Southern Alps
Why a Southern Alps Ski Resort?
- Just 1.5 hours from Nice and the Mediterranean
- Plenty of sunshine
- Snowsure ski areas
Southerns Alps Information
In recent seasons the Southern French Alps have finally been catching the eye of skiers from the UK, who can no longer ignore the combination of heavy snowfalls (among the highest in the Alps) and enviable sunshine figures. To anyone who has yet to ski there it all sounds just too good to be true, but the statistics don’t lie. Between them, the Hautes-Alpes, Alpes de Haute-Provence and Alpes Maritimes live up to their exotic-sounding names by offering great skiing, usually in the kind of weather which allows you to appreciate some of the most impressive mountain scenery you’ll find anywhere. Not surprisingly, countless French families have been skiing in the Southern Alps for generations, many having invested in their own private ski apartment, which tells you that they’re more than convinced about the overall concept.
If you’re planning on skiing the Southern Alps for the first time, though, the names will probably sound unfamiliar, but choosing needn’t be a shot-in-the-dark, as each area has its own distinct character. This makes finding your ideal destination a lot easier than you might imagine. Experienced skiers and mixed-ability groups will find options for all levels in Vars, whose own extensive terrain (including world-class free-ride and speed-skiing areas) is linked with that of Risoul 1850 to form La Forêt-Blanche.
Further south, the resort of Isola 2000, which is only an hour and a half north of Nice, offer reassuring areas for raw novices to find their feet while their experienced and advanced companion skiers can head off to explore more challenging terrain elsewhere on the mountain.
Depending on your chosen location, travel options from the UK include budget flights to Marseille, Grenoble and Turin, convenient Eurostar/TGV rail links or the time-honoured self-drive routes via Grenoble and Gap.
