Saint-Michel-de-Chaillol
Saint-Michel-de-Chaillol is a ski resort in the Southern Alps (Hautes-Alpes). The village sits at 1,220 m and the ski area rises to 1,790 m, a skiable vertical of 237 m.
The area offers 11 km of alpine pistes, 26 marked pistes (12 green, 9 blue, 5 red), 9 ski lifts. Green and blue runs dominate: terrain suited to beginners and families.
Access: 1 h 50 by road from Grenoble and 26 min from Gap railway station.
1 official webcam shows 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?2.5 / 5
Top of the ski area: 1,790 m · Bottom of the pistes: 1,553 m · Days above 30 cm per winter, measured: 1 day · Days above 30 cm, December to March, model: 81%
- Ski areaIs there enough to ski all week?2 / 5
Km of pistes at the resort: 11 km · Km of pistes across the linked area: 11 km · Lifts: 9 · Balance between piste levels: 75%
- 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?3 / 5
Share of green and blue pistes: 81% · Magic carpets: 1 · Sledging runs: 0 · ESF ski school · Ice rink, pool, rail sledge…: 0
- AccessIs it easy to get to?2.5 / 5
Average drive time from 20 major cities: 4 hr 48 · Nearest railway station: 26 min · Station-to-resort shuttles per day: 0 · Nearest airport: 2 hr 17
- Atmosphere and après-skiIs there life in the evening and off the slopes?1 / 5
Bars and pubs: 0 · Nightclubs: 0 · Restaurants: 0 · 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-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).
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 ANCELLE station (1,354 m)
Avalanche danger
7-day forecast
Village 1,220 m · top 1,790 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 7 h · Dec 6.5 h · Jan 6.8 h · Feb 8.1 h · Mar 9.4 h · Apr 10.4 h — 26 bright days in April (Open-Meteo estimate, 2015-2025).
- November8 cmInsufficient · 6%
- December38 cmVariable · 57%
- January62 cmGood skiing · 83%
- February75 cmGood skiing · 95%
- March74 cmGood skiing · 89%
- April36 cmInsufficient · 39%
- May4 cmInsufficient · 2%
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
10 complete winters measured, from 2016-2017 to 2025-2026 — on average 1 days a winter with at least 30 cm on the ground.
- 1-15 Dec4 cmInsufficient · 0 %
- 16-31 Dec3 cmInsufficient · 1 %
- 1-15 Jan6 cmInsufficient · 4 %
- 16-31 Jan5 cmInsufficient · 1 %
- 1-15 Feb4 cmInsufficient · 0 %
- 16-29 Feb1 cmInsufficient · 0 %
- 1-15 Mar2 cmInsufficient · 1 %
- 16-31 Mar0 cmInsufficient · 0 %
- 1-15 Apr0 cmInsufficient · 0 %
- Best winter of the series
- 2017-2018 — 10 days at 30 cm or more
- Worst winter of the series
- 2016-2017 — 0 day 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 →26 pistes, by level — 11 km
- Skiable vertical
- 237 m (1,553 m → 1,790 m)
- Lifts
- 2 chairlifts, 6 drag lifts, 1 magic carpet
- Piste aspect
- N 0% · E 15% · S 75% · W 10% (descent direction of 21 OSM pistes, terrain model)
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.
Staying and hiring gear in Saint-Michel-de-Chaillol
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 (1) →Nearby cameras listed by Windy: the link opens the image at its publisher. Checked on 12 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 Saint-Michel-de-Chaillol
From Paris: 7 hr 39 (670 km) by road.
By road
- From Grenoble: 1 hr 50 · 98 km
- From Chambéry: 2 hr 29 · 156 km
- From Marseille: 2 hr 35 · 205 km
- From Valence: 2 hr 47 · 187 km
- From Annecy: 2 hr 58 · 203 km
From other major cities (15)
- From Lyon: 3 hr 02 · 200 km
- From Genève: 3 hr 28 · 241 km
- From Saint-Étienne: 3 hr 36 · 248 km
- From Montpellier: 3 hr 54 · 328 km
- From Nice: 3 hr 55 · 314 km
- From Dijon: 4 hr 54 · 400 km
- From Clermont-Ferrand: 4 hr 55 · 368 km
- From Besançon: 5 hr 13 · 430 km
- From Perpignan: 5 hr 15 · 476 km
- From Toulouse: 6 hr 11 · 562 km
- From Nancy: 7 hr 02 · 611 km
- From Strasbourg: 7 hr 37 · 668 km
- From Paris: 7 hr 39 · 670 km
- From Pau: 8 hr 06 · 752 km
- From Bordeaux: 8 hr 35 · 804 km
Excluding traffic and winter conditions; passes closed in winter are avoided.
By train
Gap station
regional station · then 26 min drive (24 km)
Nearest main station: Grenoble, 1 hr 50 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
- Grenoble-Alpes-Isère (GNB): 2 hr 17 by road · 139 km
- Chambéry-Savoie (CMF): 2 hr 41 by road · 164 km
Take me there
These links open the app with Saint-Michel-de-Chaillol 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 September 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 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.
Ski touring routes described
Resorts for ski touring →12 ski touring routes documented within 10 km of Saint-Michel-de-Chaillol — up to 1,725 m of climb.
| Summit and route | Ski grade | Climb | Altitude | Aspect | From resort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pic du Tourond · Versant S | 2.3 · E2 · PD+ | 1,143 m | 1,600 → 2,743 m | S · SW | 0.8 km |
| Soleil Bœuf · Versant W | 4.1 · E3 · AD | 1,000 m | 1,600 → 2,595 m | W | 1.8 km |
| Clémens ou Pointe N de la Vénasque · Par Font Froide | 3.1 · E2 · AD- | 1,040 m | 1,600 → 2,637 m | SW | 2.1 km |
| Pic Queyrel · Face N en boucle par l'arête SW | n/a · AD+ | 1,070 m | 1,370 → 2,440 m | W | 3.3 km |
| Vieux Chaillol · Versant S par le Col de la Pisse | 2.2 · E1 · PD+ | 1,600 m | 1,600 → 3,163 m | S | 3.6 km |
| Tête W de Mal Cros · Versant S par le Col de Riou Beyrou | 4.1 · E3 · AD | 1,725 m | 1,600 → 3,086 m | SE | 3.8 km |
| Soleil Bœuf · Versant SE (voie normale) | 2.1 · E1 · PD- | 1,000 m | 1,570 → 2,595 m | SE | 3.9 km |
| Pointe S de la Vénasque · Face SE | 3.2 · E1 · AD | 1,050 m | 1,560 → 2,620 m | SE | 4 km |
| Le Palastre · Combe E | 1.3 · E1 · PD+ | 700 m | 1,570 → 2,280 m | E | 4.3 km |
| Vieux Chaillol · Traversée Chaillol 1600 → Molines-en-Champsaur | 4.2 · E3 · AD+ | 1,600 m | 1,590 → 3,163 m | NW | 4.7 km |
| Vieux Chaillol · Traversée Chaillol 1600 → Champoléon | 3.2 · E2 · AD- | 1,550 m | 1,610 → 3,163 m | SE | 4.8 km |
| Pointe de la Prouveyrat · Face S | 2.1 · E1 · PD- | 900 m | 1,568 → 2,468 m | S | 4.9 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 Saint-Michel-de-Chaillol
Swimming pool
- Centre aquatique du Champsaur · Saint-Bonnet-en-Champsaur · 6.7 km away
Paragliding
- JP Parapente 05 · Saint-Jean-Saint-Nicolas · 4.4 km away
Museum
- Musée du moulin - visite de l'annexe · Saint-Jean-Saint-Nicolas · 5 km away
- Le refuge des animaux · Saint-Léger-les-Mélèzes · 5 km away
- Du vent dans les plumes - Le Refuge des animaux · Saint-Léger-les-Mélèzes · 5 km away
- Maison de la photographie Vivian Maier · Saint-Bonnet-en-Champsaur · 8.3 km away
Cinema
- Cinéma Le Central · Saint-Bonnet-en-Champsaur · 7.3 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
- 2 hotels · 19 rooms (2 × 1★)
Commune: Saint-Michel-de-Chaillol · 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
📍 Lotissement Clot Chenu Chaillol station, 05260 Saint-Michel-de-Chaillol
Ski school
ESF Chaillol 1600
32 instructors
🇬🇧 14 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.
Nearby resorts
Frequently asked questions
How high is Saint-Michel-de-Chaillol?
Saint-Michel-de-Chaillol sits at 1,220 m at village level, and its ski area rises to 1,790 m.
How many kilometres of pistes does Saint-Michel-de-Chaillol have?
Saint-Michel-de-Chaillol has 11 km of pistes served by 9 lifts (OpenStreetMap survey).
How do I get to Saint-Michel-de-Chaillol?
By road, Saint-Michel-de-Chaillol is 1 hr 50 from Grenoble (98 km), excluding traffic and winter conditions. By train, the nearest station is Gap, 26 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 Grenoble-Alpes-Isère, 2 hr 17 away.
How long is the drive from Paris to Saint-Michel-de-Chaillol?
7 hr 39 for 670 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 Saint-Michel-de-Chaillol?
Yes: good snow through most of the winter according to ten winters of reanalysis (estimate); in season the daily report prevails.
Is Saint-Michel-de-Chaillol good for beginners and families?
81% of the pistes are green or blue: a very accessible area.
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