Espace nordique des monts du Pilat
The Espace nordique des monts du Pilat is a grouping of winter sports resorts located in the Loire département in the massif du Pilat. The area is predominantly oriented towards the practice of Nordic skiing with 80 km of marked and groomed pistes. It also features the stade de glisse de la croix de Chaubouret equipped with rope tows for initiation to alpine and cross-country skiing.
Translated from the French Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA), machine translation.
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?n/a
Not rated: “top of the ski area” is missing from this page.
- Ski areaIs there enough to ski all week?n/a
Not rated: “km of pistes at the resort” is missing from this page.
- 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?n/a
Not rated: “share of green and blue pistes” is missing from this page.
- AccessIs it easy to get to?3.5 / 5
Average drive time from 20 major cities: 3 hr 45 · Nearest railway station: 25 min · Station-to-resort shuttles per day: 0 · Nearest airport: 1 hr 20
- Atmosphere and après-skiIs there life in the evening and off the slopes?1 / 5
Bars and pubs: 0 · Nightclubs: 0 · Restaurants: 2 · Upcoming events: 0 · 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 PILAT GRAIX station (1,164 m)
7-day forecast
Village 1,170 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 →- Lifts
- 2 drag lifts
- Snowpark
- 1 mapped zone — Ludo ski (very easy)
OpenStreetMap, surveyed on 18 September 2026. OpenStreetMap does not map individual features (kickers, rails): what is counted here are the named zones. - Cross-country skiing
- 24 km of nordic trails
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.
Staying and hiring gear in Espace nordique des monts du Pilat
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.
Getting to Espace nordique des monts du Pilat
From Paris: 5 hr 59 (530 km) by road.
By road
- From Saint-Étienne: 28 min · 19 km
- From Lyon: 1 hr 13 · 68 km
- From Valence: 1 hr 20 · 83 km
- From Grenoble: 2 hr 01 · 125 km
- From Clermont-Ferrand: 2 hr 05 · 168 km
From other major cities (15)
- From Chambéry: 2 hr 06 · 154 km
- From Annecy: 2 hr 25 · 192 km
- From Genève: 2 hr 53 · 221 km
- From Dijon: 3 hr 14 · 260 km
- From Montpellier: 3 hr 23 · 284 km
- From Marseille: 3 hr 28 · 294 km
- From Besançon: 3 hr 46 · 320 km
- From Perpignan: 4 hr 44 · 432 km
- From Nice: 5 hr 05 · 452 km
- From Nancy: 5 hr 21 · 471 km
- From Toulouse: 5 hr 40 · 519 km
- From Paris: 5 hr 59 · 530 km
- From Bordeaux: 6 hr 03 · 555 km
- From Strasbourg: 6 hr 09 · 558 km
- From Pau: 7 hr 35 · 709 km
Excluding traffic and winter conditions; passes closed in winter are avoided.
By train
Saint-Chamond station
regional station · then 25 min drive (18 km)
Nearest main station: Saint-Étienne Châteaucreux, 29 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
- Lyon-Saint-Exupéry (LYS): 1 hr 20 by road · 83 km
- Grenoble-Alpes-Isère (GNB): 1 hr 29 by road · 82 km
Take me there
These links open the app with Espace nordique des monts du Pilat 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 →4 ski touring routes documented within 10 km of Espace nordique des monts du Pilat — up to 650 m of climb.
| Summit and route | Ski grade | Climb | Altitude | Aspect | From resort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Le Pilat - Crêt de la Perdrix · Versant NW direct | 1.3 · E1 · PD- | 616 m | 816 → 1,432 m | NW | 3.9 km |
| Le Pilat - Crêt de la Perdrix · Versant N depuis Doisieux et le bois du boeuf | n/a · F | 650 m | 780 → 1,432 m | N | 4.2 km |
| Le Pilat - Crêt de la Perdrix · Versants SSE des crêts | 1.3 · E1 · PD- | 460 m | 1,070 → 1,432 m | SE | 4.2 km |
| Crêt de Botte · Versants N des Crêts | n/a · E1 · F | 300 m | 1,100 → 1,391 m | N | 6.9 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 Espace nordique des monts du Pilat
Spa and thermal baths
- MyNaturo - Centre de bien-être et de soins en naturopathie vitaliste · Saint-Julien-Molin-Molette · 8.2 km away
Cinema
- Cinéma Jules Verne - Saint-Genest-Malifaux · Saint-Genest-Malifaux · 9 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 · 9 rooms
Commune: Le Bessat · 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 Espace nordique des monts du Pilat?
Espace nordique des monts du Pilat sits at 1,170 m at village level.
How do I get to Espace nordique des monts du Pilat?
By road, Espace nordique des monts du Pilat is 28 min from Saint-Étienne (19 km), excluding traffic and winter conditions. By train, the nearest station is Saint-Chamond, 25 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 Lyon-Saint-Exupéry, 1 hr 20 away.
How long is the drive from Paris to Espace nordique des monts du Pilat?
5 hr 59 for 530 km from central Paris, excluding traffic and winter conditions. Computed on the real road network (OpenStreetMap): allow more on a school-holiday Saturday.
Every figure carries its source and date; a missing figure shows as “—”, never estimated. Embed this widget on your site