Vars
Vars is a ski resort in the Southern Alps (Hautes-Alpes). The village sits at 1,860 m and the ski area rises to 2,719 m, a skiable vertical of 939 m.
The area offers 87 km of alpine pistes, 112 marked pistes (24 green, 55 blue, 25 red, 8 black), 23 ski lifts, plus a snowpark. Green and blue runs dominate: terrain suited to beginners and families.
Vars 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 53 by road from Grenoble and 22 min from Mont-Dauphin - Guillestre railway station.
7 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?4 / 5
Top of the ski area: 2,719 m · Bottom of the pistes: 1,780 m · Days above 30 cm per winter, measured: 88 days · Days above 30 cm, December to March, model: 96%
- Ski areaIs there enough to ski all week?4 / 5
Km of pistes at the resort: 87 km · Km of pistes across the linked area: 87 km · Lifts: 23 · Balance between piste levels: 87%
- 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
- Families and beginnersIs it right for children and beginners?3 / 5
Share of green and blue pistes: 71% · Magic carpets: 4 · Sledging runs: 0 · Special prices out of 4 (beginner, child, family, free age): 2 · ESF ski school · Ice rink, pool, rail sledge…: 2
- AccessIs it easy to get to?2 / 5
Average drive time from 20 major cities: 5 hr 40 · Nearest railway station: 22 min · Station-to-resort shuttles per day: 0 · Nearest airport: 2 hr 11
- Atmosphere and après-skiIs there life in the evening and off the slopes?3 / 5
Bars and pubs: 2 · Nightclubs: 0 · Restaurants: 17 · Upcoming events: 0 · Collective tourist beds: 1,517 — index: what the map and the listings publish
- Luxury and comfortHow upmarket is the resort?2.5 / 5
5-star hotels: 0 · 4-star hotels: 1 · Share of hotel rooms in 4 and 5 stars: 18% · 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).
The domain is due to open on 5 December 2026 and close on 11 April 2027. Open pistes and lifts will appear here as soon as the resort publishes its daily report.
Right now at the PARPAILLON-NIVOSE station (2,545 m)
Avalanche danger
7-day forecast
Village 1,860 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 10.6 h — 26 bright days in April (Open-Meteo estimate, 2015-2025).
- November—no record
- December89 cmGood skiing · 100%
- January92 cmGood skiing · 84%
- February114 cmGood skiing · 100%
- March132 cmGood skiing · 99%
- April101 cmGood skiing · 94%
- May—no record
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
40 complete winters measured, from 1961-1962 to 2017-2018 — on average 88 days a winter with at least 30 cm on the ground.
- 1-15 Dec22 cmInsufficient · 32 %
- 16-31 Dec37 cmVariable · 57 %
- 1-15 Jan46 cmVariable · 70 %
- 16-31 Jan57 cmVariable · 78 %
- 1-15 Feb60 cmGood skiing · 81 %
- 16-29 Feb64 cmGood skiing · 81 %
- 1-15 Mar64 cmGood skiing · 84 %
- 16-31 Mar50 cmVariable · 60 %
- 1-15 Apr33 cmInsufficient · 40 %
- Best winter of the series
- 2012-2013 — 136 days at 30 cm or more
- Worst winter of the series
- 1963-1964 — 1 day at 30 cm or more
How much snow actually falls — 294 cm a winter on average, spread over 36 days of snowfall. Measured over 33 complete winters, from 1962-1963 to 2017-2018.
- Biggest 24-hour snowfall
- 78 cm — 1970-1971
- Snowiest winter
- 1977-1978 — 553 cm
- Leanest winter
- 1980-1981 — 108 cm
The ski area
Compare with another resort →112 pistes, by level — 87 km
- Skiable vertical
- 939 m (1,780 m → 2,719 m)
- Lifts
- 1 gondola, 12 chairlifts, 6 drag lifts, 4 magic carpets
- Snowpark
- Yes
- Piste aspect
- N 32% · E 44% · S 14% · W 10% (descent direction of 84 OSM pistes, terrain model)
- Season 2026-2027
- opens on 5 December 2026, closes on 11 April 2027
- Tourist office
- Office du Tourisme · Front de Neige de Vars les Claux, 05560 Vars, 05560 · 0492465131 · [email protected] (declared by the resort, ANMSM)
- Piste map (PDF)
- 24-25_Vars-Risoul LA FORET BLANCHE -PLAN DES PISTES (declared by the resort, ANMSM)
- Resort app
- Android (declared by the resort, ANMSM)
Resort data: declared by Office du Tourisme 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. 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 Vars only (“VARS”), magic carpets included.
Staying and hiring gear in Vars
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 15 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 Vars
From Paris: 8 hr 42 (737 km) by road.
By road
- From Grenoble: 2 hr 53 · 164 km
- From Chambéry: 3 hr 03 · 209 km
- From Marseille: 3 hr 15 · 248 km
- From Annecy: 3 hr 32 · 256 km
- From Valence: 3 hr 49 · 253 km
From other major cities (14)
- From Genève: 4 hr 02 · 294 km
- From Lyon: 4 hr 05 · 266 km
- From Montpellier: 4 hr 33 · 370 km
- From Saint-Étienne: 4 hr 38 · 315 km
- From Perpignan: 5 hr 55 · 518 km
- From Dijon: 5 hr 57 · 467 km
- From Clermont-Ferrand: 5 hr 58 · 435 km
- From Besançon: 6 hr 16 · 497 km
- From Toulouse: 6 hr 51 · 605 km
- From Nancy: 8 hr 04 · 678 km
- From Strasbourg: 8 hr 17 · 684 km
- From Paris: 8 hr 42 · 737 km
- From Pau: 8 hr 45 · 794 km
- From Bordeaux: 9 hr 14 · 847 km
Excluding traffic and winter conditions; passes closed in winter are avoided.
By train
Mont-Dauphin - Guillestre station
halt · then 22 min drive (19 km)
Nearest main station: Grenoble, 2 hr 53 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
- Cuneo (CUF): 2 hr 11 by road · 121 km
- Turin-Caselle (TRN): 2 hr 43 by road · 170 km
Take me there
These links open the app with Vars 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
- VARS - Les Claux · EASYCHARGE · 2 points · 22 kW · 0.1 km
- CSE - BdF - Vars · NVH · 2 points · 22 kW · 0.3 km
- CSE - BdF - Vars · NVH · 2 points · 22 kW · 0.3 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: Ecureuil · Alpet · Coni · Evasion · Mur du Vallon · Casse
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 Vars — up to 1,700 m of climb.
| Summit and route | Ski grade | Climb | Altitude | Aspect | From resort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Mayt (Vars) · Versant E | n/a | 950 m | 1,630 → 2,577 m | E | 2 km |
| Pointe de l'Eyssina · en traversée S-W depuis le Col de Vars | n/a · PD+ | 1,240 m | n/a | n/a | 2.9 km |
| Pointe de l'Eyssina · Face de l'Eyssina | 5.1 · E3 · AD+ | n/a | 1,800 → 2,837 m | NE | 2.9 km |
| Pointe de l'Eyssina · Couloir NE 2736 | 4.1 · E2 · D- | 730 m | 2,040 → 2,770 m | NE | 3.4 km |
| Pointe de l'Eyssina · Face SW depuis la Chalp | 3.2 · E2 · PD+ | 1,177 m | 1,660 → 2,837 m | SW | 3.6 km |
| Tête de Paneyron · Depuis le refuge Napoléon | 2.3 · E1 · PD | 800 m | 1,987 → 2,785 m | W | 3.6 km |
| Col du Crachet · Versant NE | 2.3 · E1 · PD+ | 523 m | 2,108 → 2,631 m | NE | 4 km |
| Tête du Crachet · en boucle par le Col du Crachet et le Lac Lalatcha | 3.2 · E2 · AD | 1,100 m | 2,020 → 2,920 m | NW · N · NE · E · SE · S · SW · W | 4.2 km |
| Barre de la Pisse · Face N par le vallon de l'Eyssina | 2.2 · E2 · PD | 1,275 m | 1,650 → 2,925 m | N | 4.3 km |
| La Mortice S · De Ste Catherine par la Crête des Couniets | 2.3 · E1 · PD | 1,700 m | 1,845 → 3,169 m | SW | 4.4 km |
| Crévoux / La Chalp · Retour vers l'enfer | 4.3 · E3 · D | 1,130 m | 1,660 → 2,784 m | SW | 5.3 km |
| Tête du Crachet · Tour de l'envers du Crachet | 3.1 · E2 · AD | 1,300 m | 1,660 → 2,919 m | n/a | 5.4 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 Vars
Ice rink
- Patinoire · Risoul · 6.4 km away
Swimming pool
- Piscine · Vars · 0.4 km away
- SKISEO - Centre aqualudique et de détente · Risoul · 6.5 km away
Spa and thermal baths
- Saï mithra · Risoul · 6.7 km away
Dog sledding
- Wild Expériences chiens de traineau · Crévoux · 6.6 km away
Museum
- Musée de la moto · Saint-Paul-sur-Ubaye · 8.5 km away
- Musée de Saint-Paul-sur-Ubaye : Outils, gestes et travaux · Saint-Paul-sur-Ubaye · 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. Opening times and prices are the operator’s — check before you go.
Practical information
Collective accommodation
1,517 bed spaces in tourist residences, holiday villages and hostels
- 9 hotels · 165 rooms (1 × 4★, 2 × 3★, 2 × 2★, 1 × 1★)
- 1 holiday village or family centre · 271 bed spaces
- 4 tourist residences and apartment hotels · 1,186 bed spaces
- 1 youth hostel or sports centre · 60 bed spaces
Commune: Vars · 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 du Tourisme
Ski school
ESF Vars
100 instructors
🇬🇧 53 English-speaking instructors — lessons in English available
🗓️ This school sells its lessons online — book ↗
Source: esf.net
Days without skiing
- Cinema · Le Mélèze
- Alpine coaster · Luge sur rail
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 Vars?
Vars sits at 1,860 m at village level, and its ski area rises to 2,719 m.
How many kilometres of pistes does Vars have?
Vars has 87 km of pistes served by 23 lifts, within the linked La Forêt Blanche area (OpenStreetMap survey).
What is the longest piste in Vars?
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 Vars?
The highest lift, Speed Master (detachable chairlift), tops out at 2,732 m. Source: STRMTG, French national register of mechanical lifts (CAIRN database), file dated 1 January 2025.
How many lifts does Vars have, and what is their capacity?
The French national register of mechanical lifts records 19 installations at Vars (10 chairlifts, 5 drag lifts, 4 magic carpets), for an authorised capacity of 30,669 people per hour, of which 3,600 for Claux alone. The fleet spans 1964 to 2024, an average age of 21 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 Vars?
The adult day pass costs €58 (2026-2027, read on the official price list).
How do I get to Vars?
By road, Vars is 2 hr 53 from Grenoble (164 km), excluding traffic and winter conditions. By train, the nearest station is Mont-Dauphin - Guillestre, 22 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 Cuneo, 2 hr 11 away.
How long is the drive from Paris to Vars?
8 hr 42 for 737 km from central Paris, excluding traffic and winter conditions. Computed on the real road network (OpenStreetMap): allow more on a school-holiday Saturday.
When does Vars open?
According to the official website, the resort opens on 5 December 2026 and closes on 11 April 2027 (2026-2027 season).
Is the snow reliable in Vars?
Yes: good snow through most of the winter according to twenty winters of Météo-France measurements; in season the daily report prevails.
Is Vars good for beginners and families?
71% of the pistes are green or blue: a rather easy area.
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