Risoul
Risoul is a ski resort in the Southern Alps (Hautes-Alpes). The village sits at 872 m and the ski area rises to 2,719 m, a skiable vertical of 939 m.
The area offers 15 km of alpine pistes, 21 marked pistes (10 green, 10 blue, 1 red), 12 ski lifts. Green and blue runs dominate: terrain suited to beginners and families.
Risoul belongs to the linked La Forêt Blanche area: one lift pass covers the neighbouring resorts.
Measured on the OpenStreetMap map: the longest piste runs 4 km (Les Chardons) and the highest lift tops out at 2,719 m.
The resort holds the Station classée de tourisme label.
Access: 2 h 40 by road from Grenoble and 9 min from Mont-Dauphin - Guillestre railway station.
5 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 / 5
Top of the ski area: 2,719 m · Bottom of the pistes: 1,780 m · Days above 30 cm per winter, measured: 53 days · Days above 30 cm, December to March, model: 95%
- Ski areaIs there enough to ski all week?2.5 / 5
Km of pistes at the resort: 15 km · Km of pistes across the linked area: 87 km · Lifts: 12 · Balance between piste levels: 61%
- ValueIs the lift pass reasonable for what you get?2.5 / 5
Adult day pass: €58 · Day pass price per km of pistes: €0.67/km · Price read at a neighbouring resort of the same area
- Families and beginnersIs it right for children and beginners?3 / 5
Share of green and blue pistes: 95% · Magic carpets: 1 · Sledging runs: 0 · Special prices out of 4 (beginner, child, family, free age): 2 · ESF ski school · Ice rink, pool, rail sledge…: 3
- AccessIs it easy to get to?3 / 5
Average drive time from 20 major cities: 5 hr 28 · Nearest railway station: 9 min · Station-to-resort shuttles per day: 7 · Nearest airport: 2 hr 31
- Atmosphere and après-skiIs there life in the evening and off the slopes?3.5 / 5
Bars and pubs: 6 · Nightclubs: 0 · Restaurants: 15 · Upcoming events: 5 · Collective tourist beds: 706 — 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: 37% · Spas and saunas: 0 · Jewellers, watchmakers, fashion boutiques: 0 · Adult day pass: €58 — 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.
Avalanche danger
7-day forecast
Village 872 m · top 2,719 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 December to April: a long, reliable season.
☀️ Average daily sunshine : Nov 7.2 h · Dec 6.8 h · Jan 7.2 h · Feb 8.4 h · Mar 9.6 h · Apr 10.7 h — 26 bright days in April (Open-Meteo estimate, 2015-2025).
- November19 cmInsufficient · 25%
- December60 cmGood skiing · 83%
- January86 cmGood skiing · 98%
- February102 cmGood skiing · 100%
- March119 cmGood skiing · 100%
- April90 cmGood skiing · 99%
- May33 cmInsufficient · 47%
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
52 complete winters measured, from 1968-1969 to 2022-2023 — on average 53 days a winter with at least 30 cm on the ground.
- 1-15 Dec11 cmInsufficient · 15 %
- 16-31 Dec18 cmInsufficient · 22 %
- 1-15 Jan26 cmInsufficient · 38 %
- 16-31 Jan34 cmVariable · 53 %
- 1-15 Feb39 cmVariable · 65 %
- 16-29 Feb41 cmVariable · 61 %
- 1-15 Mar34 cmVariable · 53 %
- 16-31 Mar19 cmInsufficient · 33 %
- 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
The ski area
Compare with another resort →21 pistes, by level — 15 km
- Skiable vertical
- 939 m (1,780 m → 2,719 m)
- Lifts
- 1 gondola, 3 chairlifts, 6 drag lifts, 1 magic carpet
- Piste aspect
- N 71% · E 26% · S 0% · W 3% (descent direction of 21 OSM pistes, terrain model)
- Mountain restaurants
- La Marmite (1874 m) · Pizza 05 (1868 m) · L'Edelweiss (1866 m)
- Tourist office
- Office du tourisme de Risoul · 1 route des Chalps, 05600 · 0492460260 · [email protected] (declared by the resort, ANMSM)
- Piste map (PDF)
- Plan des pistes (declared by the resort, ANMSM)
Resort data: declared by Office du tourisme de Risoul and distributed by ANMSM · read on 18 September
Opening hours lift by lift (15)
| Lift | Type | Opens | Closes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mayt V5 | télésiège | 09:15 | 16:30 | OpenStreetMap |
| Crévoux 1 V19 | téléski | 09:10 | 16:30 | OpenStreetMap |
| Escondus V15 | télésiège | 09:00 | 16:40 | OpenStreetMap |
| Plans V10 | télésiège | 09:00 | 16:45 | OpenStreetMap |
| Chabrières V4 | télécabine | 09:00 | 16:45 | OpenStreetMap |
| Eyssina V18 | téléski | 09:10 | 16:30 | OpenStreetMap |
| Sibières V14 | télésiège | 09:00 | 16:40 | OpenStreetMap |
| Fontbonne V11 | télésiège | 09:00 | 16:30 | OpenStreetMap |
| Écrins V6 | téléski | 09:00 | 16:50 | OpenStreetMap |
| Écrins V3 | tapis | 09:00 | 16:50 | OpenStreetMap |
| Baby G2 V7 | téléski | 09:10 | 16:40 | OpenStreetMap |
| Peyniers V9 | télésiège | 09:00 | 16:25 | OpenStreetMap |
| Claux V1 | tapis | 09:00 | 16:50 | OpenStreetMap |
| Vars Speed Master | télésiège | 09:00 | 16:15 | OpenStreetMap |
| Crévoux 2 V20 | téléski | 09:10 | 16:30 | OpenStreetMap |
Hours as published by the source quoted, read on 15 September 2026. A lift missing from this table has no published time — no default is shown.
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 (2026-2027) detail →
| Adult pass | Price |
|---|---|
| 1 day | €58 |
| Season | €970 |
| Beginner, 1 day | €30 |
| Free | Free under 5 years |
Read on the official price list, full price, excluding promotions. Price list of the linked area, read on Vars. Official price list ↗
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.
Source: national register of mechanical lifts (STRMTG, CAIRN), fleet as of 1 January 2025 — lifts attributed to Risoul only (“RISOUL”), magic carpets included.
Staying and hiring gear in Risoul
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 (8) →Official players of the resort, live image. Checked on 18 September 2026.
Webcams provided by windy.com — add a webcam.
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 Risoul
From Paris: 8 hr 29 (724 km) by road.
By road
- From Grenoble: 2 hr 40 · 151 km
- From Chambéry: 2 hr 50 · 197 km
- From Marseille: 3 hr 02 · 235 km
- From Annecy: 3 hr 19 · 244 km
- From Valence: 3 hr 37 · 240 km
From other major cities (14)
- From Genève: 3 hr 49 · 282 km
- From Lyon: 3 hr 52 · 254 km
- From Montpellier: 4 hr 21 · 358 km
- From Saint-Étienne: 4 hr 26 · 302 km
- From Perpignan: 5 hr 42 · 506 km
- From Dijon: 5 hr 44 · 454 km
- From Clermont-Ferrand: 5 hr 45 · 422 km
- From Besançon: 6 hr 03 · 484 km
- From Toulouse: 6 hr 38 · 592 km
- From Nancy: 7 hr 51 · 665 km
- From Strasbourg: 8 hr 04 · 671 km
- From Paris: 8 hr 29 · 724 km
- From Pau: 8 hr 33 · 782 km
- From Bordeaux: 9 hr 02 · 834 km
Excluding traffic and winter conditions; passes closed in winter are avoided.
By train
Mont-Dauphin - Guillestre station
halt · then 9 min drive (7 km)
Nearest main station: Grenoble, 2 hr 40 by road.
- From Mont-Dauphin - Guillestre station (stop “Gare SNCF Mont-Dauphin Guillestre”): line 540 — 540 _ EMBRUN-GUILLESTRE-L'ARGENTIERE-BRIANCON (ZOU ! Proximité), 10 min to the “Guillestre - Gare Routière” stop — 7 departures a day on weekdays, 3 a day at weekends · first 07:02, last 19:32 · timetable from 15 December 2026 to 31 December 2026 · official timetable ↗
Direct journeys read from the official timetable files published on transport.data.gouv.fr — no connections.
By plane
- Cuneo (CUF): 2 hr 42 by road · 147 km
- Turin-Caselle (TRN): 2 hr 31 by road · 157 km
Take me there
These links open the app with Risoul as the destination. Your starting point is never sent by us — the app asks you for it, if you agree.
Charging an electric car
3 charging stations within 2 km
6 charging points · up to 22 kW
- GUILLESTRE - Rue de la Fontloube · EASYCHARGE · 2 points · 22 kW · 1.3 km
- GUILLESTRE - Champ de Foire · EASYCHARGE · 2 points · 22 kW · 1.6 km
- GUILLESTRE - Champ de Foire · EASYCHARGE · 2 points · 22 kW · 1.6 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: Pelinche
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 Risoul — up to 1,550 m of climb.
| Summit and route | Ski grade | Climb | Altitude | Aspect | From resort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pic du Clocher antécime NE · Antécime NE depuis Languieu | 2.1 · E1 · PD+ | 1,240 m | 1,180 → 2,420 m | NE | 3.1 km |
| Pic de Chabrières (Vars) · Depuis Risoul 1850 | 2.1 · PD+ | 1,100 m | 1,850 → 2,746 m | n/a | 4.3 km |
| Pic d'Escreins · depuis l'Ubac de L'Aval | 3.2 · PD+ | 1,300 m | 1,437 → 2,734 m | N · NE | 6.4 km |
| Tête de Fouran · En boucle par le couloir de Manouel | 3.2 · E1 · AD | 1,060 m | 1,400 → 2,460 m | n/a | 6.6 km |
| Tête de Fouran · Versant NE | 3.2 · E1 · AD | 1,000 m | 1,500 → 2,460 m | NE | 6.6 km |
| Tête de Fouran · Croupe de la brèche | 2.1 | 1,050 m | 1,410 → 2,460 m | E | 6.8 km |
| Col du Brunel - Pointe 2537 m · Vallon de Pramouton | n/a · E1 · PD- | 1,550 m | 927 → 2,545 m | N | 7.2 km |
| La Mayt (Vars) · Versant E | n/a | 950 m | 1,630 → 2,577 m | E | 7.3 km |
| Tête de Fouran · en boucle montée par la cabane de l'Alp descente par le ravin du Clôt | 2.1 · E1 | 1,100 m | 1,409 → 2,511 m | N | 7.5 km |
| Tête de Moussière · Boucle NE >> SW | n/a · PD | 1,100 m | 1,370 → 2,391 m | n/a | 8.2 km |
| Tête de Moussière · Versant SW par la Platte | 2.2 · E1 · PD- | 1,021 m | 1,370 → 2,391 m | SW | 8.2 km |
| Crête de La Saume · Par le versant N | 2.2 · E1 · PD | 1,470 m | 1,431 → 2,898 m | N | 8.4 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 Risoul
Ice rink
- Patinoire · Risoul · 3.2 km away
Swimming pool
- SKISEO - Centre aqualudique et de détente · Risoul · 3 km away
- Piscine municipale · Saint-Crépin · 7 km away
- Piscine · Vars · 9.5 km away
Spa and thermal baths
- Saï mithra · Risoul · 3 km away
- Amaneï - Régine Rey · L'Argentière-la-Bessée · 9.9 km away
Cinema
- Cinéma le RiouBel - Cin' Valley · Guillestre · 1.6 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. Opening times and prices are the operator’s — check before you go.
Practical information
Collective accommodation
706 bed spaces in tourist residences, holiday villages and hostels
- 4 hotels · 94 rooms (1 × 4★, 1 × 3★)
- 2 tourist residences and apartment hotels · 706 bed spaces
Commune: Risoul · 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 Risoul 1850
99 instructors
🇬🇧 70 English-speaking instructors — lessons in English available
🗓️ This school sells its lessons online — book ↗
Source: esf.net
Days without skiing
- Cinema · Le Riou Bel
- Ice rink · Patinoire
- Cinema · Cinéma de la Forêt Blanche
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 Risoul
All events →-
19 September 2026 – 20 September 2026
visite du système défensif et de la lunette d’Arçon
Mont-Dauphin · Mont-Dauphin
Venez remonter le temps pour découvrir l'ambitieux projet de Vauban, les perfectionnements imaginés par le général Le Michaud d'Arçon et explorer les secrets d'une fortification conçue pour être A…
Source: OpenAgenda, agenda “Hautes-Alpes” · View on OpenAgenda ↗
Also near: La Forêt Blanche (9.8 km)
-
19 September 2026 – 20 September 2026
Little Bighorn par Ousmane Sow
caserne Rochambeau · Mont-Dauphin
À l’occasion des Journées européennes du patrimoine, venez découvrir l’univers monumental d’Ousmane Sow : Little Bighorn, une exposition où l’histoire prend corps au sein des fortifications de…
Source: OpenAgenda, agenda “Hautes-Alpes” · View on OpenAgenda ↗
Also near: La Forêt Blanche (9.5 km)
-
19 September 2026 – 20 September 2026
Visite d'une place forte inscrite au Patrimoine mondial
Village fortifié de Mont-Dauphin · Mont-Dauphin
Mont-Dauphin vous ouvre ses portes de plus de trois siècles d'histoire. Inscrite sur la liste du Patrimoine Mondial, la place forte imaginée par Vauban vous réserve des surprises. Suivez-nous pour un…
Source: OpenAgenda, agenda “Hautes-Alpes” · View on OpenAgenda ↗
Also near: La Forêt Blanche (9.8 km)
-
19 September 2026 · 15:00
A l'assaut de la tour
saint-Clément-sur-Durance · Saint-Clément-sur-Durance
Ces journées sont une parfaite occasion de (re)découvrir l’histoire du village et de sa tour emblématique, dite tour sarrasine. mais est-elle aussi ancienne ?
Source: OpenAgenda, agenda “Hautes-Alpes” · View on OpenAgenda ↗
-
19 September 2026 · 18:00
Les premiers photographes du Queyras
Guillestre, école élémentaire Le Simoust · Guillestre
Des débuts de la photographie sur des plaques de verre au numérique d’aujourd’hui, la technique a bien changé !
Source: OpenAgenda, agenda “Hautes-Alpes” · View on OpenAgenda ↗
Also near: La Forêt Blanche (7.9 km), Ceillac (9.9 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 Risoul?
Risoul sits at 872 m at village level, and its ski area rises to 2,719 m.
How many kilometres of pistes does Risoul have?
Risoul has 15 km of pistes served by 12 lifts, within the linked La Forêt Blanche area (OpenStreetMap survey).
What is the longest piste in Risoul?
The longest piste is Les Chardons: 4 km (green run), for 366 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 Risoul?
The highest lift, PLATE de la NONE (detachable chairlift), tops out at 2,551 m. Source: STRMTG, French national register of mechanical lifts (CAIRN database), file dated 1 January 2025.
How many lifts does Risoul have, and what is their capacity?
The French national register of mechanical lifts records 21 installations at Risoul (1 gondola, 7 chairlifts, 12 drag lifts, 1 magic carpet), for an authorised capacity of 20,552 people per hour, of which 2,200 for Peyrefolle alone. The fleet spans 1970 to 2011, an average age of 34 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 much is a lift pass in Risoul?
The adult day pass costs €58 (2026-2027, read on the official price list, shared with Vars).
How do I get to Risoul?
By road, Risoul is 2 hr 40 from Grenoble (151 km), excluding traffic and winter conditions. By train, the nearest station is Mont-Dauphin - Guillestre, 9 min by road from the resort. From Mont-Dauphin - Guillestre station, line 540 — 540 _ EMBRUN-GUILLESTRE-L'ARGENTIERE-BRIANCON (ZOU ! Proximité) reaches the “Guillestre - Gare Routière” stop in 10 min, 7 departures a day on weekdays, 3 a day at weekends. The nearest airport is Cuneo, 2 hr 42 away.
How long is the drive from Paris to Risoul?
8 hr 29 for 724 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 Risoul?
Yes: good snow through most of the winter according to ten winters of reanalysis (estimate); in season the daily report prevails.
Is Risoul good for beginners and families?
95% of the pistes are green or blue: a very accessible area.
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