The Orcières Merlette 1850 ski area

Orcières Merlette 1850 has 49 km of pistes, 29 lifts carrying 27,509 people an hour, 805 m of vertical, from 1,850 m to 2,655 m. 9 green runs, 48 blue, 35 red and 7 black.

Orcières Merlette 1850 is a ski resort in the Southern Alps (Hautes-Alpes), in the commune of Orcières. The village sits at 1,850 m and the ski area rises to 2,655 m, a skiable vertical of 805 m.

← Orcières Merlette 1850 resort page Version française

Runs by level

99 runs over 49 km:

9 green 48 blue 35 red 7 black

Vertical drop: 805 m — from 1,850 m to 2,655 m
Slope aspect: 54 % south · 24 % east · 13 % west · 8 % north — computed from the fall line of 79 runs

As declared by the resort(ANMSM feed)

Ski area: Orcières Merlette 1850
Linked area: Serre-Eyraud · 11 km
Pistes: 100 km · 52 pistes
By grade: 10 green · 17 blue · 18 red · 7 black
Lifts: 26 in total · 3 gondolas · 7 chairlifts · 17 drag lifts · 2 conveyors
Altitude: 1,850 m → 2,725 m
Snowmaking: 54 % of pistes
Beginners: Beginner zone
Fun & sledging: 5 snowparks · fun zone
Nordic: Site nordique du Haut-Champsaur · 4 km
Passes (as declared): Adulte 1 jour (forfait station) 46 € · Enfant 1 jour (forfait station) 38.5 € · Sénior 1 jour (forfait station) 43 € · Adulte 6 jours (forfait station) 255 € · Enfant 6 jours (forfait station) 216.5 € · Sénior 6 jours (forfait station) 239 € (official page)

Figures entered by the resort itself in the ANMSM feed. Our own survey (OpenStreetMap, STRMTG register) is shown above; when the two differ, the resort usually counts its whole linked area.

The ski area in figures

Measured on 9 September 2026

2 kmLongest piste — Camille Ricou (red), 523 m of vertical

523 mBiggest vertical without changing piste — 2,377 → 1,853 m, 2 km

2,725 mHighest lift top — Gnourou (chairlift), national lift register

27,509Total lift capacity, people per hour — 29 installations: 9 chairlifts, 18 drag lifts, 2 magic carpets

29 yrsAverage age of the lift fleet — oldest 1962, newest 2015

2,425Biggest lift, people per hour — Drouvet 1 (chair-and-gondola lift, 2008)

17 kmTotal length of lifts — 22 lifts mapped

1,215 haSki area boundary (OSM)

651Inhabitants — Orcières (INSEE 05096)

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 Orcières Merlette 1850 only (“ORCIERES MERLETTE”), magic carpets included.

The lifts

29 lifts , carrying 27,509 people an hour in total , 29 years old on average (from 1962 to 2015).

Type (as registered, in French)	Count	Capacity (people/h)
Télésièges	9	15,767
Téléskis	18	11,742
Tapis roulants	2	—

Lift by lift

The 20 lifts whose capacity the register publishes, largest first.

Lift	Type	Capacity	Length	Vertical	Year	Manufacturer
DROUVET 1	Télémix	2,425	2128 m	268 m	2008	POMAGALSKI
DROUVET 2	Télémix	2,400	1577 m	547 m	2005	POMAGALSKI
BERGERIE	Télésiège débrayable	2,400	1831 m	516 m	1986	POMAGALSKI
ROCHE ROUSSE	Télémix	2,082	2400 m	440 m	2003	POMAGALSKI
ESTARIS	Télésiège débrayable	2,000	1492 m	300 m	2013	POMAGALSKI
FONTAINON (TELECORDE)	Télécorde	1,500	98 m	6 m	2007	POMAGALSKI
GNOUROU	Télésiège	1,500	1673 m	375 m	2000	POMAGALSKI
CROZE des HOMMES	Télésiège	1,500	1260 m	356 m	1999	POMAGALSKI
LAUZIERES	Télésiège	900	1247 m	409 m	1970	MONTAZ MAUTINO
MANROUSE	Téléski à perche débrayable	900	614 m	212 m	1967	MONTAZ MAUTINO
ROCHER	Téléski à perche débrayable	800	193 m	39 m	2012	G.M.M.
FLOCON	Téléski à enrouleur	800	169 m	27 m	2008	POMAGALSKI
ETOILE	Téléski à perche débrayable	800	257 m	42 m	2008	POMAGALSKI
SNOWPARK	Téléski à perche débrayable	750	170 m	49 m	2007	POMAGALSKI
MEOLLION 1 (gauche)	Téléski à perche débrayable	660	1040 m	367 m	1962	POMAGALSKI
BOTTE CROZE	Téléski à perche débrayable	650	1162 m	284 m	1975	MONTAZ MAUTINO
CHARPENET	Téléski à perche débrayable	650	495 m	115 m	1973	MONTAZ MAUTINO
SCHUSSEIS 1 (gauche)	Téléski à perche débrayable	600	153 m	26 m	2005	MONTAZ MAUTINO
SCHUSSEIS 2 (droite)	Téléski à perche débrayable	600	153 m	26 m	2005	MONTAZ MAUTINO
MARCHES	Téléski à perche débrayable	561	543 m	150 m	1979	MONTAZ MAUTINO

French national lift register (STRMTG / CAIRN database) — listed as “ORCIERES MERLETTE” · open the database. Safety register: it also counts lifts that do not run every day.

Official piste map

Open the piste map (image, 3.3 MB) ↗

Published by Orcières Merlette 1850 · file dated 24 February 2026 · link checked on 12 September 2026 · official page

Link to the resort’s own file — a piste map is a copyrighted artwork, we host no copy.

Resort data: declared by Office de Tourisme d'Orcières and distributed by ANMSM · read on 18 September