Artouste
Artouste, or Artouste-Fabrèges, is a winter sports resort in the French Pyrenees. It is located in the commune of Laruns in the department of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The resort operates the Petit train d'Artouste during the summer period. In the face of climate change, the resort is also developing ancillary activities to compensate for an expected lack of snow in winter.
Introduction from the English Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA).
Seven criteria rated from 1 to 5 stars, in half-stars, from this page's sourced data. A rating is a rank among the 322 French resorts we cover — 5 stars means “among the best in France on this point”, not “perfect”. Nobody types these in.
- SnowCan you count on the snow?2.5 / 5
Top of the ski area: 2,040 m · Bottom of the pistes: 1,260 m · Days above 30 cm, December to March, model: 53%
- Ski areaIs there enough to ski all week?2 / 5
Km of pistes at the resort: 9 km · Km of pistes across the linked area: 9 km · Lifts: 13 · Balance between piste levels: 86%
- ValueIs the lift pass reasonable for what you get?n/a
Not rated: “adult day pass” is missing from this page.
- Families and beginnersIs it right for children and beginners?2 / 5
Share of green and blue pistes: 74% · Magic carpets: 0 · Sledging runs: 0 · Ice rink, pool, rail sledge…: 0
- AccessIs it easy to get to?1.5 / 5
Average drive time from 20 major cities: 7 hr 55 · Nearest railway station: 45 min · Station-to-resort shuttles per day: 0 · Nearest airport: 1 hr 24
- Atmosphere and après-skiIs there life in the evening and off the slopes?1.5 / 5
Bars and pubs: 0 · Nightclubs: 0 · Restaurants: 2 · Upcoming events: 0 · Collective tourist beds: 97 — index: what the map and the listings publish
- Luxury and comfortHow upmarket is the resort?1 / 5
5-star hotels: 0 · 4-star hotels: 0 · Share of hotel rooms in 4 and 5 stars: 0% · Spas and saunas: 0 · Jewellers, watchmakers, fashion boutiques: 0 — index: what the map and the listings publish
“Atmosphere” and “Luxury” are indexes: they count what OpenStreetMap and the event listings publish within 2.5 km (bars, nightclubs, rated hotels, spas, upcoming events), not what you experience there. A zero means “nothing mapped”, not “nothing there”. Sources per criterion: snow (altitudes (OpenStreetMap, Wikidata), snow depth observed at the Météo-France station, ERA5-Land model) ; ski area (OpenStreetMap pistes and lifts, linked area (Wikidata)) ; value (the resort’s official price list) ; families and beginners (OpenStreetMap pistes, price list, ESF ski school, Famille Plus label, OpenStreetMap leisure) ; access (OSRM drive times from 20 cities, SNCF stations, GTFS shuttles, airports) ; atmosphere and après-ski (bars, nightclubs and restaurants within 2.5 km (OpenStreetMap), upcoming events (OpenAgenda), collective tourist beds (INSEE)) ; luxury and comfort (rated hotels within 2.5 km (OpenStreetMap) and by category across the commune (INSEE), spas and boutiques (OpenStreetMap), day pass price).
Open pistes and lifts will appear here during the season, as published by the resort. Out of season we show nothing rather than a misleading zero.
Avalanche danger
7-day forecast
Village 1,953 m · top 2,040 m
Forecast corrected for altitude; fresh snow = forecast total at the top; UV = peak of the day. Beyond 3 days, check the resort’s own report. Source:Open-Meteo.
Average snow depth by month
Snow cover varies from one winter to the next.
☀️ Average daily sunshine : Nov 5.8 h · Dec 5.2 h · Jan 5.4 h · Feb 6.9 h · Mar 7.5 h · Apr 8.8 h — 22 bright days in April (Open-Meteo estimate, 2015-2025).
- November—no record
- December26 cmInsufficient · 31%
- January39 cmVariable · 61%
- February43 cmVariable · 62%
- March40 cmVariable · 57%
- April39 cmVariable · 75%
- May—no record
30 cm on the ground: the benchmark for groomed-piste skiing. Bar = monthly average depth; percentage = share of time above 30 cm.
- Good skiing: 30 cm on more than 8 days in 10
- Variable: 30 cm on 5 to 8 days in 10
- Insufficient: 30 cm less than one day in two
Measured snow history: not available for this resort. No Météo-France station close enough (there is no measuring station within 25 km). We would rather show nothing than borrow a distant valley’s reading.
The ski area
Compare with another resort →19 pistes, by level — 9 km
- Skiable vertical
- 780 m (1,260 m → 2,040 m)
- Lifts
- 2 cable cars, 1 gondola, 3 chairlifts, 6 drag lifts
- Snowpark
- Yes
- Piste aspect
- N 45% · E 43% · S 4% · W 7% (descent direction of 11 OSM pistes, terrain model)
Pistes and lifts surveyed on OpenStreetMap within 4 km of the resort — for a resort in a linked area, the figure may include neighbouring pistes.
Lift passes detail →
The price list for this resort is being collected: most resorts publish winter prices between September and November.
The ski area in figures
Measured on 9 September 2026Measured on OpenStreetMap (altitudes: IGN RGE ALTI), not taken from the brochure. The vertical above is that of one piste, not of the whole ski area. Population: INSEE municipal population via geo.api.gouv.fr.
Source: national register of mechanical lifts (STRMTG, CAIRN), fleet as of 1 January 2025 — lifts attributed to Artouste only (“ARTOUSTE”), magic carpets included.
Staying and hiring gear in Artouste
We compare the partners that cover this resort. Some links earn us a commission — never at the expense of the price or of the data.
Stay & accommodation
Live webcams
All webcams (1) →Official players of the resort, live image.
Piste map
Open on OpenSnowMap ↗Pistes coloured by level, lifts as lines. The resort’s official map is the reference in season.
Base map © OpenTopoMap (CC-BY-SA) · pistes © OpenSnowMap (CC-BY-SA) · data ©OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Getting to Artouste
From Paris: 9 hr 17 (848 km) by road.
By road
- From Pau: 1 hr 06 · 55 km
- From Toulouse: 3 hr 16 · 249 km
- From Bordeaux: 3 hr 25 · 270 km
- From Perpignan: 5 hr 06 · 445 km
- From Montpellier: 5 hr 34 · 480 km
From other major cities (15)
- From Clermont-Ferrand: 7 hr 09 · 618 km
- From Marseille: 7 hr 14 · 642 km
- From Valence: 7 hr 24 · 677 km
- From Grenoble: 8 hr 21 · 769 km
- From Lyon: 8 hr 31 · 777 km
- From Saint-Étienne: 8 hr 34 · 656 km
- From Nice: 8 hr 52 · 800 km
- From Chambéry: 9 hr 06 · 828 km
- From Paris: 9 hr 17 · 848 km
- From Annecy: 9 hr 31 · 886 km
- From Genève: 10 hr 01 · 924 km
- From Dijon: 10 hr 04 · 914 km
- From Besançon: 10 hr 40 · 972 km
- From Nancy: 12 hr 11 · 1125 km
- From Strasbourg: 13 hr 03 · 1210 km
Excluding traffic and winter conditions; passes closed in winter are avoided.
By train
Buzy en Béarn station
halt · then 45 min drive (37 km)
Nearest main station: Pau, 1 hr 06 by road.
No direct bus line from the station to the resort appears in the open-data timetables (checked on 13 September 2026): ask the resort about a private shuttle or a taxi.
Shuttles and buses from the station: see the resort’s official website.
By plane
- Pau-Pyrénées (PUF): 1 hr 24 by road · 68 km
- Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées (LDE): 1 hr 33 by road · 79 km
Take me there
These links open the app with Artouste as the destination. Your starting point is never sent by us — the app asks you for it, if you agree.
Charging an electric car
No freely accessible charge point is declared within 2 km of the resort (checked on 9 September 2026). Covered car parks in the resort may offer chargers reserved for their customers: those are not listed here.
Freely accessible charge points read from the French national EV charging database (data.gouv.fr ↗, operators’ own declarations), checked on 9 September 2026. Check availability before you leave: the database says what is installed, not what is free tonight.
Road conditions
From 1 November to 31 March, snow chains or winter tyres are compulsory in most mountain areas (French “Loi Montagne II”).
Driving times computed on the OpenStreetMap road network (OSRM), SNCF stations (open data), airports (Wikidata). Indicative, not a timetable: allow extra time in snow.
Off-piste & ski touring
The resorts for off-piste skiing →Itineraries surveyed on OpenStreetMap within a 4 km radius (7 September 2026): “marked” means an itinerary exists on the map, not that it is open or safe on the day.
Ski touring routes described
Resorts for ski touring →12 ski touring routes documented within 10 km of Artouste — up to 1,900 m of climb.
| Summit and route | Ski grade | Climb | Altitude | Aspect | From resort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petite Arcizette · Face S, depuis la route du Gourzy | 4.3 · E2 · D | 1,900 m | 1,153 → 2,293 m | S | 2.6 km |
| Crête du Lurien · depuis Camps | n/a · PD | 1,300 m | 1,280 → 2,593 m | E | 3.2 km |
| Pic de Chérue · Vallon De Saoubiste | n/a · E1 · PD | 950 m | 1,250 → 2,195 m | NW | 3.3 km |
| Cornes de Moundelhs en boucle depuis Gabas | 2.3 · E1 · PD- | 1,300 m | 1,067 → 2,227 m | N · NW · NE · E | 3.9 km |
| Le Lurien · Versant W par Gabardères | n/a · AD- | 1,675 m | 1,300 → 2,826 m | W | 4 km |
| Le Lurien · Versant NW depuis le lac de Fabrèges | n/a · AD- | 1,600 m | 1,200 → 2,826 m | NW | 4 km |
| Crête de Gabardères · par le vallon de Gabardères | 2.2 · E1 · PD+ | 1,200 m | 1,300 → 2,351 m | N | 4.1 km |
| Pic de Saoubiste · Face NW depuis Pont de Camps | 2.2 · E1 · F+ | 1,000 m | 1,260 → 2,261 m | NE | 4.1 km |
| Pic de Chérue · Versant N - depuis le Pont de la Sagette | 1.3 · E1 · F | 1,000 m | 1,238 → 2,195 m | N | 4.2 km |
| Pic de Pombie · Par Saoubiste | n/a · F | 970 m | 1,240 → 2,207 m | NE | 4.3 km |
| Pic du Midi d'Ossau · Tour au plus près (sens horaire) | n/a · AD+ | 1,530 m | 1,067 → 2,350 m | n/a | 4.6 km |
| Pic Gaziès · Par le lac d'Aule | 2.2 · E2 · AD | 1,400 m | 1,067 → 2,457 m | SE | 4.8 km |
Source: Camptocamp.org topo guide (CC BY-SA), routes starting within 10 km, read on 13 September 2026. Descriptions and photos are on Camptocamp; an empty cell is a field nobody has filled in. Camptocamp ski touring routes ↗
Beyond skiing at Artouste
Toboggan runs
- Kids park Artouste · Laruns · 0.1 km away
- Station de ski de Gourette · Eaux-Bonnes · 8.5 km away
Spa and thermal baths
- Le cocon de Sagette · Laruns · 0.3 km away
- Détente Nordique · Eaux-Bonnes · 8.3 km away
- Spa Montagne · Laruns · 9.5 km away
Dog sledding
- Tracés Sauvages - Chiens de Traîneau · Eaux-Bonnes · 7.3 km away
Source: DATAtourisme (open data), within 10 km of the resort; places in a large town of the valley are left out. Checked on 12 September 2026. Opening times and prices are the operator’s — check before you go.
Practical information
Collective accommodation
97 bed spaces in tourist residences, holiday villages and hostels
- 3 hotels · 35 rooms (2 × 2★)
- 1 youth hostel or sports centre · 97 bed spaces
- 4 campsites · 375 pitches
Commune: Laruns · INSEE tourist accommodation survey, 2026, read on 12 September 2026. Collective accommodation only — privately let flats and second homes are not counted. INSEE dataset ↗
In case of accident
112 — the European emergency number, free of charge, triggers mountain rescue. On the pistes, the ski patrol number is printed on the piste map and at lift ticket offices. Piste rescue is charged: check your insurance or take the option sold with the lift pass.
Nearby resorts
Frequently asked questions
How high is Artouste?
Artouste sits at 1,953 m at village level, and its ski area rises to 2,040 m.
How many kilometres of pistes does Artouste have?
Artouste has 9 km of pistes served by 13 lifts (OpenStreetMap survey).
What is the longest piste in Artouste?
The longest piste is Dômes séous: 1 km (blue run), for 213 m of vertical. Measured on the OpenStreetMap map, segments of the same name and level joined end to end, altitudes from the IGN RGE ALTI terrain model — a resort sometimes advertises a longer run by chaining several pistes.
How high do the lifts go in Artouste?
The highest lift, Col De L'ours (chairlift), tops out at 2,040 m. Source: STRMTG, French national register of mechanical lifts (CAIRN database), file dated 1 January 2025.
How many lifts does Artouste have, and what is their capacity?
The French national register of mechanical lifts records 10 installations at Artouste (1 gondola, 2 chairlifts, 6 drag lifts, 1 magic carpet), for an authorised capacity of 7,210 people per hour, of which 1,100 for Kid Park alone. The fleet spans 1967 to 2006, an average age of 44 years. This count covers the resort itself, magic carpets included, not the whole linked ski area — a resort brochure often announces a different number. Source: STRMTG, French national register of mechanical lifts (CAIRN database), file dated 1 January 2025.
How do I get to Artouste?
By road, Artouste is 1 hr 06 from Pau (55 km), excluding traffic and winter conditions. By train, the nearest station is Buzy en Béarn, 45 min by road from the resort. No direct bus line from the station to the resort appears in the open-data timetables. The nearest airport is Pau-Pyrénées, 1 hr 24 away.
How long is the drive from Paris to Artouste?
9 hr 17 for 848 km from central Paris, excluding traffic and winter conditions. Computed on the real road network (OpenStreetMap): allow more on a school-holiday Saturday.
Is the snow reliable in Artouste?
It varies from one winter to the next according to twenty winters of Météo-France measurements; in season the daily report prevails.
Is Artouste good for beginners and families?
74% of the pistes are green or blue: a rather easy area.
Every figure carries its source and date; a missing figure shows as “—”, never estimated. Embed this widget on your site