mountains in France
Vanoise is a beautiful mountain area in the French Alps south of Mont Blanc and linked to the Italian area Gran Paradiso in the Valle d'Aosta region. It is well-known because of its large ski-resorts (Trois Vallées, La Plagne, Les Arcs, Tignes/Val d'Isère).
The massif de la Vanoise has no peak higher than the Grande Casse, with 3855 metres, which is a serious climb.
The massif stretches about 30 km from north to south and 50 km from east to west. It is bounded to the north by the Tarentaise, that is to say the upper valley of Isère and to the south by the Maurienne, that is to say the valley of the Arc. The Vanoise includes the Lauzière and Grand Arc massif to the east, separated by the Madeleine pass (1,993 m) from the Vanoise massif taken in the strict sense.
The Vanoise national park and the ski area of several very large winter sports resorts occupy a large part of the massif and offer significant and diverse tourist attractions.