Pipay
Pipay is a ski resort in the Northern Alps (Isère), in the commune of Theys. The village sits at 1,550 m and the ski area rises to 2,236 m, a skiable vertical of 336 m.
The area offers 71 km of alpine pistes, 70 marked pistes (16 green, 16 blue, 20 red, 18 black), 22 ski lifts, plus a snowpark. The share of black runs makes it a rather technical area.
Pipay belongs to the linked Les Sept Laux area: one lift pass covers the neighbouring resorts.
Measured on the OpenStreetMap map: the longest piste runs 5 km (Chanterelle) and the highest lift tops out at 2,372 m.
Access: 43 min by road from Grenoble and 23 min from Goncelin railway station.
4 official webcams show the pistes live (on the French page).
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.
- SnowCan you count on the snow?3 / 5
Top of the ski area: 2,236 m · Bottom of the pistes: 1,900 m · Days above 30 cm per winter, measured: 30 days · Days above 30 cm, December to March, model: 82%
- Ski areaIs there enough to ski all week?4 / 5
Km of pistes at the resort: 71 km · Km of pistes across the linked area: 71 km · Lifts: 22 · Balance between piste levels: 100%
- ValueIs the lift pass reasonable for what you get?n/a
Not rated: “adult day pass” is missing from this page.
- Families and beginnersIs it right for children and beginners?1.5 / 5
Share of green and blue pistes: 46% · Magic carpets: 1 · Sledging runs: 0 · 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: 4 hr 07 · Nearest railway station: 23 min · Station-to-resort shuttles per day: 0 · Nearest airport: 1 hr 01
- Atmosphere and après-skiIs there life in the evening and off the slopes?2 / 5
Bars and pubs: 0 · Nightclubs: 0 · Restaurants: 10 · Upcoming events: 1 · Collective tourist beds: 0 — index: what the map and the listings publish
- Luxury and comfortHow upmarket is the resort?1 / 5
5-star hotels: 0 · 4-star hotels: 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).
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 AIGLETON-NIVOSE station (2,240 m)
Avalanche danger
7-day forecast
Village 1,550 m · top 2,236 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.
Average snow depth by month
Good snow from January to March.
☀️ Average daily sunshine : Nov 6.4 h · Dec 5.8 h · Jan 6.1 h · Feb 7.5 h · Mar 8.6 h · Apr 10.1 h — 25 bright days in April (Open-Meteo estimate, 2015-2025).
- November8 cmInsufficient · 5%
- December39 cmVariable · 59%
- January64 cmGood skiing · 88%
- February78 cmGood skiing · 94%
- March76 cmGood skiing · 86%
- April44 cmVariable · 62%
- May8 cmInsufficient · 11%
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
Snow actually measured, winter by winter
19 complete winters measured, from 1997-1998 to 2025-2026 — on average 30 days a winter with at least 30 cm on the ground.
- 1-15 Dec18 cmInsufficient · 26 %
- 16-31 Dec16 cmInsufficient · 23 %
- 1-15 Jan20 cmInsufficient · 21 %
- 16-31 Jan27 cmInsufficient · 26 %
- 1-15 Feb28 cmInsufficient · 36 %
- 16-29 Feb23 cmInsufficient · 26 %
- 1-15 Mar20 cmInsufficient · 25 %
- 16-31 Mar12 cmInsufficient · 15 %
- 1-15 Apr5 cmInsufficient · 5 %
- Best winter of the series
- 2017-2018 — 108 days at 30 cm or more
- Worst winter of the series
- 2019-2020 — 3 days at 30 cm or more
Snowfall: no long enough record of fresh snow at this station. Rather than an estimate, we show nothing.
The ski area
Compare with another resort →70 pistes, by level — 71 km
- Skiable vertical
- 336 m (1,900 m → 2,236 m)
- Lifts
- 1 gondola, 8 chairlifts, 12 drag lifts, 1 magic carpet
- Cross-country skiing
- 1 named trail — 0.6 km of marked loops, 2.9 km from the resortOpenStreetMap, lengths measured on the geometry, surveyed on 13 September 2026. A trail with no difficulty tag is shown as "n/a" — never guessed.
See the trails(1)
Trail Level Length La Beldina intermediate 0.6 km - Snowpark
- Yes
- Without skis
- 5 km of snowshoe and walking trails
- Piste aspect
- N 31% · E 25% · S 7% · W 36% (descent direction of 66 OSM pistes, terrain model)
- Tourist office
- Office de Tourisme des 7 Laux · 40 Allée des Terrasses, Centre les Cortillets - Prapoutel Les 7 Laux, 38190 · 04 76 08 17 86 · [email protected] (declared by the resort, ANMSM)
- Piste map (PDF)
- Plan des pistes ski alpin (declared by the resort, ANMSM)
Resort data: declared by Office de Tourisme des 7 Laux and distributed by ANMSM · read on 18 September
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 2026Measured 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 Pipay
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
Live webcams
All webcams (4) →Official players of the resort, live image.
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 Pipay
From Paris: 6 hr 37 (622 km) by road.
By road
- From Grenoble: 43 min · 40 km
- From Chambéry: 50 min · 54 km
- From Annecy: 1 hr 19 · 101 km
- From Valence: 1 hr 46 · 133 km
- From Genève: 1 hr 49 · 138 km
From other major cities (15)
- From Lyon: 2 hr 00 · 152 km
- From Saint-Étienne: 2 hr 34 · 201 km
- From Dijon: 3 hr 52 · 353 km
- From Montpellier: 3 hr 53 · 337 km
- From Clermont-Ferrand: 3 hr 53 · 321 km
- From Marseille: 3 hr 58 · 347 km
- From Besançon: 4 hr 08 · 311 km
- From Perpignan: 5 hr 15 · 485 km
- From Nice: 5 hr 36 · 505 km
- From Nancy: 5 hr 59 · 564 km
- From Strasbourg: 6 hr 04 · 528 km
- From Toulouse: 6 hr 11 · 572 km
- From Paris: 6 hr 37 · 622 km
- From Bordeaux: 7 hr 51 · 707 km
- From Pau: 8 hr 05 · 762 km
Excluding traffic and winter conditions; passes closed in winter are avoided.
By train
Goncelin station
regional station · then 23 min drive (20 km)
Nearest main station: Grenoble, 45 min 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
- Chambéry-Savoie (CMF): 1 hr 01 by road · 61 km
- Grenoble-Alpes-Isère (GNB): 1 hr 16 by road · 86 km
Take me there
These links open the app with Pipay as the destination. Your starting point is never sent by us — the app asks you for it, if you agree.
Charging an electric car
1 charging station within 2 km
5 charging points · up to 22 kW
- LES 7 LAUX - Parking journée - Station de Prapoutel · EASYCHARGE · 5 points · 22 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 →Named itineraries: L'Évêque · Les Plagnes · Combe de Bédina · Faucons · Lagopède · Le Pas du Chien
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 Pipay — up to 2,080 m of climb.
| Summit and route | Ski grade | Climb | Altitude | Aspect | From resort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dôme des Oudis · Versant NW direct | 3.2 · E1 · AD- | 580 m | 1,550 → 2,124 m | NW | 0.7 km |
| Dôme des Oudis · Versant NW par les pistes | 1.3 · E1 · PD- | 550 m | 1,572 → 2,124 m | NW | 1.4 km |
| Cime de la Jasse · Face W | 3.2 · E2 · AD+ | 1,140 m | 1,340 → 2,478 m | W | 1.7 km |
| Dents de Bédina · Couloir W de la Brèche de Bédina | 4.2 · E2 · D | 1,100 m | 1,340 → 2,430 m | W | 2 km |
| Col du Pouta · Versant NW | 2.1 · E1 · F | 1,050 m | 1,400 → 2,400 m | NW | 2 km |
| Dôme des Oudis · Traversée du Grand Rocher de Clarabout à Prapoutel | 2.2 · E1 · F | 1,550 m | 960 → 2,096 m | S | 2.2 km |
| Col du Pouta · Versant E par le couloir caché | 4.1 · E2 · D- | 920 m | 1,480 → 2,400 m | E · NE | 2.6 km |
| Pic de la Belle Étoile · Traversée Belle Étoile >> Dent du Pra >> Jasse - depuis Prabert | 3.3 · E1 · AD | 2,080 m | 1,220 → 2,718 m | S · SE · SW | 2.8 km |
| Dent du Pra · Combe N (du Pra) | 3.3 · E1 · D- | 1,200 m | 1,450 → 2,623 m | N | 2.8 km |
| Pic des Cabottes · Versant NW | 4.1 · E2 · D- | 1,300 m | 1,450 → 2,732 m | NW · N | 2.9 km |
| Pic de la Belle Étoile · Combe N | 3.3 · E2 · AD | 1,300 m | 1,450 → 2,718 m | NW | 2.9 km |
| Dent du Pra · Combe NE (de la Belle Étoile) | 4.1 · E1 · D- | 1,200 m | 1,440 → 2,623 m | NE | 2.9 km |
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 Pipay
Spa and thermal baths
- O d'là de l'O · Lumbin · 9.4 km away
Paragliding
- Aérobase, air bulle parapente · Lumbin · 9.6 km away
Museum
- Maison du bouquetin - Espace York Mallory · Allemond · 7.2 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. Opening times and prices are the operator’s — check before you go.
Practical information
Collective accommodation
- 1 campsite · 61 pitches
Commune: Theys · 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 Des Sept Laux
110 instructors
🇬🇧 47 English-speaking instructors — lessons in English available
Source: esf.net
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 Pipay
All events →-
19 September 2026 – 20 September 2026
Visite guidée du château des Monteynard à TENCIN
Château des Monteynard · Tencin
Visite guidée sur 3 niveaux du château des Monteynard. Château construit en 1777, meublé d'époque, et classé aux Monuments Historiques.
Source: OpenAgenda, agenda “Isère Attractivité” · View on OpenAgenda ↗
Also near: Saint-Hilaire (5.8 km), Prapoutel (6.3 km), Barioz (7.7 km), Le Pleynet (8.5 km)
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
Frequently asked questions
How high is Pipay?
Pipay sits at 1,550 m at village level, and its ski area rises to 2,236 m.
How many kilometres of pistes does Pipay have?
Pipay has 71 km of pistes served by 22 lifts, within the linked Les Sept Laux area (OpenStreetMap survey).
What is the longest piste in Pipay?
The longest piste is Chanterelle: 5 km (green run), for 620 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 Pipay?
The highest lift, Gypaète, tops out at 2,372 m (IGN RGE ALTI terrain model). The 22 lifts mapped on OpenStreetMap total 17 km.
How do I get to Pipay?
By road, Pipay is 43 min from Grenoble (40 km), excluding traffic and winter conditions. By train, the nearest station is Goncelin, 23 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 Chambéry-Savoie, 1 hr 01 away.
How long is the drive from Paris to Pipay?
6 hr 37 for 622 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 Pipay?
Yes: good snow through most of the winter according to ten winters of reanalysis (estimate); in season the daily report prevails.
Is Pipay good for beginners and families?
46% of the pistes are green or blue: a rather technical area.
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