Le Sappey-en-Chartreuse
Le Sappey-en-Chartreuse is a ski resort in the Northern Alps (Isère). The village sits at 977 m.
The area offers 1 km of alpine pistes, 3 marked pistes (2 green, 1 blue), 7 ski lifts. Green and blue runs dominate: terrain suited to beginners and families.
Measured on the OpenStreetMap map: the longest piste runs 1 km and the highest lift tops out at 1,356 m.
Access: 20 min by road from Grenoble and 20 min from Grenoble Universités - Gières 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?n/a
Not rated: “top of the ski area” is missing from this page.
- Ski areaIs there enough to ski all week?1 / 5
Km of pistes at the resort: 1 km · Km of pistes across the linked area: 1 km · Lifts: 7 · Balance between piste levels: 46%
- 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: 100% · Magic carpets: 0 · Sledging runs: 0 · ESF ski school · Ice rink, pool, rail sledge…: 0
- AccessIs it easy to get to?4 / 5
Average drive time from 20 major cities: 3 hr 47 · Nearest railway station: 20 min · Station-to-resort shuttles per day: 0 · Nearest airport: 49 min
- Atmosphere and après-skiIs there life in the evening and off the slopes?2 / 5
Bars and pubs: 0 · Nightclubs: 0 · Restaurants: 5 · Upcoming events: 13 · 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.
Avalanche danger
7-day forecast
Village 977 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.
Snow actually measured, winter by winter
58 complete winters measured, from 1959-1960 to 2021-2022 — on average 42 days a winter with at least 30 cm on the ground.
- 1-15 Dec16 cmInsufficient · 19 %
- 16-31 Dec19 cmInsufficient · 25 %
- 1-15 Jan23 cmInsufficient · 34 %
- 16-31 Jan28 cmInsufficient · 36 %
- 1-15 Feb31 cmInsufficient · 42 %
- 16-29 Feb33 cmInsufficient · 44 %
- 1-15 Mar30 cmInsufficient · 39 %
- 16-31 Mar18 cmInsufficient · 27 %
- 1-15 Apr11 cmInsufficient · 14 %
- Best winter of the series
- 1980-1981 — 119 days at 30 cm or more
- Worst winter of the series
- 1963-1964 — 0 day at 30 cm or more
How much snow actually falls — 306 cm a winter on average, spread over 33 days of snowfall. Measured over 60 complete winters.
- Biggest 24-hour snowfall
- 67 cm — 1969-1970
- Snowiest winter
- 1969-1970 — 732 cm
- Leanest winter
- 1996-1997 — 79 cm
The ski area
Compare with another resort →3 pistes, by level — 1 km
- Lifts
- 7 drag lifts
- Cross-country skiing
- 3 named trails — 24 km of marked loops (14 km of distinct track: the loops overlap), right by the resortOpenStreetMap, lengths measured on the geometry, surveyed on 12 September 2026. A trail with no difficulty tag is shown as "n/a" — never guessed.
See the trails(3)
Trail Level Length Sire Mouton red 11 km Les Combes / Saint Eynard blue 9.3 km Les Sagnes easy 3.5 km
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 Sappey-en-Chartreuse only (“SAPPEY EN CHARTREUSE (LE)”), magic carpets included.
Staying and hiring gear in Le Sappey-en-Chartreuse
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 (7) →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 Le Sappey-en-Chartreuse
From Paris: 6 hr 12 (587 km) by road.
By road
- From Grenoble: 20 min · 14 km
- From Chambéry: 53 min · 64 km
- From Valence: 1 hr 19 · 103 km
- From Annecy: 1 hr 23 · 111 km
- From Lyon: 1 hr 35 · 116 km
From other major cities (15)
- From Genève: 1 hr 52 · 148 km
- From Saint-Étienne: 2 hr 08 · 165 km
- From Montpellier: 3 hr 26 · 308 km
- From Dijon: 3 hr 27 · 317 km
- From Clermont-Ferrand: 3 hr 28 · 285 km
- From Marseille: 3 hr 31 · 317 km
- From Besançon: 3 hr 46 · 347 km
- From Perpignan: 4 hr 48 · 456 km
- From Nice: 5 hr 09 · 475 km
- From Nancy: 5 hr 34 · 528 km
- From Toulouse: 5 hr 44 · 542 km
- From Strasbourg: 6 hr 07 · 538 km
- From Paris: 6 hr 12 · 587 km
- From Bordeaux: 7 hr 26 · 672 km
- From Pau: 7 hr 38 · 732 km
Excluding traffic and winter conditions; passes closed in winter are avoided.
By train
Grenoble Universités - Gières station
regional station · then 20 min drive (14 km)
Nearest main station: Grenoble, 20 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
- Grenoble-Alpes-Isère (GNB): 49 min by road · 56 km
- Chambéry-Savoie (CMF): 1 hr 05 by road · 71 km
Take me there
These links open the app with Le Sappey-en-Chartreuse 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
2 charging points · up to 25 kW
- LE SAPPEY EN CHARTREUSE - Parking Jacobine · Bouygues Energies & Services · 2 points · 25 kW · 0.4 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 →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 Sappey-en-Chartreuse — up to 4,000 m of climb.
| Summit and route | Ski grade | Climb | Altitude | Aspect | From resort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Le Saint Eynard · Versant W par les pistes d'alpin | 2.2 · E1 · PD+ | 400 m | 960 → 1,372 m | W | 0.4 km |
| Le Sappey en Chartreuse · Toit du habert direct | n/a · D+ | 572 m | 998 → 1,570 m | SW | 0.5 km |
| L'Écoutoux · Versant E en boucle | 2.3 · E2 · AD | 450 m | 1,050 → 1,406 m | E | 0.7 km |
| L'Écoutoux · Depuis Montquaix et le sentier du trail de Quaix | 2.2 · E1 · PD+ | 790 m | 660 → 1,406 m | W | 1.3 km |
| L'Écoutoux · Versant W | 2.3 · E2 · PD | 610 m | 800 → 1,406 m | W | 1.8 km |
| Le Saint Eynard · Depuis le col de Vence | 2.2 · E1 · PD | 550 m | 780 → 1,330 m | W | 2.8 km |
| Chamechaude · Par la Brèche Arnaud (Versant SE) | 4.1 · E3 · AD+ | 1,080 m | 1,000 → 2,082 m | SE | 3.3 km |
| Chamechaude · Versant W | 2.3 · E1 · PD+ | 835 m | 1,250 → 2,082 m | W | 3.3 km |
| Chamechaude · Pied des falaises SE | n/a · PD+ | 825 m | 1,025 → 2,082 m | SE | 3.4 km |
| les 4x2000m de Chartreuse | 4.2 · E4 · D | 4,000 m | 850 → 2,082 m | N · E · S · W | 3.7 km |
| Chamechaude · Face NW Directe | 4.2 · E2 · D+ | 758 m | 1,324 → 2,082 m | NW | 3.7 km |
| Chamechaude · La Pref' | 5.1 · E4 | n/a | 1,000 → 2,082 m | NE · E | 3.7 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 Sappey-en-Chartreuse
Swimming pool
- Piscine des Buclos · Meylan · 5.2 km away
- Piscine Les Ondines · La Tronche · 6.2 km away
- Piscine Intercommunale du Néron · Saint-Égrève · 7.6 km away
- Piscine d’été Coubertin_Domène · Domène · 7.8 km away
Spa and thermal baths
- Millésime Spa · Saint-Ismier · 4.3 km away
Paragliding
- Site de Chalais - Parapente FFVL · Voreppe · 9.8 km away
Museum
- Musée Hébert · La Tronche · 5.9 km away
- De l'autre côté/Galerie Hebert · La Tronche · 5.9 km away
- Musée grenoblois des Sciences médicales · La Tronche · 6.5 km away
- Musée Arcabas en Chartreuse · Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse · 7.8 km away
Cinema
- La Vence Scène · Saint-Égrève · 7.9 km away
- Cinéma Espace Aragon · Villard-Bonnot · 9.1 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 · 29 pitches
Commune: Le Sappey-en-Chartreuse · 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 Le Sappey
4 instructors
🇬🇧 1 English-speaking instructor — 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 Le Sappey-en-Chartreuse
All 13 upcoming events →-
18 September 2026 – 20 September 2026
Exposition « Sobriété foncière »
Château Borel · Saint-Egrève
Journées européennes du patrimoine
Source: OpenAgenda, agenda “Isère Attractivité” · View on OpenAgenda ↗
Also near: Col de Porte (9.5 km)
-
18 September 2026 – 20 September 2026
Oasis Bleue d’une peuplade de Géants - Accès Libre Non Stop aux jardins
La Casamaures · Saint-Martin-le-Vinoux
Dès le portail bleu au n°80 « une peuplade de Géants » de l’artiste Pschèma Karolak nous accueille dans l’Oasis Bleue, (visibles depuis le TRAM E).
Source: OpenAgenda, agenda “Isère Attractivité” · View on OpenAgenda ↗
-
19 September 2026 · 10:00
Visite de l'église de La Monta
Église de la Monta · Saint-Egrève
Journées européennes du patrimoine
Source: OpenAgenda, agenda “Isère Attractivité” · View on OpenAgenda ↗
Also near: Col de Porte (8.8 km)
-
19 September 2026 · 10:00
Le patrimoine à la Bibliothèque
Bibliothèque Barnave · Saint-Égrève
Journées européennes du patrimoine
Source: OpenAgenda, agenda “Isère Attractivité” · View on OpenAgenda ↗
Also near: Col de Porte (9.5 km)
-
19 September 2026 · 10:00
Visite du Moulin des Ayes et jardin attenant
Moulin des Ayes · Crolles
Visites guidées du moulin des Ayes et du jardin attennant
Source: OpenAgenda, agenda “Isère Attractivité” · View on OpenAgenda ↗
Also near: Saint-Hilaire (4.5 km), Saint-Hugues les Egaux (8 km), Prapoutel (9 km), La Stass' (9.1 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 Le Sappey-en-Chartreuse?
Le Sappey-en-Chartreuse sits at 977 m at village level.
How many kilometres of pistes does Le Sappey-en-Chartreuse have?
Le Sappey-en-Chartreuse has 1 km of pistes served by 7 lifts (OpenStreetMap survey).
What is the longest piste in Le Sappey-en-Chartreuse?
The longest single descent: 1 km (blue run), for 135 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 Sappey-en-Chartreuse?
The highest lift, Pale Prolongee (platter lift), tops out at 1,096 m. Source: STRMTG, French national register of mechanical lifts (CAIRN database), file dated 1 January 2025.
How many lifts does Le Sappey-en-Chartreuse have, and what is their capacity?
The French national register of mechanical lifts records 4 installations at Le Sappey-en-Chartreuse (4 drag lifts), for an authorised capacity of 2,520 people per hour, of which 720 for Pale Prolongee alone. The fleet spans 1967 to 2015, an average age of 45 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 Sappey-en-Chartreuse?
By road, Le Sappey-en-Chartreuse is 20 min from Grenoble (14 km), excluding traffic and winter conditions. By train, the nearest station is Grenoble Universités - Gières, 20 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, 49 min away.
How long is the drive from Paris to Le Sappey-en-Chartreuse?
6 hr 12 for 587 km from central Paris, excluding traffic and winter conditions. Computed on the real road network (OpenStreetMap): allow more on a school-holiday Saturday.
Is Le Sappey-en-Chartreuse good for beginners and families?
100% of the pistes are green or blue: a very accessible area.
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