High-altitude ski resorts: snow you can count on
Altitude is the best snow insurance there is: at 2,000 m the air is on average 6 °C colder than at 1,000 m, snow falls instead of rain and it stays. We kept the resorts whose village itself sits above 1,500 m — you click into your skis at the foot of your accommodation, with no shuttle or access gondola — and whose ski area goes beyond 2,500 m.
The 46 resorts selected break down as follows: Northern Alps (27), Southern Alps (13), Pyrenees (6). The table gives the skiable vertical, often more telling than the top altitude alone: a big vertical means long descents and a tiered ski area that stays skiable in any weather.
The flip side of altitude: resorts that are built rather than villages, a sometimes biting cold in January, and lift passes generally among the most expensive. For a cheap holiday or a resort with character, see the “cheap skiing” and “beginners” guides instead.
Latest reading · 16 October 2026 at 05:38
Click a column heading to sort. Resorts with no reading stay at the bottom.
| # | Resort | Range | Village | Top | Vertical | Pistes | Day pass |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Val Thorens Les 3 Vallées | Northern Alps | 2,299 m | 3,200 m | 1,400 m | 150 km | €84.20 |
| 2 | Tignes Tignes – Val d’Isère | Northern Alps | 2,100 m | 3,456 m | 1,906 m | — | €78 |
| 3 | Aime 2000 La Plagne | Northern Alps | 2,100 m | 3,250 m | 1,727 m | — | €58 |
| 4 | Belle Plagne La Plagne | Northern Alps | 2,050 m | 2,587 m | 1,064 m | — | €58 |
| 5 | Isola 2000 | Southern Alps | 2,000 m | 2,650 m | 850 m | 120 km | €44 |
| 6 | Planpraz | Northern Alps | 2,000 m | 2,502 m | 1,467 m | 51 km | — |
| 7 | Err-Puigmal | Pyrenees | 1,979 m | 2,661 m | 812 m | 29 km | — |
| 8 | Les Grands Montets Grands Montets | Northern Alps | 1,951 m | 2,767 m | 1,541 m | — | — |
| 9 | Alpe d'Huez Alpe d'Huez Grand Domaine Ski | Northern Alps | 1,860 m | 3,330 m | 1,470 m | 143 km | — |
| 10 | Montgenèvre Voie lactée | Southern Alps | 1,860 m | 2,648 m | 788 m | 95 km | — |
| 11 | Piau-Engaly | Pyrenees | 1,860 m | 2,529 m | 1,032 m | 34 km | — |
| 12 | Val-d'Isère Tignes – Val d’Isère | Northern Alps | 1,850 m | 3,456 m | 1,906 m | — | €78 |
| 13 | Courchevel Les 3 Vallées | Northern Alps | 1,850 m | 3,200 m | 1,350 m | — | €84.20 |
| 14 | Les Menuires Les 3 Vallées | Northern Alps | 1,850 m | 2,844 m | 1,394 m | — | €70 |
| 15 | La Rosière Espace San Bernardo | Northern Alps | 1,850 m | 2,800 m | 950 m | — | €59 |
| 16 | Vars La Forêt Blanche | Southern Alps | 1,850 m | 2,750 m | 1,100 m | — | €58 |
| 17 | Orcières Merlette 1850 | Southern Alps | 1,850 m | 2,725 m | 875 m | 49 km | €48.50 |
| 18 | Risoul La Forêt Blanche | Southern Alps | 1,850 m | 2,570 m | 720 m | — | — |
| 19 | Bonneval sur Arc | Northern Alps | 1,800 m | 3,000 m | 1,200 m | 31 km | €32 |
| 20 | Valmeinier Galibier-Thabor | Northern Alps | 1,800 m | 2,750 m | 1,250 m | — | — |
| 21 | Barèges Grand Tourmalet | Pyrenees | 1,800 m | 2,500 m | 700 m | — | €43 |
| 22 | Domaine du Tourmalet | Pyrenees | 1,800 m | 2,500 m | 700 m | — | €55 |
| 23 | La Mongie Grand Tourmalet | Pyrenees | 1,800 m | 2,500 m | 700 m | — | €55 |
| 24 | Saint-Véran | Southern Alps | 1,756 m | 2,805 m | 825 m | 30 km | — |
| 25 | Orelle Les 3 Vallées | Northern Alps | — | 3,242 m | 1,511 m | — | €84.20 |
| 26 | Saint-Lary-Soulan | Pyrenees | 1,700 m | 2,500 m | 800 m | 28 km | €54 |
| 27 | Les Deux Alpes | Northern Alps | 1,650 m | 3,600 m | 2,300 m | 220 km | €66 |
| 28 | Peisey-Vallandry Paradiski | Northern Alps | 1,650 m | 3,226 m | 1,926 m | — | €71 |
| 29 | Les Orres | Southern Alps | 1,650 m | 2,700 m | 1,150 m | 25 km | €42 |
| 30 | Saint-François-Longchamp Le Grand Domaine | Northern Alps | 1,650 m | 2,550 m | 1,100 m | — | €59.70 |
| 31 | Pra-Loup Espace Lumière | Southern Alps | 1,650 m | 2,503 m | 1,008 m | 100 km | — |
| 32 | Les Arcs Paradiski | Northern Alps | 1,600 m | 3,226 m | 2,339 m | 200 km | €78 |
| 33 | Puy-Saint-Vincent | Southern Alps | 1,600 m | 2,750 m | 1,350 m | 75 km | €39.50 |
| 34 | Les Karellis | Northern Alps | 1,600 m | 2,520 m | 920 m | — | €35 |
| 35 | Flaine Grand Massif | Northern Alps | 1,600 m | 2,500 m | 1,340 m | — | €63 |
| 36 | Le Bettex (Les Belleville) Les 3 Vallées | Northern Alps | 1,563 m | 2,670 m | 1,104 m | — | €84.20 |
| 37 | Saint-Jean-d’Arves Les Sybelles | Northern Alps | 1,555 m | 2,587 m | 1,504 m | — | — |
| 38 | Valfréjus | Northern Alps | 1,550 m | 2,737 m | 1,187 m | 45 km | €29 |
| 39 | Saint-Sorlin-d’Arves Les Sybelles | Northern Alps | 1,550 m | 2,620 m | 1,070 m | — | €49.20 |
| 40 | Sainte-Foy-Tarentaise | Northern Alps | 1,550 m | 2,620 m | 1,070 m | 97 km | €46 |
| 41 | Le Corbier Les Sybelles | Northern Alps | 1,550 m | 2,550 m | 1,000 m | — | €60.50 |
| 42 | La Grave | Southern Alps | — | 3,532 m | 2,032 m | 55 km | — |
| 43 | Aussois | Northern Alps | 1,500 m | 2,750 m | 1,250 m | 43 km | €34.50 |
| 44 | La Foux d'Allos Espace Lumière | Southern Alps | 1,500 m | 2,600 m | 1,200 m | — | €51 |
| 45 | La Joue du Loup Dévoluy | Southern Alps | 1,500 m | 2,500 m | 1,000 m | — | €46 |
| 46 | Superdévoluy Dévoluy | Southern Alps | 1,500 m | 2,500 m | 1,000 m | — | €46 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest ski resort in France?
The highest village is Val Thorens (2,299 m); the highest point of a ski area is at Les Deux Alpes (3,600 m).
Above what altitude is snow guaranteed?
No altitude guarantees snow, but above 1,800 m at the village, winters without snow at Christmas have become rare; the “skiing at Christmas” and “skiing in April” guides give, resort by resort, the share of successful winters over twenty years.
Does high altitude suit children and beginners?
Yes for the snow, with two caveats: the cold and, above 2,000 m, quicker tiredness in the first few days. Among these resorts, 10 have a ski area that is at least 60% easy.