La Garde
1,810 mBottom of the pistes
2,112 mTop of the ski area
Not published by any source: adult day pass. Not retained (conflicting sources): km of alpine pistes, ski lifts.
La Garde is a French commune located in the department of Isère, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Its inhabitants are called the Gardillons and the Gardillonnes.
Live webcams
▶ Watch at the operator ↗
Webcams de la stationimages en direct sur la page officielle de la station
3060mAlpe d'Huez
LesignalAlpe d'Huez
Each player is the camera operator’s own, loaded only when you ask for it — it may set its own trackers.
Official players of the resort, live image. 4 more cameras on the webcam page. Checked on 12 September 2026.
Snow, opening and weather
Snow report →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 ALPE-D'HUEZ station (1,860 m)
Source: Météo-France, ALPE-D'HUEZ weather station, 3.8 km away. Hourly measurement — not the resort’s own snow report.
Avalanche danger
Natural snow is low on average: skiing depends on snowmaking and good years. 34 days a winter at 30 cm or more on average, and 214 cm of fresh snow, measured over 49 winters at the Météo-France “LAVALDENS” station. Fortnight by fortnight, over 49 measured winters →
3-day forecast
Village 1,810 m · top 2,112 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.
Seven criteria rated from 1 to 5 stars, in half-stars, from this page's sourced data. A rating is a rank among the 315 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?3 / 5
Top of the ski area: 2,112 m · Bottom of the pistes: 1,810 m · Days above 30 cm per winter, measured: 34 days · Days above 30 cm, December to March, model: 70%
- Ski areaIs there enough to ski all week?4 / 5
Km skiable from the resort, linked area included: 250 km
- ValueIs the lift pass reasonable for what you get?n/a
Not rated: no official price list could be found.
- Families and beginnersIs it right for children and beginners?3.5 / 5
Share of green and blue pistes: 80% · ESF ski school · Ice rink, pool, rail sledge…: 3
- AccessIs it easy to get to?3 / 5
Average drive time from 20 major cities: 4 hr 22 · Nearest railway station: 40 min · Station-to-resort shuttles per day: 0 · Nearest airport: 1 hr 24
- Atmosphere and après-skiIs there life in the evening and off the slopes?2.5 / 5
Bars and pubs: 2 · Nightclubs: 0 · Restaurants: 12 · 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
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: 2 — 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 declared by the resort (ANMSM, official website), STRMTG register, OpenStreetMap; snow depth observed at the Météo-France station, ERA5-Land model) ; ski area (figures declared by the resort (ANMSM, official website), national lift register (STRMTG), OpenStreetMap) ; 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).
- Skiable vertical
- 302 m
- Cross-country skiing
- 1 named trail — 2.1 km of marked loops, 2.3 km from the resort
Ski-area figures — bottom, top: OpenStreetMap (1 Oct) . In a linked ski area the map cannot tell where the resort ends: its own km stay “n/a” until the resort declares them.
The ski area in figures
Measured on 7 October 20268 kmLongest piste — Sarenne (black), 1,657 m of vertical
1,657 mBiggest vertical without changing piste — 3,306 → 1,650 m, 8 km
3,304 mHighest lift top — Pic Blanc 3 (cable car)
57 kmTotal length of lifts — 67 lifts mapped
5,890 haSki area boundary (OSM)
100Inhabitants — La Garde (INSEE 38177)
Measured 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.
Staying and hiring gear in La Garde
The partners covering this resort, shown side by side, and the shop to kit out before you leave. Some links earn us a commission — never at the expense of the price or of the data.
Collective accommodation
- 1 hotel · 8 rooms
Commune: La Garde · INSEE tourist accommodation survey, 2026, read on 12 September 2026. Collective accommodation only — privately let flats and second homes are not counted. INSEE dataset ↗
Stay & accommodation
Holidu
Holiday-rental comparison site.
Gear & equipment
Absolute Snow
UK ski and snowboard shop — delivers to UK addresses only.
Hardloop
Mountain gear shop: ski touring, avalanche safety, winter clothing.
Beyond skiing at La Garde
Without skis on — 1 km of snowshoe and walking trails
Ice rink
- Patinoire à ciel ouvert · Huez · 3 km away
- Patinoire des Deux Alpes · Les Deux Alpes · 9 km away
Swimming pool
- Piscine couverte · Huez · 3 km away
- Piscine de plein air chauffée · Huez · 3.1 km away
- Piscine des 2 Alpes · Les Deux Alpes · 9 km away
Paragliding
- Ecole de Parapente - Air Ailes Parapente · Les Deux Alpes · 9 km away
- Ecole de Parapente - Air 2 Alpes · Les Deux Alpes · 9.6 km away
- Ecole de Parapente - 2 Alpes Parapente · Les Deux Alpes · 9.9 km away
Museum
- GALTA la Galerie des Trésors Alpins · Le Bourg-d'Oisans · 2.3 km away
- Musée d'histoire et d'archéologie de l'Alpe d'Huez · Huez · 3 km away
- Eco musée des Cours - Musée rural "Alice" · Auris · 3.6 km away
- Maison Départementale des Alpages de l'Isère · Besse · 9.9 km away
Cinema
- Cinéma Les Ecrins · Le Bourg-d'Oisans · 1.9 km away
- Cinéma L'AgorAlp · Huez · 3 km away
- Cinéma des 2 Alpes - Le Slalom · Les Deux Alpes · 9.2 km away
- Le Signal · 2.8 km away · OpenStreetMap
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. Lines marked OpenStreetMap come from the map, within 3 km — opening times on site. Opening times and prices are the operator’s — check before you go.
Ski schools and practical information
Ski school
ESF L'Alpe D'Huez
367 instructors
🇬🇧 277 English-speaking instructors — lessons in English available
🗓️ This school sells its lessons online — book ↗
Source: esf.net
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.
Off the pistes: off-piste and ski touring
The resorts for off-piste skiing →Ski touring routes described
12 ski touring routes documented within 10 km of La Garde — up to 1,463 m of climb.
| Summit and route | Ski grade | Climb | Altitude | Aspect | From resort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Signal de l'Homme · Combes SE | 1.3 · E1 · F+ | 650 m | 1,530 → 2,176 m | SE | 4.3 km |
| Les Grandes Buffes · Versant SW | 1.2 · E1 · F | 630 m | 1,530 → 2,164 m | S | 5 km |
| Les Grandes Buffes · Couloir NW | 4.1 · E1 · AD | 515 m | 1,649 → 2,164 m | NW | 5.4 km |
| La Croix du Carrelet · Depuis Villard Notre Dame | 2.1 · E1 · F | 482 m | 1,576 → 2,058 m | E | 5.4 km |
The other 8 routes, with grades and vertical →
Not a piste. Neither marked, nor patrolled, nor secured: transceiver, shovel, probe, the day’s avalanche bulletin and, better still, a guide. Ski grade (1.1–5.6) = steepness and commitment; exposure (E1–E4) = consequence of a fall.
Source: Camptocamp.org topo guide (CC BY-SA), routes starting within 10 km, read on 13 October 2026. Descriptions and photos are on Camptocamp; an empty cell is a field nobody has filled in. Camptocamp ski touring routes ↗
Piste map
Open on OpenSnowMap ↗Official piste map
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 La Garde
From Paris: 6 hr 47 (626 km) by road.
By road
- From Grenoble: 58 min · 54 km
- From Chambéry: 1 hr 37 · 112 km
- From Valence: 1 hr 54 · 143 km
- From Annecy: 2 hr 06 · 160 km
- From Lyon: 2 hr 10 · 156 km
From other major cities (15)
- From Genève: 2 hr 35 · 197 km
- From Saint-Étienne: 2 hr 43 · 205 km
- From Marseille: 3 hr 58 · 280 km
- From Montpellier: 4 hr 01 · 347 km
- From Dijon: 4 hr 02 · 357 km
- From Clermont-Ferrand: 4 hr 03 · 322 km
- From Besançon: 4 hr 21 · 386 km
- From Nice: 5 hr 17 · 389 km · avoids Col de Restefond, closed in winter
- From Perpignan: 5 hr 23 · 495 km
- From Nancy: 6 hr 09 · 568 km
- From Toulouse: 6 hr 19 · 581 km
- From Strasbourg: 6 hr 44 · 624 km
- From Paris: 6 hr 47 · 626 km
- From Bordeaux: 8 hr 01 · 711 km
- From Pau: 8 hr 13 · 771 km
Excluding traffic and winter conditions; passes closed in winter are avoided.
By train
Jarrie - Vizille station
halt · then 40 min drive (39 km)
Nearest main station: Grenoble, 58 min by road.
No direct bus line from the station to the resort appears in the open-data timetables (checked on 11 October 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
- Grenoble-Alpes-Isère (GNB): 1 hr 24 by road · 96 km
- Chambéry-Savoie (CMF): 1 hr 48 by road · 120 km
Take me there
These links open the app with La Garde as the destination. Your starting point is never sent by us — the app asks you for it, if you agree.
Charging an electric car
7 charging stations within 2 km
18 charging points · up to 400 kW
- HUEZ - Parking Huez Village · EASYCHARGE · 2 points · 22 kW · 1.7 km
- LE BOURG D'OISANS - Rue Des Colporteurs · EASYCHARGE · 3 points · 50 kW · 1.7 km
- RENAULT - Bourg dOisans · Sowatt Solutions · 5 points · 400 kW · 1.9 km
- ABB 400 RENAULT BOURG D'OISANS A · SOWATT SOLUTIONS · 2 points · 400 kW · 1.9 km
- ABB 400 RENAULT BOURG D'OISANS B · SOWATT SOLUTIONS · 2 points · 400 kW · 1.9 km
Freely accessible charge points read from the French national EV charging database (data.gouv.fr ↗, operators’ own declarations), checked on 9 October 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.
Translated from the French Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA), machine translation.
Frequently asked questions
How high is La Garde?
The La Garde pistes start at 1,810 m, and its ski area rises to 2,112 m.
What is the longest piste in La Garde?
The longest piste is Sarenne: 8 km (black run), for 1,657 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 La Garde?
The highest lift, Pic Blanc 3, tops out at 3,304 m (IGN RGE ALTI terrain model). The 67 lifts mapped on OpenStreetMap total 57 km.
How do I get to La Garde?
By road, La Garde is 58 min from Grenoble (54 km), excluding traffic and winter conditions. By train, the nearest station is Jarrie - Vizille, 40 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 Grenoble-Alpes-Isère, 1 hr 24 away.
How long is the drive from Paris to La Garde?
6 hr 47 for 626 km from central Paris, excluding traffic and winter conditions. Computed on the real road network (OpenStreetMap): allow more on a school-holiday Saturday.
Is the snow reliable in La Garde?
Natural snow is low on average: skiing depends on snowmaking and good years. 34 days a winter at 30 cm or more on average, and 214 cm of fresh snow, measured over 49 winters at the Météo-France “LAVALDENS” station. This verdict rests on 49 winters of Météo-France measurements (1964-2018); in season the daily report prevails.
Nearby resorts
Full page in French. The French page carries the editorial guides and a few extra readings; every figure, webcam and price on this page is the same one. La Garde in French →
Every figure carries its source and date; a missing figure shows as “—”, never estimated. Embed this widget on your site