Ballon d'Alsace
Ballon d'Alsace is a ski resort in the Vosges (Haut-Rhin), in the commune of Sewen. The village sits at 1,104 m and the ski area rises to 1,157 m, a skiable vertical of 335 m.
The area offers 8 km of alpine pistes, 18 marked pistes (7 green, 4 blue, 4 red, 3 black), 11 ski lifts. Green and blue runs dominate: terrain suited to beginners and families.
Measured on the OpenStreetMap map: the longest piste runs 1 km (Grand Langenberg) and the highest lift tops out at 1,150 m.
Access: 1 h 53 by road from Besançon and 38 min from Bas Évette railway station.
2 official webcams show the pistes live (on the French page).
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?1.5 / 5
Top of the ski area: 1,157 m · Bottom of the pistes: 822 m · Days above 30 cm per winter, measured: 43 days · Days above 30 cm, December to March, model: 1%
- Ski areaIs there enough to ski all week?2.5 / 5
Km of pistes at the resort: 8 km · Km of pistes across the linked area: 8 km · Lifts: 11 · Balance between piste levels: 96%
- 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?1.5 / 5
Share of green and blue pistes: 61% · Magic carpets: 0 · Sledging runs: 0 · ESF ski school · Ice rink, pool, rail sledge…: 0
- AccessIs it easy to get to?2 / 5
Average drive time from 20 major cities: 5 hr 46 · Nearest railway station: 38 min · Station-to-resort shuttles per day: 0 · Nearest airport: 1 hr 16
- Atmosphere and après-skiIs there life in the evening and off the slopes?2 / 5
Bars and pubs: 0 · Nightclubs: 0 · Restaurants: 8 · Upcoming events: 1 · Collective tourist beds: 0 — 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.
Right now at the BALLON DE SERVANCE station (1,213 m)
7-day forecast
Village 1,104 m · top 1,157 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.
Snow actually measured, winter by winter
10 complete winters measured, from 1989-1990 to 2018-2019 — on average 43 days a winter with at least 30 cm on the ground.
- 1-15 Dec13 cmInsufficient · 21 %
- 16-31 Dec19 cmInsufficient · 16 %
- 1-15 Jan22 cmInsufficient · 30 %
- 16-31 Jan33 cmInsufficient · 38 %
- 1-15 Feb39 cmInsufficient · 36 %
- 16-29 Feb48 cmVariable · 53 %
- 1-15 Mar49 cmVariable · 51 %
- 16-31 Mar27 cmInsufficient · 29 %
- 1-15 Apr9 cmInsufficient · 13 %
- Best winter of the series
- 2005-2006 — 136 days at 30 cm or more
- Worst winter of the series
- 1989-1990 — 0 day at 30 cm or more
How much snow actually falls — 282 cm a winter on average, spread over 30 days of snowfall. Measured over 10 complete winters.
- Biggest 24-hour snowfall
- 70 cm — 2005-2006
- Snowiest winter
- 2005-2006 — 550 cm
- Leanest winter
- 1989-1990 — 83 cm
The ski area
Compare with another resort →18 pistes, by level — 8 km
- Skiable vertical
- 335 m (822 m → 1,157 m)
- Lifts
- 11 drag lifts
- Cross-country skiing
- 2 km of nordic trails
- Piste aspect
- N 54% · E 31% · S 8% · W 6% (descent direction of 20 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.
Official piste map
Open the piste map (PDF, 3.5 MB) ↗
Link to the resort’s own file — a piste map is a copyrighted artwork, we host no copy.
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 Ballon d'Alsace only (“BALLON D'ALSACE”), magic carpets included.
Staying and hiring gear in Ballon d'Alsace
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 (2) →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 Ballon d'Alsace
From Paris: 5 hr 28 (459 km) by road.
By road
- From Besançon: 1 hr 53 · 128 km
- From Nancy: 1 hr 58 · 136 km
- From Strasbourg: 2 hr 13 · 154 km
- From Dijon: 2 hr 39 · 210 km
- From Genève: 3 hr 58 · 259 km
From other major cities (15)
- From Lyon: 4 hr 16 · 369 km
- From Annecy: 4 hr 28 · 303 km
- From Chambéry: 4 hr 56 · 345 km
- From Grenoble: 5 hr 02 · 455 km
- From Saint-Étienne: 5 hr 04 · 428 km
- From Valence: 5 hr 21 · 468 km
- From Paris: 5 hr 28 · 459 km
- From Clermont-Ferrand: 5 hr 41 · 511 km
- From Montpellier: 7 hr 25 · 669 km
- From Marseille: 7 hr 30 · 679 km
- From Perpignan: 8 hr 46 · 817 km
- From Nice: 8 hr 54 · 732 km
- From Bordeaux: 9 hr 14 · 848 km
- From Toulouse: 9 hr 18 · 852 km
- From Pau: 11 hr 15 · 1044 km
Excluding traffic and winter conditions; passes closed in winter are avoided.
By train
Bas Évette station
halt · then 38 min drive (24 km)
Nearest main station: Méroux, 56 min 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
- Bâle-Mulhouse (BSL): 1 hr 16 by road · 77 km
- Strasbourg-Entzheim (SXB): 2 hr 06 by road · 144 km
Take me there
These links open the app with Ballon d'Alsace 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 →Named itineraries: Le trou de la chaudière
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 →7 ski touring routes documented within 10 km of Ballon d'Alsace — up to 3,800 m of climb.
| Summit and route | Ski grade | Climb | Altitude | Aspect | From resort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballon d'Alsace · Danielus Road | n/a · PD+ | 1,600 m | 600 → 1,247 m | n/a | 1.8 km |
| Ballon d'Alsace · Tricotage au Ballon d'Alsace | 2.3 · F+ | 820 m | 850 → 1,247 m | NW · N | 1.8 km |
| Ballon d'Alsace · "Marcus Road" | 2.3 · PD+ | 820 m | 780 → 1,247 m | W | 1.8 km |
| Tête des Perches · par le lac des Perches | 2.1 · E1 · PD- | 612 m | 610 → 1,222 m | S | 6.9 km |
| Tête des Neufs Bois · Par l'épaulement NE, et le col des Allemands | n/a · E1 | 600 m | 650 → 1,230 m | N | 8.4 km |
| Vosges du Sud (Traversée) · De St Maurice à Gérardmer | n/a | 3,800 m | 600 → 1,305 m | n/a | 9.1 km |
| Tête des Neufs Bois · Par le Steingraben | n/a · E2 | 600 m | 650 → 1,230 m | N | 9.1 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 Ballon d'Alsace
Toboggan runs
- Piste de luge - au Langenberg · Sewen · 0.2 km away
- Piste de luge - Col des Démineurs · Sewen · 2 km away
- Tubing ou descente en bouée · Plancher-les-Mines · 6.6 km away
- Station de La Planche des Belles Filles · Plancher-les-Mines · 6.8 km away
Swimming pool
- Piscine de plein air de Saint-Maurice sur Moselle · Saint-Maurice-sur-Moselle · 6 km away
Paragliding
- Ascension'aile Cumulus parapente · Bussang · 8.8 km away
Museum
- Maison de la nature des vosges saônoises · Haut-du-Them-Château-Lambert · 9 km away
- Musée départemental de la Montagne · Haut-du-Them-Château-Lambert · 9.1 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 hotel · 16 rooms (1 × 3★)
Commune: Sewen · 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.
What's on around Ballon d'Alsace
All events →-
27 September 2026 · 10:00
La montagne Vosgienne en fête
Fresse-sur-Moselle (88) · Fresse-sur-Moselle
Le dimanche 27 septembre, la Chapelle des Vés à Fresse sur Moselle accueillera La Montagne Vosgienne en Fête, une journée placée sous le signe de l'agriculture de montagne et de la convivialité.
Source: OpenAgenda, agenda “Chambre d'Agriculture des Vosges” · View on OpenAgenda ↗
Also near: Bussang (5 km), Larcenaire (6.3 km), Ventron (7.6 km), Frère-Joseph (7.7 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 Ballon d'Alsace?
Ballon d'Alsace sits at 1,104 m at village level, and its ski area rises to 1,157 m.
How many kilometres of pistes does Ballon d'Alsace have?
Ballon d'Alsace has 8 km of pistes served by 11 lifts (OpenStreetMap survey).
What is the longest piste in Ballon d'Alsace?
The longest piste is Grand Langenberg: 1 km (black run), for 280 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 Ballon d'Alsace?
The highest lift, Chaumière (Mannheimer) (platter lift), tops out at 1,150 m. Source: STRMTG, French national register of mechanical lifts (CAIRN database), file dated 1 January 2025.
How many lifts does Ballon d'Alsace have, and what is their capacity?
The French national register of mechanical lifts records 11 installations at Ballon d'Alsace (11 drag lifts), for an authorised capacity of 8,885 people per hour, of which 1,500 for Chamois alone. The fleet spans 1962 to 2011, an average age of 42 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 Ballon d'Alsace?
By road, Ballon d'Alsace is 1 hr 53 from Besançon (128 km), excluding traffic and winter conditions. By train, the nearest station is Bas Évette, 38 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 Bâle-Mulhouse, 1 hr 16 away.
How long is the drive from Paris to Ballon d'Alsace?
5 hr 28 for 459 km from central Paris, excluding traffic and winter conditions. Computed on the real road network (OpenStreetMap): allow more on a school-holiday Saturday.
Is Ballon d'Alsace good for beginners and families?
61% of the pistes are green or blue: a rather easy area.
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