SkiRadar FR

Le Sauze

Southern Alps Altitude 1,352 – 2,389 m Checked on 18 September 2026
1,352 mVillage altitude
2,389 mTop of the ski area
42 kmAlpine pistes
21Ski lifts
—Adult day pass

Le Sauze is a winter sports resort, located in the Ubaye valley, in the Alps massif (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence).

Officially classified tourist resort (France) Full page in French →
Le Sauze — view of the resort
Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Translated from the French Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA), machine translation.

SkiRadar ratings

How ratings are computed →Computed on 18 September 2026

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.

  1. SnowCan you count on the snow?
    3 / 5

    Top of the ski area: 2,389 m · Bottom of the pistes: 1,374 m · Days above 30 cm per winter, measured: 53 days · Days above 30 cm, December to March, model: 95%

  2. Ski areaIs there enough to ski all week?
    3 / 5

    Km of pistes at the resort: 42 km · Km of pistes across the linked area: 42 km · Lifts: 21 · Balance between piste levels: 84%

  3. ValueIs the lift pass reasonable for what you get?
    n/a

    Not rated: “adult day pass” is missing from this page.

  4. Families and beginnersIs it right for children and beginners?
    3 / 5

    Share of green and blue pistes: 65% · Magic carpets: 1 · Sledging runs: 1 · ESF ski school · Ice rink, pool, rail sledge…: 3

  5. AccessIs it easy to get to?
    1.5 / 5

    Average drive time from 20 major cities: 5 hr 52 · Nearest railway station: 1 hr 04 · Station-to-resort shuttles per day: 0 · Nearest airport: 2 hr 08

  6. Atmosphere and après-skiIs there life in the evening and off the slopes?
    2.5 / 5

    Bars and pubs: 1 · Nightclubs: 0 · Restaurants: 5 · Upcoming events: 10 · Collective tourist beds: 189 — index: what the map and the listings publish

  7. 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).

Snow and opening

7-day forecast → Snow report →
Status unknown

The domain is due to open on 19 December 2026 and close on 29 March 2027. Open pistes and lifts will appear here as soon as the resort publishes its daily report.

7-day forecast

Village 1,352 m · top 2,389 m

Loading the forecast…

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.

Average snow depth by month

Good snow from December to April: a long, reliable season.

Estimate · 10-winter average (2015-2025)

☀️ Average daily sunshine : Nov 7.3 h · Dec 6.9 h · Jan 7.2 h · Feb 8.4 h · Mar 9.7 h · Apr 10.7 h — 27 bright days in April (Open-Meteo estimate, 2015-2025).

  1. November18 cmInsufficient · 22%
  2. December56 cmGood skiing · 83%
  3. January79 cmGood skiing · 97%
  4. February96 cmGood skiing · 100%
  5. March114 cmGood skiing · 100%
  6. April84 cmGood skiing · 93%
  7. May27 cmInsufficient · 38%

30 cm on the ground: the benchmark for groomed-piste skiing. Bar = monthly average depth; percentage = share of time above 30 cm.

  • Good skiing: 30 cm on more than 8 days in 10
  • Variable: 30 cm on 5 to 8 days in 10
  • Insufficient: 30 cm less than one day in two
Estimate from the ERA5-Land reanalysis (Open-Meteo), about 9 km grid at 1,352 m. Not a resort measurement: during the season the daily report prevails. The percentage is the share of time with at least 30 cm on the ground.

Snow actually measured, winter by winter

52 complete winters measured, from 1968-1969 to 2022-2023 — on average 53 days a winter with at least 30 cm on the ground.

Météo-France — “LES ORRES” station (1457 m, 17.9 km away) · 12 Sept 2026
  1. 1-15 Dec11 cmInsufficient · 15 %
  2. 16-31 Dec18 cmInsufficient · 22 %
  3. 1-15 Jan26 cmInsufficient · 38 %
  4. 16-31 Jan34 cmVariable · 53 %
  5. 1-15 Feb39 cmVariable · 65 %
  6. 16-29 Feb41 cmVariable · 61 %
  7. 1-15 Mar34 cmVariable · 53 %
  8. 16-31 Mar19 cmInsufficient · 33 %
  9. 1-15 Apr8 cmInsufficient · 12 %
Best winter of the series
1976-1977 — 114 days at 30 cm or more
Worst winter of the series
1992-1993 — 0 day at 30 cm or more

How much snow actually falls — 186 cm a winter on average, spread over 21 days of snowfall. Measured over 53 complete winters, from 1969-1970 to 2022-2023.

Biggest 24-hour snowfall
57 cm — 1981-1982
Snowiest winter
2017-2018 — 335 cm
Leanest winter
1992-1993 — 21 cm
Total snow depth on the ground measured at 06:00 at the Météo-France “LES ORRES” station (1457 m, 17.9 km away), from the open “Daily climatological data” dataset (Open Licence 2.0). The season is counted from 1 December to 15 April; only winters with at least 95 % of those 136 days measured are kept, so no figure here rests on a handful of readings. The reading is taken at 1457 m, well below the top of the ski area (2389 m), where snow lies deeper. In season, the resort’s daily report prevails. Snowfall figures are the fresh snow depth over 24 hours recorded at the same station (the HNEIGEF column): a day of snowfall is a day with 1 cm or more, and only winters measured 95 % of the time on that column are counted — which is why the record can be longer or shorter than the one for snow on the ground. More snow always falls than remains: some melts, settles or blows away.

The ski area

Compare with another resort →

89 pistes, by level — 42 km

23 green35 blue29 red2 black
Skiable vertical
1,015 m (1,374 m → 2,389 m)
Lifts
3 chairlifts, 16 drag lifts, 1 magic carpet
Snowpark
3 mapped zones, 3.1 km from the resort — Skieur Cross M (easy) · Skieur Cross L (intermediate) · Stade de Slalom (easy)
OpenStreetMap, surveyed on 18 September 2026. OpenStreetMap does not map individual features (kickers, rails): what is counted here are the named zones.
Without skis
1 sledging run
Piste aspect
N 64% · E 11% · S 2% · W 24% (descent direction of 55 OSM pistes, terrain model)
Mountain restaurants
Le Trappeur (1701 m) · L'Ange Gardien (1698 m)
Season 2026-2027
opens on 19 December 2026, closes on 29 March 2027

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 2026
2 kmLongest piste — Soudane (blue), 442 m of vertical
442 mBiggest vertical without changing piste — 2,128 → 1,686 m, 2 km
2,347 mHighest lift top — Dome (platter lift), national lift register
18,340Total lift capacity, people per hour — 22 installations: 3 chairlifts, 19 drag lifts
48 yrsAverage age of the lift fleet — oldest 1946, newest 2012
1,500Biggest lift, people per hour — Le Brec (detachable chairlift, 2012)
16 kmTotal length of lifts — 20 lifts mapped
n/aSki area boundary (OSM)
399Inhabitants — Enchastrayes (INSEE 04073)

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.

Source: national register of mechanical lifts (STRMTG, CAIRN), fleet as of 1 January 2025 — lifts attributed to Le Sauze only (“SAUZE (LE)”), magic carpets included.

Staying and hiring gear in Le Sauze

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

Ski Planet
Self-catering flats and all-inclusive ski holidays at the foot of the slopes, since 1999.
See offers
Montagne Vacances
Flats and chalets in the resort, at direct prices.
See offers
VVF
Family holiday villages, kids’ clubs included.
See offers

Ski hire

Sport 2000 Location
Skis, boots and helmets booked online, collected in a resort shop.
Book
Skiset
Network of ski-hire shops in the resorts.
Book

Live webcams

All webcams (4) →
Le Sauze Du Lac Open at the operator ↗
▶ Watch live
Le Brec (2400m)le lecteur de l’opérateur refuse d’être intégré : la caméra s’ouvre chez lui
▶ Watch live
1le lecteur de l’opérateur refuse d’être intégré : la caméra s’ouvre chez lui
▶ Watch live
2le lecteur de l’opérateur refuse d’être intégré : la caméra s’ouvre chez lui

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 Le Sauze

From Paris: 8 hr 57 (746 km) by road.

By road

  • From Marseille: 3 hr 02 · 232 km
  • From Grenoble: 3 hr 08 · 174 km
  • From Chambéry: 3 hr 45 · 246 km
  • From Valence: 3 hr 57 · 231 km
  • From Annecy: 4 hr 14 · 293 km
From other major cities (14)
  • From Lyon: 4 hr 20 · 276 km
  • From Montpellier: 4 hr 20 · 355 km
  • From Genève: 4 hr 44 · 331 km
  • From Saint-Étienne: 4 hr 53 · 324 km
  • From Perpignan: 5 hr 42 · 503 km
  • From Dijon: 6 hr 12 · 477 km
  • From Clermont-Ferrand: 6 hr 13 · 444 km
  • From Besançon: 6 hr 31 · 506 km
  • From Toulouse: 6 hr 38 · 589 km
  • From Nancy: 8 hr 19 · 687 km
  • From Pau: 8 hr 33 · 779 km
  • From Strasbourg: 8 hr 54 · 744 km
  • From Paris: 8 hr 57 · 746 km
  • From Bordeaux: 9 hr 02 · 831 km

Excluding traffic and winter conditions; passes closed in winter are avoided.

By train

Mont-Dauphin - Guillestre station

halt · then 1 hr 04 drive (56 km)

Nearest main station: Les Arcs - Draguignan, 3 hr 30 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

  • Cuneo (CUF): 2 hr 08 by road · 119 km
  • Turin-Caselle (TRN): 3 hr 20 by road · 217 km

Take me there

These links open the app with Le Sauze as the destination. Your starting point is never sent by us — the app asks you for it, if you agree.

Charging an electric car

2 charging stations within 2 km

4 charging points · up to 24 kW

  • ENCHASTRAYES - Le Sauze · EASYCHARGE · 2 points · 22 kW · 0.2 km
  • ENCHASTRAYES - Parking le Super Sauze · EASYCHARGE · 2 points · 24 kW · 1.7 km

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 →
12 Marked off-piste itineraries · 7 km
— Ski touring routes
1,015 m Skiable vertical · top 2,389 m

Named itineraries: Grand C · Petit Brec Hors Piste · Grand Quartier Hors Piste · Brec Hors Piste

Safety. Off-piste terrain is neither marked nor made safe by the resort: a transceiver, a shovel, a probe and reading the avalanche bulletin are the minimum — and going with a mountain guide is better still. Today's avalanche risk (Météo-France scale of 1 to 5) will appear here during the season.

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 →

12 ski touring routes documented within 10 km of Le Sauze — up to 1,340 m of climb.

Summit and routeSki gradeClimbAltitudeAspectFrom resort
Chapeau de Gendarme - Le Lan · Depuis le Super-Sauzen/a980 m1,700 → 2,685 mNE2.9 km
Col Bas de l'Alpe · Boucle de Terres Pleines - depuis Super-Sauze (la Rente)n/a · F1,226 m1,680 → 2,496 mn/a3.5 km
Col du Vallon Julien · Versant N2.1 · E1 · PD-950 m1,680 → 2,630 mN4.1 km
Soleil Bœuf · Depuis Faucon de Barcelonnetten/a · E1 · F1,030 m1,186 → 2,214 mn/a4.2 km
Croix de l'Alpe · par l'arête N2.1 · E1 · PD1,126 m1,465 → 2,591 mW4.8 km
Croix de l'Alpe · Depuis la Rente par le col Bas2.3 · E1 · F+950 m1,680 → 2,605 mW · NW · SW4.8 km
Tête Dure · Versant NW par le Vallon de Terres Pleines2.3 · E2 · PD1,200 m1,500 → 2,694 mNE6.4 km
Pointe Fine · Boucle vallon de Bachasse > Versant E3.1 · E1 · PD+1,100 m1,450 → 2,581 mn/a7.5 km
Tête Dure · Versant E2.3 · E1 · F800 m1,918 → 2,694 mn/a7.6 km
Le Cimet · Traversée SNn/a · D957 m2,063 → 3,020 mn/a8.6 km
Le Cimet · Par le vallon de la Grande Cayolle / Arête S2.2 · E1 · F950 m2,063 → 3,020 mE8.6 km
Grand Bérard · Face E5.3 · E3 · TD1,340 m1,700 → 3,046 mE8.7 km
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 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 Le Sauze

Swimming pool

Paragliding

Museum

Cinema

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

189 bed spaces in tourist residences, holiday villages and hostels

  • 4 hotels · 81 rooms (3 × 2★)
  • 1 holiday village or family centre · 102 bed spaces
  • 1 youth hostel or sports centre · 87 bed spaces
  • 1 campsite · 79 pitches

Commune: Enchastrayes · INSEE tourist accommodation survey, 2026, read on 12 September 2026. Collective accommodation only — privately let flats and second homes are not counted. INSEE dataset ↗

Tourist office

Office de tourisme

Ski school

ESF Le Sauze

📞 04 92 81 05 20

🌐 esf-sauze.com

48 instructors

🇬🇧 23 English-speaking instructors — lessons in English available

🗓️ This school sells its lessons online — book ↗

Source: esf.net

All about the ski school in Le Sauze →

Days without skiing

  • Cinema · Cinéma de Sauze
  • Cinema · Ciné Ubaye
  • Swimming pool · Grand bassin

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 Le Sauze

All 10 upcoming events →

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

Pra-Loup 6 kmSainte-Anne-la-Condamine 11 kmLa Foux d'Allos 13 kmVal d'Allos - La Foux 13 kmLe Seignus 15 kmLes Orres 19 km

Frequently asked questions

How high is Le Sauze?

Le Sauze sits at 1,352 m at village level, and its ski area rises to 2,389 m.

How many kilometres of pistes does Le Sauze have?

Le Sauze has 42 km of pistes served by 21 lifts (OpenStreetMap survey).

What is the longest piste in Le Sauze?

The longest piste is Soudane: 2 km (blue run), for 442 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 Le Sauze?

The highest lift, Dome (platter lift), tops out at 2,347 m. Source: STRMTG, French national register of mechanical lifts (CAIRN database), file dated 1 January 2025.

How many lifts does Le Sauze have, and what is their capacity?

The French national register of mechanical lifts records 22 installations at Le Sauze (3 chairlifts, 19 drag lifts), for an authorised capacity of 18,340 people per hour, of which 1,500 for Le Brec alone. The fleet spans 1946 to 2012, an average age of 48 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 Le Sauze?

By road, Le Sauze is 3 hr 02 from Marseille (232 km), excluding traffic and winter conditions. By train, the nearest station is Mont-Dauphin - Guillestre, 1 hr 04 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 Cuneo, 2 hr 08 away.

How long is the drive from Paris to Le Sauze?

8 hr 57 for 746 km from central Paris, excluding traffic and winter conditions. Computed on the real road network (OpenStreetMap): allow more on a school-holiday Saturday.

When does Le Sauze open?

According to the official website, the resort opens on 19 December 2026 and closes on 29 March 2027 (2026-2027 season).

Is the snow reliable in Le Sauze?

Yes: good snow through most of the winter according to ten winters of reanalysis (estimate); in season the daily report prevails.

Is Le Sauze good for beginners and families?

65% of the pistes are green or blue: a rather easy area.

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. Le Sauze in French →

Every figure carries its source and date; a missing figure shows as “—”, never estimated. Embed this widget on your site