Vars and Risoul – Forêt Blanche, sun and larch forest in the southern Alps

Vars and Risoul are the southernmost of the big ski areas in the French Alps, in Hautes-Alpes above the small town of Guillestre. Here the weather often comes from the Mediterranean, the sun shines on many days in winter and prices are lower than in the well-known resorts further north.

The two resorts share the Forêt Blanche ski area – “the white forest” – named after the larch forest that covers the slopes.

Vars or Risoul?

• Risoul 1850 – a compact village built in the forest, with accommodation close to the slopes and many families. Good if you want to walk from the door to the lift.
• Vars – several villages in the valley, where Les Claux is the largest with the most restaurants and shops. Vars Sainte-Marie is smaller and quieter.

The villages are linked by lifts up on the mountain, so you can ski to the other resort during the day. Just check when the lifts back close.

The pistes

Difficulty	Kilometres	Share
Blue and green	75 km	40 %
Red	90 km	48 %
Black	20 km	12 %

Forêt Blanche has 185 kilometres of pistes and 34 lifts between 1,650 and 2,750 metres. The larch forest makes the area good on a day with snowfall or poor visibility: the trees give contrast so that the children can see the slope, and larches lose their needles in winter so it is light between the trunks.

Vars is also home to Chabrières, a steep speed skiing slope where world speed skiing records have been set. It is not for normal skiing, but if there is a competition while you are there, it can be exciting to watch.

Vars and Risoul with kids

• Children's areas are found in both resorts, close to the villages.
• Ski schools in all the villages, so the children can start close to where you stay.
• The lift pass for the whole Forêt Blanche is cheaper than at the big resorts in Savoie, and the child pass costs less than the adult pass.

You will find more resorts where the money goes further in cheap ski trips, and how to plan the week with children is in ski trips with children.

Snow in the southern Alps

The villages sit at about 1,850 metres, and the snow is usually good. But the southern Alps have different weather from the north: sometimes big snowfalls come from the Mediterranean, sometimes weeks go by without new snow. The snow therefore varies more between years than in Savoie, for example. Check the snow conditions before booking late.

How to get to Vars and Risoul

• By train: the night train from Paris towards Briançon stops at Montdauphin-Guillestre, and from there a bus or taxi takes you up in about half an hour. We go through the whole journey from Sweden in train to the Alps.
• By air: the closest is Turin, about two and a half hours away by car, and Grenoble, about three hours away.
• By car: the road up from Guillestre has many bends – winter tyres and snow chains are required.

Vars and Risoul or their neighbours?

Further up the valley lies Serre Chevalier with four villages and warm baths, and on the border with Italy Montgenèvre in the big Via Lattea ski area. Vars and Risoul are the quietest and cheapest of them. We compare all the French resorts in skiing holidays in France.