Le Chazelet
Le Chazelet is a ski resort in the Southern Alps (Hautes-Alpes), in the commune of La Grave. The village sits at 1,783 m and the ski area rises to 2,416 m, a skiable vertical of 916 m.
The area offers 22 km of alpine pistes, 37 marked pistes (12 green, 17 blue, 6 red, 2 black), 11 ski lifts. Green and blue runs dominate: terrain suited to beginners and families.
Measured on the OpenStreetMap map: the longest piste runs 1 km (Plateau d'Emparis) and the highest lift tops out at 2,161 m.
Access: 1 h 25 by road from Grenoble and 44 min from Briançon 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?4 / 5
Top of the ski area: 2,416 m · Bottom of the pistes: 1,500 m · Days above 30 cm per winter, measured: 101 days · Days above 30 cm, December to March, model: 100% · Glacier skiing
- Ski areaIs there enough to ski all week?2.5 / 5
Km of pistes at the resort: 22 km · Km of pistes across the linked area: 22 km · Lifts: 11 · Balance between piste levels: 85%
- 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?2.5 / 5
Share of green and blue pistes: 78% · Magic carpets: 0 · Sledging runs: 1 · ESF ski school · Ice rink, pool, rail sledge…: 0
- AccessIs it easy to get to?3 / 5
Average drive time from 20 major cities: 4 hr 51 · Nearest railway station: 44 min · Station-to-resort shuttles per day: 5 · Nearest airport: 1 hr 51
- Atmosphere and après-skiIs there life in the evening and off the slopes?3 / 5
Bars and pubs: 7 · Nightclubs: 0 · Restaurants: 13 · Upcoming events: 0 · Collective tourist beds: 149 — 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 GALIBIER-NIVOSE station (2,559 m)
Avalanche danger
7-day forecast
Village 1,783 m · top 2,416 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 May: a long, reliable season.
☀️ Average daily sunshine : Nov 6.5 h · Dec 5.8 h · Jan 6.1 h · Feb 7.6 h · Mar 8.7 h · Apr 10.2 h — 26 bright days in April (Open-Meteo estimate, 2015-2025).
- November35 cmVariable · 50%
- December100 cmGood skiing · 99%
- January145 cmGood skiing · 100%
- February166 cmGood skiing · 100%
- March184 cmGood skiing · 100%
- April163 cmGood skiing · 100%
- May112 cmGood skiing · 92%
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
27 complete winters measured, from 1988-1989 to 2025-2026 — on average 101 days a winter with at least 30 cm on the ground.
- 1-15 Dec30 cmInsufficient · 38 %
- 16-31 Dec40 cmVariable · 59 %
- 1-15 Jan57 cmVariable · 77 %
- 16-31 Jan71 cmGood skiing · 81 %
- 1-15 Feb78 cmGood skiing · 84 %
- 16-29 Feb92 cmGood skiing · 92 %
- 1-15 Mar90 cmGood skiing · 90 %
- 16-31 Mar70 cmGood skiing · 81 %
- 1-15 Apr55 cmVariable · 66 %
- Best winter of the series
- 2019-2020 — 136 days at 30 cm or more
- Worst winter of the series
- 1992-1993 — 5 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 →37 pistes, by level — 22 km
- Skiable vertical
- 916 m (1,500 m → 2,416 m)
- Lifts
- 1 cable car, 1 chairlift, 9 drag lifts
- Cross-country skiing
- 1 km of nordic trails
- Glacier
- Some pistes run on a glacier (OpenStreetMap; summer opening to check on the official site)
- Without skis
- 2 km of snowshoe and walking trails · 1 sledging run
- Piste aspect
- N 13% · E 33% · S 6% · W 49% (descent direction of 16 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.
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 Le Chazelet only (“CHAZELET (LE)”), magic carpets included.
Staying and hiring gear in Le Chazelet
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 (5) →Official players of the resort, live image. Checked on 12 September 2026.
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 Le Chazelet
From Paris: 7 hr 14 (654 km) by road.
By road
- From Grenoble: 1 hr 25 · 82 km
- From Chambéry: 2 hr 04 · 140 km · avoids Col du Galibier, closed in winter
- From Valence: 2 hr 21 · 171 km
- From Lyon: 2 hr 37 · 184 km
- From Saint-Étienne: 3 hr 11 · 232 km
From other major cities (14)
- From Annecy: 3 hr 26 · 251 km · via Briançon station
- From Genève: 3 hr 56 · 289 km · via Briançon station
- From Marseille: 4 hr 09 · 300 km
- From Montpellier: 4 hr 28 · 375 km
- From Dijon: 4 hr 29 · 385 km
- From Clermont-Ferrand: 4 hr 30 · 352 km
- From Besançon: 4 hr 48 · 414 km
- From Perpignan: 5 hr 50 · 523 km
- From Nancy: 6 hr 36 · 596 km
- From Toulouse: 6 hr 46 · 609 km
- From Strasbourg: 7 hr 11 · 652 km
- From Paris: 7 hr 14 · 654 km
- From Bordeaux: 8 hr 28 · 739 km
- From Pau: 8 hr 40 · 799 km
Excluding traffic and winter conditions; passes closed in winter are avoided.
By train
Briançon station
regional station · then 44 min drive (42 km)
Nearest main station: Grenoble, 1 hr 25 by road.
- From Grenoble station (stop “Gare Routière”): line 55 — 55 _ BRIANCON - GRENOBLE via SERRE CHEVALIER (ZOU ! Express Bus), 1 hr 30 to the “Les Fréaux” stop — 4 departures a day on weekdays · first 08:45, last 15:45 · timetable from 15 December 2026 to 28 January 2027 · official timetable ↗
- From Briançon station (stop “BRIANCON- COLLEGE LES GARCINS”): line S26 — S26 LA GRAVE - BRIANCON CLG LES GARCINS (ALTIGO), 58 min to the “LA GRAVE LA MEIJE- OFFICE DE TOURISME” stop — 1 departure a day on weekdays · first 12:10, last 17:05 · summer timetable, from 13 September 2026 to 29 November 2026 · official timetable ↗
Direct journeys read from the official timetable files published on transport.data.gouv.fr — no connections.
By plane
- Grenoble-Alpes-Isère (GNB): 1 hr 51 by road · 124 km
- Chambéry-Savoie (CMF): 3 hr 08 by road · 212 km
Take me there
These links open the app with Le Chazelet 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
3 charging points · up to 50 kW
- LA GRAVE - Salle Polyvalente · EASYCHARGE · 3 points · 50 kW · 0.9 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: Les Vallons de la Meije · La Grave
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 Le Chazelet — up to 2,170 m of climb.
| Summit and route | Ski grade | Climb | Altitude | Aspect | From resort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Signal de la Grave · Versant S | n/a · PD+ | 670 m | 1,770 → 2,446 m | S | 1.4 km |
| Signal de la Grave · Versant W | n/a · PD- | 666 m | 1,780 → 2,446 m | W | 1.9 km |
| Clot de la Cala · Depuis La Grave par le "Vallon de la Meije" | 2.1 · E1 · F | 1,040 m | 1,410 → 2,450 m | N | 2.3 km |
| Le Chazelet - Village · Freerando au Chazelet | 2.2 · E2 · PD+ | 850 m | 1,797 → 2,450 m | E · NE · N · NW · W · SW | 2.3 km |
| Refuge du Goléon · Par le lac du Pontet et l'Aiguillon | n/a | 1,000 m | 1,600 → 2,464 m | S | 2.6 km |
| Signal de la Grave · traversée Chazelet - Goléon | n/a | n/a | n/a | SW · NE · E · W | 2.7 km |
| Col des Ruillans · Couloir des Fréaux | 4.1 · E2 · D | 10 m | 1,370 → 3,211 m | N | 2.8 km |
| Col des Ruillans · Traversée Refuge Evariste Chancel >> Vallons de la Meije | 3.1 · E1 · PD+ | 1,900 m | 1,500 → 3,211 m | NE | 3.1 km |
| Refuge de l'Aigle · Par le Glacier du Tabuchet | 3.1 · E2 · AD- | 1,800 m | 1,650 → 3,450 m | N | 3.2 km |
| Pic des Trois Évêchés · Couloir NW depuis les Hières | 5.1 · E2 · TD- | 1,330 m | 1,782 → 3,116 m | NW | 3.4 km |
| Vallons de la Meije · Itinéraires entre la Gare intermédiaire 2400 m et P1 | n/a · F | 1 m | 2,416 → 2,416 m | N | 3.7 km |
| Tête des Corridors · Pente N sous le Doigt de Dieu (3850 m) | n/a · AD | 2,170 m | 1,630 → 3,734 m | N | 3.8 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 Le Chazelet
Paragliding
- Confident'Ciel - Ecole de Parapente · La Grave · 0.9 km away
Museum
- Le Moulin à grains de Villar d'Arène · Villar-d'Arêne · 4.6 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
149 bed spaces in tourist residences, holiday villages and hostels
- 3 hotels · 58 rooms (2 × 3★, 1 × 2★)
- 1 holiday village or family centre · 48 bed spaces
- 1 tourist residence or apartment hotel · 101 bed spaces
- 2 campsites · 100 pitches
Commune: La Grave · INSEE tourist accommodation survey, 2026, read on 12 September 2026. Collective accommodation only — privately let flats and second homes are not counted. INSEE dataset ↗
Ski school
ESF La Grave
19 instructors
🇬🇧 9 English-speaking instructors — lessons in English available
🗓️ This school sells its lessons online — book ↗
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 Le Chazelet?
Le Chazelet sits at 1,783 m at village level, and its ski area rises to 2,416 m.
How many kilometres of pistes does Le Chazelet have?
Le Chazelet has 22 km of pistes served by 11 lifts (OpenStreetMap survey).
What is the longest piste in Le Chazelet?
The longest piste is Plateau d'Emparis: 1 km (red run), for 423 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 Le Chazelet?
The highest lift, CLOT RAFFIN (ou EMPARIS) (platter lift), tops out at 2,164 m. Source: STRMTG, French national register of mechanical lifts (CAIRN database), file dated 1 January 2025.
How many lifts does Le Chazelet have, and what is their capacity?
The French national register of mechanical lifts records 7 installations at Le Chazelet (1 chairlift, 6 drag lifts), for an authorised capacity of 5,120 people per hour, of which 1,200 for Signal alone. The fleet spans 1965 to 2014, an average age of 27 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 do I get to Le Chazelet?
By road, Le Chazelet is 1 hr 25 from Grenoble (82 km), excluding traffic and winter conditions. By train, the nearest station is Briançon, 44 min by road from the resort. From Grenoble station, line 55 — 55 _ BRIANCON - GRENOBLE via SERRE CHEVALIER (ZOU ! Express Bus) reaches the “Les Fréaux” stop in 1 hr 30, 4 departures a day on weekdays. The nearest airport is Grenoble-Alpes-Isère, 1 hr 51 away.
How long is the drive from Paris to Le Chazelet?
7 hr 14 for 654 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 Le Chazelet?
Yes: good snow through most of the winter according to ten winters of reanalysis (estimate); in season the daily report prevails.
Is Le Chazelet good for beginners and families?
78% of the pistes are green or blue: a very accessible area.
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