Les Plans d'Hotonnes
1,031 mVillage altitude
1,232 mTop of the ski area
7 kmAlpine pistes
10Ski lifts
Not published by any source: adult day pass.
Les Plans d'Hotonnes is a French winter sports resort, located in the commune of Haut Valromey in the département of Ain, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. It is situated in the natural region of Bugey and more specifically Valromey, in the massif du Jura.
Live webcams
All webcams (1) →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. Checked on 4 October 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.
Natural snow is low on average: skiing depends on snowmaking and good years. 32 days a winter at 30 cm or more on average, and 199 cm of fresh snow, measured over 46 winters at the Météo-France “GIRON” station. Fortnight by fortnight, over 46 measured winters →
3-day forecast
Village 1,031 m · top 1,232 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?1.5 / 5
Top of the ski area: 1,232 m · Bottom of the pistes: 996 m · Days above 30 cm per winter, measured: 32 days · Days above 30 cm, December to March, model: 4%
- Ski areaIs there enough to ski all week?2 / 5
Km of pistes at the resort: 7 km · Lifts: 10 · Balance between piste levels: 66%
- 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
Share of green and blue pistes: 81% · Magic carpets: 0 · Sledging runs: 2 · ESF ski school · Ice rink, pool, rail sledge…: 0
- AccessIs it easy to get to?3.5 / 5
Average drive time from 20 major cities: 3 hr 55 · Nearest railway station: 29 min · Station-to-resort shuttles per day: 0 · Nearest airport: 1 hr 12
- Atmosphere and après-skiIs there life in the evening and off the slopes?2 / 5
Bars and pubs: 1 · Nightclubs: 0 · Restaurants: 4 · 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: 1 · 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 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).
16 pistes, by level
3 green10 blue3 red0 black
- Skiable vertical
- 236 m
- Cross-country skiing
- 2 named trails — 4.5 km of marked loops (2.7 km of distinct track: the loops overlap), right by the resort
Ski-area figures — bottom, km of pistes, pistes by level: OpenStreetMap (1 Oct); top, lifts: STRMTG — French national lift register (1 Jan) .
The ski area in figures
Measured on 7 October 20261 kmLongest piste — Le Détour (blue), 127 m of vertical
128 mBiggest vertical without changing piste — 1,227 → 1,099 m, 1 km
1,232 mHighest lift top — Chèvre 2 (d) (platter lift), national lift register
6,159Total lift capacity, people per hour — 10 installations: 10 drag lifts
43 yrsAverage age of the lift fleet — oldest 1963, newest 2010
900Biggest lift, people per hour — Culaz (platter lift, 1972)
3 kmTotal length of lifts — 9 lifts mapped
69 haSki area boundary (OSM)
801Inhabitants — Haut Valromey (INSEE 01187)
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 Les Plans d'Hotonnes only (“PLANS D'HOTONNES (LES)”), magic carpets included.
Staying and hiring gear in Les Plans d'Hotonnes
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
- 2 hotels · 17 rooms
- 1 campsite · 33 pitches
Commune: Haut Valromey · 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 Les Plans d'Hotonnes
Without skis on — 2 sledging runs
Spa and thermal baths
- Espace bien être Ain's Temps Loisirs · OpenStreetMap
Dog sledding
- Balade en chiens de traîneau avec La Ferme des Résilients · Brénod · 7.4 km away
- Balade en chiens de traineau avec Au cœur des loups · Plateau d'Hauteville · 8.1 km away
- Piste d'entraînement chiens de traîneaux sur le Plateau de Retord - Merlogne · Valserhône · 8.6 km away
- Piste d'entraînement pour chiens de traîneaux sur le Plateau de Retord - ferme Bertrand · Valserhône · 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. 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
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
2 ski touring routes documented within 10 km of Les Plans d'Hotonnes — up to 600 m of climb.
| Summit and route | Ski grade | Climb | Altitude | Aspect | From resort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Colombier · Traversée du Bugey | n/a | 600 m | 925 → 1,535 m | S | 8.2 km |
| Hauteville La Praille · depuis l'étang D'Angeville | 1.3 · F | 350 m | 935 → 1,180 m | W | 8.6 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 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 Les Plans d'Hotonnes
From Paris: 5 hr 14 (493 km) by road.
By road
- From Genève: 1 hr 05 · 72 km
- From Annecy: 1 hr 15 · 73 km
- From Lyon: 1 hr 22 · 102 km
- From Chambéry: 1 hr 27 · 78 km
- From Grenoble: 2 hr 01 · 134 km
From other major cities (15)
- From Saint-Étienne: 2 hr 11 · 161 km
- From Dijon: 2 hr 23 · 214 km
- From Valence: 2 hr 28 · 201 km
- From Besançon: 2 hr 35 · 231 km
- From Clermont-Ferrand: 3 hr 05 · 269 km
- From Nancy: 4 hr 25 · 418 km
- From Montpellier: 4 hr 31 · 403 km
- From Marseille: 4 hr 36 · 412 km
- From Strasbourg: 4 hr 58 · 469 km
- From Paris: 5 hr 14 · 493 km
- From Perpignan: 5 hr 53 · 550 km
- From Nice: 6 hr 14 · 570 km
- From Toulouse: 6 hr 49 · 637 km
- From Bordeaux: 7 hr 03 · 659 km
- From Pau: 8 hr 43 · 827 km
Excluding traffic and winter conditions; passes closed in winter are avoided.
By train
Nurieux-Volognat station
halt · then 29 min drive (29 km)
Nearest main station: Bellegarde-sur-Valserine, 33 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
- Lyon-Saint-Exupéry (LYS): 1 hr 12 by road · 96 km
- Genève (GVA): 1 hr 17 by road · 67 km
Take me there
These links open the app with Les Plans d'Hotonnes 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 October 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 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 Les Plans d'Hotonnes?
Les Plans d'Hotonnes sits at 1,031 m at village level, and its ski area rises to 1,232 m.
How many kilometres of pistes does Les Plans d'Hotonnes have?
Les Plans d'Hotonnes has 7 km of slopes, 10 lifts.
What is the longest piste in Les Plans d'Hotonnes?
The longest piste is Le Détour: 1 km (blue run), for 127 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 Les Plans d'Hotonnes?
The highest lift, Chèvre 2 (d) (platter lift), tops out at 1,232 m. Source: STRMTG, French national register of mechanical lifts (CAIRN database), file dated 1 January 2025.
How many lifts does Les Plans d'Hotonnes have, and what is their capacity?
The French national register of mechanical lifts records 10 installations at Les Plans d'Hotonnes (10 drag lifts), for an authorised capacity of 6,159 people per hour, of which 900 for Culaz alone. The fleet spans 1963 to 2010, an average age of 43 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 Les Plans d'Hotonnes?
By road, Les Plans d'Hotonnes is 1 hr 05 from Genève (72 km), excluding traffic and winter conditions. By train, the nearest station is Nurieux-Volognat, 29 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 12 away.
How long is the drive from Paris to Les Plans d'Hotonnes?
5 hr 14 for 493 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 Les Plans d'Hotonnes?
Natural snow is low on average: skiing depends on snowmaking and good years. 32 days a winter at 30 cm or more on average, and 199 cm of fresh snow, measured over 46 winters at the Météo-France “GIRON” station. This verdict rests on 46 winters of Météo-France measurements (1964-2019); in season the daily report prevails.
Is Les Plans d'Hotonnes good for beginners and families?
81% of the pistes are green or blue: a very accessible area.
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. Les Plans d'Hotonnes in French →
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