Ax 3 Domaines
Ax 3 Domaines is a winter sports resort situated in the commune of Ax-les-Thermes, the department of Ariège and the Occitania region of France. Since 2001, the climb to the ski station has been used as a stage finish in the Tour de France cycle race.
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: 2,345 m · Bottom of the pistes: 720 m · Days above 30 cm, December to March, model: 55%
- Ski areaIs there enough to ski all week?3 / 5
Km of pistes at the resort: 48 km · Km of pistes across the linked area: 48 km · Lifts: 24 · Balance between piste levels: 78%
- 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?4 / 5
Share of green and blue pistes: 84% · Magic carpets: 3 · Sledging runs: 1 · ESF ski school · Ice rink, pool, rail sledge…: 2 · Famille Plus label
- AccessIs it easy to get to?2 / 5
Average drive time from 20 major cities: 6 hr 40 · Nearest railway station: 15 min · Station-to-resort shuttles per day: 0 · Nearest airport: 2 hr 04
- Atmosphere and après-skiIs there life in the evening and off the slopes?2.5 / 5
Bars and pubs: 0 · Nightclubs: 0 · Restaurants: 8 · Upcoming events: 10 · Collective tourist beds: 1,766 — 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).
The domain is due to open on 5 December 2026 and close on 29 March 2027. Open pistes and lifts will appear here as soon as the resort publishes its daily report.
Avalanche danger
7-day forecast
Village 1,387 m · top 2,345 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
Reliable snow mainly in February; more irregular the rest of the winter.
☀️ Average daily sunshine : Nov 6.7 h · Dec 6.3 h · Jan 6.2 h · Feb 7.8 h · Mar 8.9 h · Apr 9.6 h — 25 bright days in April (Open-Meteo estimate, 2015-2025).
- November—no record
- December—no record
- January47 cmVariable · 75%
- February59 cmGood skiing · 80%
- March51 cmVariable · 66%
- April—no record
- 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 (the 3 nearby stations are outside the resort’s altitude range). We would rather show nothing than borrow a distant valley’s reading.
The ski area
Compare with another resort →50 pistes, by level — 48 km
- Skiable vertical
- 1,625 m (720 m → 2,345 m)
- Lifts
- 2 gondolas, 5 chairlifts, 10 drag lifts, 3 magic carpets
- Without skis
- 4 km of snowshoe and walking trails · 1 sledging run
- Piste aspect
- N 53% · E 35% · S 5% · W 6% (descent direction of 40 OSM pistes, terrain model)
- Mountain restaurants
- Le Louzat (2030 m) · Le Tetras (2025 m)
- Season 2026-2027
- opens on 5 December 2026, closes on 29 March 2027 (declared by the resort, ANMSM)
- Tourist office
- Office de tourisme des Pyrénées Ariégeoises · 6 Avenenue Théophile Delcassé, 09110 · 05 61 64 60 60 · [email protected] (declared by the resort, ANMSM)
- Piste map (PDF)
- Plan_pistes_25_26 (declared by the resort, ANMSM)
- Resort app
- Android (declared by the resort, ANMSM)
- Famille Plus
- The resort’s family page (declared by the resort, ANMSM)
Resort data: declared by Office de tourisme des Pyrénées Ariégeoises and distributed by ANMSM · read on 18 September
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 Ax 3 Domaines only (“AX LES THERMES”), magic carpets included.
Staying and hiring gear in Ax 3 Domaines
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 (7) →Ax 3 Domaines broadcasts its images on its own page: the link takes you there. Checked on 18 September 2026.
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 Ax 3 Domaines
From Paris: 8 hr 58 (813 km) by road.
By road
- From Toulouse: 1 hr 59 · 137 km
- From Perpignan: 2 hr 39 · 155 km · avoids Port de Pailhères, closed in winter
- From Pau: 3 hr 36 · 248 km
- From Montpellier: 3 hr 46 · 321 km
- From Bordeaux: 4 hr 22 · 379 km
From other major cities (15)
- From Marseille: 5 hr 26 · 483 km
- From Valence: 5 hr 36 · 518 km
- From Clermont-Ferrand: 5 hr 54 · 510 km
- From Grenoble: 6 hr 33 · 610 km
- From Lyon: 6 hr 43 · 618 km
- From Saint-Étienne: 6 hr 58 · 637 km
- From Nice: 7 hr 04 · 641 km
- From Chambéry: 7 hr 18 · 669 km
- From Annecy: 7 hr 43 · 727 km
- From Genève: 8 hr 13 · 765 km
- From Dijon: 8 hr 44 · 810 km
- From Paris: 8 hr 58 · 813 km
- From Besançon: 9 hr 16 · 870 km
- From Nancy: 10 hr 52 · 1021 km
- From Strasbourg: 11 hr 39 · 1108 km
Excluding traffic and winter conditions; passes closed in winter are avoided.
By train
Ax-les-Thermes station
halt · then 15 min drive (9 km)
Nearest main station: Toulouse Matabiau, 1 hr 56 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
- Toulouse-Blagnac (TLS): 2 hr 04 by road · 148 km
- Carcassonne-Salvaza (CCF): 2 hr 12 by road · 127 km
Take me there
These links open the app with Ax 3 Domaines as the destination. Your starting point is never sent by us — the app asks you for it, if you agree.
Charging an electric car
2 charging stations within 2 km
6 charging points · up to 46 kW
- PARKING TELECAPINE BONASCRE - AX-LES-THERMES · ELECTRIC 55 CHARGING · 4 points · 22 kW · 0.3 km
- FR-S09-E09032-003-2 · Load Stations · 2 points · 46 kW · 0.5 km
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 Ax 3 Domaines — up to 2,150 m of climb.
| Summit and route | Ski grade | Climb | Altitude | Aspect | From resort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Etang d'Embizon · depuis la vallée du Najar | 1.1 · E1 · F+ | 1,050 m | 1,050 → 2,100 m | SE | 1.1 km |
| Jaça dels Esquers de Dessús · des de l'estació d'Acs dels Tèrmes | 1.1 · E1 · F | 650 m | 670 → 1,350 m | N | 1.3 km |
| Pic de l'Étang Rébenty · Tour des crêtes du vallon des Campels | 2.2 · E2 · PD- | 1,250 m | 1,400 → 2,415 m | N · NE · NW · W · E | 3.1 km |
| Pic de Bourbourou · Depuis Le Castelet (09) | 1.3 · E1 · F | 1,300 m | 700 → 2,019 m | NE · N | 4.3 km |
| Pyramide de Lherbes · De Bonascre | n/a | 780 m | 1,800 → 2,450 m | n/a | 4.8 km |
| Petit pic de Cazalassis · versant E | 3.2 | 1,200 m | 2,582 m | E | 4.9 km |
| Pic des Calmettes · Traversée Ax 3 Domaines > refuge du Rulhe | n/a · E1 · PD- | 700 m | 1,360 → 2,439 m | n/a | 5.4 km |
| Pic de Canals · versant W | 2.3 | 1,000 m | 1,184 → 2,140 m | NW · W · SW | 5.7 km |
| Col de la Parade · Boucle Orgeix Naguille Perisse | n/a · PD+ | 2,150 m | 1,450 → 2,610 m | NE · N · NW · E · SE · S · SW · W | 5.9 km |
| Pic des Perdrix · Couloir coudé | 4.1 | 750 m | 2,240 m | E · NE | 6.9 km |
| Pic de l'Homme · Traversée col de la Parade - Couloir N | n/a | 1,200 m | 950 → 2,464 m | n/a | 7 km |
| Cap de Place Roubert · depuis Mérens-les-Vals | n/a · E1 · PD- | 1,111 m | 1,050 → 2,161 m | NW | 7.1 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 Ax 3 Domaines
Spa and thermal baths
- Cures thermales - Ax-les-Thermes · Ax-les-Thermes · 2.6 km away
- Cures courtes Aqua · Ax-les-Thermes · 2.6 km away
- Découverte Aqua · Ax-les-Thermes · 2.6 km away
Paragliding
- Spot de parapente - vol libre · Ax-les-Thermes · 1.7 km away
Museum
- Talcaneô - L'espace muséographique · Luzenac · 8 km away
- Talcaneô · Luzenac · 8 km away
- Mountaneô - L'espace muséographique · Orlu · 8.3 km away
- Mountaneô · Orlu · 8.3 km away
Cinema
- Cinéma d'Ax-Les-Thermes · Ax-les-Thermes · 2.8 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
1,766 bed spaces in tourist residences, holiday villages and hostels
- 6 hotels · 156 rooms (2 × 3★, 3 × 2★)
- 1 holiday village or family centre · 354 bed spaces
- 6 tourist residences and apartment hotels · 1,412 bed spaces
- 1 campsite · 212 pitches
Commune: Ax-les-Thermes · INSEE tourist accommodation survey, 2026, read on 12 September 2026. Collective accommodation only — privately let flats and second homes are not counted. INSEE dataset ↗
Tourist office
Office de Tourisme
Ski school
ESF Ax
58 instructors
🇬🇧 30 English-speaking instructors — lessons in English available
🗓️ This school sells its lessons online — book ↗
Source: esf.net
Days without skiing
- Cinema · Cinéma'Ax
- Ice rink · Patinoire
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.
What's on around Ax 3 Domaines
All 10 upcoming events →-
18 September 2026 · 09:00
Visite guidée scolaire de la centrale hydroélectrique d’Orgeix
Mountaneô et la centrale hydroélectrique EDF d'Orgeix · Orlu
À l'occasion des Journées Européennes du Patrimoine, le vendredi 18 septembre est dédié aux scolaires dans le cadre de l’opération nationale « Levez les yeux ! », venez visiter **Mountaneô** et tous …
Source: OpenAgenda, agenda “ADT Ariège Pyrénées” · View on OpenAgenda ↗
Also near: Ascou-Pailhères (5.8 km), Le Chioula (9.7 km), Camurac (10 km)
-
19 September 2026 – 20 September 2026
Visite de l'église Saint-Vincent
Église Saint-Vincent · Ax-les-Thermes
L'église Saint-Vincent, mentionnée dès le Xe siècle est associé à l'église Saint Jean d'Auze, probablement baptismale. D'abord de forme romane elle évolue régulièrement jusqu'à sa forme actuelle.
Source: OpenAgenda, agenda “ADT Ariège Pyrénées” · View on OpenAgenda ↗
Also near: Le Chioula (4 km), Ascou-Pailhères (9.3 km), Camurac (9.5 km)
-
19 September 2026 – 20 September 2026
Visite de la chapelle Notre-Dame-des-Bains
Hôpital Saint-Louis · Ax-les-Thermes
La chapelle est associée à l'histoire de l'Hôtel Dieu depuis le XIIIe siècle. Belle architecture vernaculaire de montagne, courant XVIIe siècle. Chauffée naturellement par les sources d'eau chaude, …
Source: OpenAgenda, agenda “ADT Ariège Pyrénées” · View on OpenAgenda ↗
Also near: Le Chioula (4 km), Ascou-Pailhères (9.5 km), Camurac (9.6 km)
-
19 September 2026 – 20 September 2026
Visite de la chapelle Saint-Jérôme
Chapelle Saint-Jérôme · Ax-les-Thermes
Découvrez cette chapelle, remarquable écrin d'un mobilier du XVIIe siècle caractéristique de l'art baroque pyrénéen. Construite au début du XVIIe siècle à la suite d'un incendie, elle fut le siège, à…
Source: OpenAgenda, agenda “ADT Ariège Pyrénées” · View on OpenAgenda ↗
Also near: Le Chioula (4.1 km), Ascou-Pailhères (9.6 km), Camurac (9.8 km)
-
19 September 2026 – 20 September 2026
Visite commentée du château de Lordat
Château de Lordat · Lordat
Visite commentée gratuite du château à l’occasion des Journées européennes du patrimoine, avec Lionel, notre guide. À travers quatre thématiques — le mythe, le pouvoir, les bâtisseurs et les légendes…
Source: OpenAgenda, agenda “ADT Ariège Pyrénées” · View on OpenAgenda ↗
Also near: Plateau de Beille (7.4 km), Les Monts d'Olmes (7.6 km), Le Chioula (7.9 km)
Events published on OpenAgenda by the agendas named above, kept when they take place within 10 km of the resort. We organise nothing: times, prices and cancellations are the organiser's.
Nearby resorts
Frequently asked questions
How high is Ax 3 Domaines?
Ax 3 Domaines sits at 1,387 m at village level, and its ski area rises to 2,345 m.
How many kilometres of pistes does Ax 3 Domaines have?
Ax 3 Domaines has 48 km of pistes served by 24 lifts (OpenStreetMap survey).
What is the longest piste in Ax 3 Domaines?
The longest piste is Trois Jasses: 4 km (green run), for 328 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 Ax 3 Domaines?
The highest lift, Ours (chairlift), tops out at 2,400 m. Source: STRMTG, French national register of mechanical lifts (CAIRN database), file dated 1 January 2025.
How many lifts does Ax 3 Domaines have, and what is their capacity?
The French national register of mechanical lifts records 24 installations at Ax 3 Domaines (2 gondolas, 7 chairlifts, 12 drag lifts, 3 magic carpets), for an authorised capacity of 28,957 people per hour, of which 2,430 for Tute De L'ours alone. The fleet spans 1955 to 2019, an average age of 31 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 Ax 3 Domaines?
By road, Ax 3 Domaines is 1 hr 59 from Toulouse (137 km), excluding traffic and winter conditions. By train, the nearest station is Ax-les-Thermes, 15 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 Toulouse-Blagnac, 2 hr 04 away.
How long is the drive from Paris to Ax 3 Domaines?
8 hr 58 for 813 km from central Paris, excluding traffic and winter conditions. Computed on the real road network (OpenStreetMap): allow more on a school-holiday Saturday.
When does Ax 3 Domaines open?
According to the dates declared by the resort (ANMSM feed), the resort opens on 5 December 2026 and closes on 29 March 2027 (2026-2027 season).
Is the snow reliable in Ax 3 Domaines?
Yes: good snow in the core of the winter according to twenty winters of Météo-France measurements; in season the daily report prevails.
Is Ax 3 Domaines good for beginners and families?
84% of the pistes are green or blue: a very accessible area. The resort holds the Famille Plus family label.
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