Whether you're on-piste or off-piste, it's always useful to have a few French phrases and expressions up your ski jacket...
It’s true that most people in French ski resorts, especially those working in restaurants and bars, can normally speak very good English.
But, instead of relying on their bilingual flair, why not try out these common ski expressions next time you’re on the slopes?
Here’s a quick glossary of French ski phrases and vocabulary you may find useful:
| English | French |
| Snow | La neige |
| To ski | Skier |
| Off-piste | Hors-piste |
| Piste map | Plan des pistes |
| Cross-country skiing | Le ski de fond |
| Ski lift | Le téléski |
| Lift pass | Un forfait |
| Downhill skiing | Le ski alpin |
Vocabulary for hiring ski equipment
| English | French |
| Ski equipment | Equipement de ski |
| To hire skis | Louer skis |
| Snowboard | snowboard |
| Ski jacket | Une veste |
| Goggles | Lunettes (de ski) |
| Helmet | Le casque |
| Ski boots | Chaussures de ski |
| poles | Batons de ski |
| gloves | gants |
Booking ski school & lift passes
| English | French |
| Ski school | Une école de ski |
| class | La classe |
| Ski instructor (male, female) | Moniteur/ monitrice de ski |
| sledge | Un traîneau |
| Lift pass | Le forfait |
| We are two adults and two children | Nous sommes deux adultes et deux enfants |
| I would like to book a ski lesson | Je voudrais réserver une leçon de ski |
| What time does it finish? | À quelle heure finit-il? |
| Where is the meeting place? | Où est le lieu de rencontre? |
| I would like a pass for the week | Je voudrais un forfait pour la semaine. |
| How much does it cost for a day/ week pass? | Ça coute combien, un forfait à la journée/ semaine? |
| I’ve lost my lift pass | J’ai perdu mon forfait |
Phrases to use while skiing on the slopes
| English | French |
| Chair lift | la télésiege |
| Button/ drag lift | le téléski, le tire-fesse (informal) |
| Cable car/ gondola | la télecabine |
| Left, right, straight ahead | à gauche, à droite, tout droit |
| powder | Poudreuse |
| Avalanche | L’avalanche |
| The conditions are excellent! | Les conditions sont excellentes |
| ice | La glace |
| moguls | Les bosses |
| Help! | Au secours! |
| Watch out! | Attention! |
| It’s an emergency | C’est une urgence |
| Closed piste | Piste fermée |
| Avalanche risk | Risque d’avalanche |
| Bad weather warning | Attention au mauvais temps |
Phrases to use in restaurants, bars and for après ski
| English | French |
| Caraf of water | Carafe d’eau |
| Coke, diet coke | Coca, coca lite |
| Red wine, rosé, white wine, mulled wine | vin rouge, vin rosé, vin blanc, vin chaud |
| Half pint, full pint | un demi, un serieux/un pint |
| A beer | Une bière |
| Cheers ! | Santé! / Saluté! |
| Can we see the menu please? | Est-ce qu’on peut voir la carte/le menu s’il vous plaît? |
| I would like… | Je voudrais |
| We would like to go to a bar with a good après-ski | Nous voudrons un bar avec une bonne après-ski |
| Can you recommend a good restaurant? | Est-ce que vous pouvez récommander un restaurant? |
| Local, traditional dishes | les plats locaux/traditionelles |
| The check please | L’addition, s’il vous plaît |
| Where are the toilets please? | Où sont la toilettes, s’il vous plaît? |
Still worried about using your French to hire ski equipment, arrange lift passes and book restaurants? Leave it to us! Make the most of our Free Concierge Service and we can book and arrange everything on your behalf.
