Chalmazel
Chalmazel or Chalmazel – Pierre-sur-Haute is a winter sports resort located in the Massif Central, within the commune of Chalmazel-Jeansagnière in the Loire department of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Its alpine ski area stretches from 1,109 to 1,600 meters above sea level on the slopes of Pierre-sur-Haute, the highest point of the Monts du Forez, between the forest and the wild high moors.
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?1.5 / 5
Top of the ski area: 1,592 m · Bottom of the pistes: 1,109 m · 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: 11 km · Km of pistes across the linked area: 11 km · Lifts: 8 · Balance between piste levels: 98%
- 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: 41% · Magic carpets: 0 · Sledging runs: 0 · ESF ski school · Ice rink, pool, rail sledge…: 0
- AccessIs it easy to get to?2.5 / 5
Average drive time from 20 major cities: 4 hr 32 · Nearest railway station: 49 min · Station-to-resort shuttles per day: 0 · Nearest airport: 1 hr 49
- Atmosphere and après-skiIs there life in the evening and off the slopes?2 / 5
Bars and pubs: 1 · Nightclubs: 0 · Restaurants: 2 · 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 · 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 COL DE LA LOGE_SAPC station (1,261 m)
7-day forecast
Village 1,449 m · top 1,592 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.
Measured snow history: not available for this resort. No Météo-France station close enough (the 2 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 →17 pistes, by level — 11 km
- Skiable vertical
- 483 m (1,109 m → 1,592 m)
- Lifts
- 1 chairlift, 7 drag lifts
- Cross-country skiing
- 11 km of nordic trails
- Piste aspect
- N 65% · E 30% · S 2% · W 4% (descent direction of 12 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 Chalmazel only (“CHALMAZEL”), magic carpets included.
Staying and hiring gear in Chalmazel
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 (3) →Official players of the resort, live image. Checked on 12 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 Chalmazel
From Paris: 5 hr 53 (510 km) by road.
By road
- From Saint-Étienne: 1 hr 36 · 86 km
- From Clermont-Ferrand: 1 hr 44 · 104 km
- From Lyon: 2 hr 06 · 128 km
- From Valence: 2 hr 58 · 204 km
- From Grenoble: 3 hr 16 · 230 km
From other major cities (15)
- From Chambéry: 3 hr 18 · 226 km
- From Annecy: 3 hr 37 · 264 km
- From Dijon: 3 hr 43 · 296 km
- From Genève: 3 hr 44 · 283 km
- From Besançon: 4 hr 19 · 354 km
- From Montpellier: 4 hr 55 · 380 km
- From Marseille: 5 hr 06 · 415 km
- From Bordeaux: 5 hr 42 · 491 km
- From Toulouse: 5 hr 47 · 495 km
- From Nancy: 5 hr 50 · 507 km
- From Perpignan: 5 hr 50 · 481 km
- From Paris: 5 hr 53 · 510 km
- From Strasbourg: 6 hr 42 · 592 km
- From Nice: 6 hr 44 · 573 km
- From Pau: 7 hr 43 · 686 km
Excluding traffic and winter conditions; passes closed in winter are avoided.
By train
Boën-sur-Lignon station
halt · then 49 min drive (30 km)
Nearest main station: Saint-Étienne Châteaucreux, 1 hr 35 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
- Clermont-Ferrand Auvergne (CFE): 1 hr 49 by road · 98 km
- Lyon-Saint-Exupéry (LYS): 2 hr 26 by road · 167 km
Take me there
These links open the app with Chalmazel 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.
Ski touring routes described
Resorts for ski touring →1 ski touring route documented within 10 km of Chalmazel — up to 1,025 m of climb.
| Summit and route | Ski grade | Climb | Altitude | Aspect | From resort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pierre sur Haute · Crête de Pierre-sur-Haute (Haut Forez) | n/a · F | 1,025 m | 1,110 → 1,634 m | NE | 1.1 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 Chalmazel
Museum
- Musée du fixé sous verre · Job · 6.9 km away
- Musée de la Fourme et des Traditions · Sauvain · 7.4 km away
- Jasserie-musée du Coq Noir · Saint-Anthème · 9.2 km away
Cinema
- Gare de L'Utopie · Vertolaye · 8.6 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
Tourist office
Office de tourisme
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 Chalmazel
All events →-
16 October 2026 · 10:00
Estives et Jasseries
Lieu Dit Le Perrier · Valcivières
journée de visite pour découvrir le paysage et patrimoine agricole
Source: OpenAgenda, agenda “Plan Libre, la gazette” · View on OpenAgenda ↗
Also near: Prabouré (5 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 Chalmazel?
Chalmazel sits at 1,449 m at village level, and its ski area rises to 1,592 m.
How many kilometres of pistes does Chalmazel have?
Chalmazel has 11 km of pistes served by 8 lifts (OpenStreetMap survey).
What is the longest piste in Chalmazel?
The longest piste is Les Jasseries: 2 km (red run), for 352 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 Chalmazel?
The highest lift, Les CIMES (drag lift), tops out at 1,583 m. Source: STRMTG, French national register of mechanical lifts (CAIRN database), file dated 1 January 2025.
How many lifts does Chalmazel have, and what is their capacity?
The French national register of mechanical lifts records 9 installations at Chalmazel (1 chairlift, 7 drag lifts, 1 magic carpet), for an authorised capacity of 7,333 people per hour, of which 1,800 for Jasserie alone. The fleet spans 1964 to 2010, 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 Chalmazel?
By road, Chalmazel is 1 hr 36 from Saint-Étienne (86 km), excluding traffic and winter conditions. By train, the nearest station is Boën-sur-Lignon, 49 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 Clermont-Ferrand Auvergne, 1 hr 49 away.
How long is the drive from Paris to Chalmazel?
5 hr 53 for 510 km from central Paris, excluding traffic and winter conditions. Computed on the real road network (OpenStreetMap): allow more on a school-holiday Saturday.
Is Chalmazel good for beginners and families?
41% of the pistes are green or blue: a rather technical area.
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