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Risoul Accommodation
Book Risoul ski accommodation direct with owners chalet apartment or hotel.
Risoul, opened only in 1977, but remains a relatively undeveloped, quiet, apartment based resort, popular with families. Set among the trees, with excellent views over the Ecrins National Park, Risoul is made up of wood-clad chalet-style buildings, small restaurants and open-air cafes, which give it a friendly feel. The village lacks many resort amenities - a pool, for example - and the ski area is seriously short of comfortable, fast lifts and mountain restaurants.
The sunny ski area is shared with neighbouring Vars and is the biggest in the southern French Alps, offering 170km of pistes. The slopes leading back into Risoul are attractively wooded and good for bad-weather skiing. Above them are open slopes set in a big sunny bowl. The top of the skiing above Vars reaches 2750m and the Vars skiing is accessed by a long drag, which has the advantage that wind is unlikely to close the link. Returning from Vars over the top is via some of Risoul's steeper skiing, though there is an easier route via Col de Valbelle. New lifts are planned, which will improve the area, particularly for better skiers. Risoul's skiing is entirely above 1850m, so despite its southerly position (only 300km north of Nice) and sunny aspect, snow reliability is reasonably good. The nursery area has snow-cannon back-up.Risoul does not yet offer much to interest advanced skiers. The main top stations access a couple of steepish descents, and there are six black runs in all. There are some good off-piste opportunities if you have a guide, especially in the trees. The whole area is best suited to intermediates, with some good long reds and blues in both the Risoul and Vars sectors. Virtually all Risoul's runs head towards the village, making it difficult to get lost in even the worst of weather.
