it sure makes it easy to get around and onto the hill. We stayed at Las Donnas, which was less than a 100 yards from the lift, and used the ski rental equipment of ?, which was just 20 yards from the main lift. The main lift, and the only way to get to the hill, is by taking a short gondola ride across a ravine. On the other side you meet up with another gondola which takes you to the top of Las Donnas. There are two primary peaks to ski; Las Donnas and Sauma Longue.
Hotel Las Donnas has been around since 1935. Nothing fancy, walls are paper thin, but the location is great with views looking over the hill. And the food and service is very good. We’d go back.
TIP: Weekends are busy with people coming up from Nice. And Wednesday’s is a holiday for school kids so the hill is full of kids getting ski classes. Keep that in mind and book accordingly.
Amazing pictures!