Southern Alps Overview

The resorts in the Southern Alps tick all the boxes, satisfying everybody and everyone whether they are skiing, snowboarding, walking or snow shoeing, this mountain range has it all. The snowfall is often steady through the night and clears away leaving blue skies during the day, a weather phenomenon greatly appreciated by... Full Overview

The resorts in the Southern Alps tick all the boxes, satisfying everybody and everyone whether they are skiing, snowboarding, walking or snow shoeing, this mountain range has it all. The snowfall is often steady through the night and clears away leaving blue skies during the day, a weather phenomenon greatly appreciated by most!

The mountain ridge which separates the northern Alps from the south follows the southern boundary of the Vercors, the Col de la Croix-Haute, the southern ridge of Dévoluy, the Col Bayard, the jagged peaks south of the Ecrins and finally over the Col du Lautaret. The resorts of the Southern Alps are divided into three departments:

* Hautes-Alpes (05)
* Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (04)
* The Alpes-Maritimes (06)

In the Hautes-Alpes, we find such resorts as Serre Chevalier; one of the largest resorts in Europe (with 250 km of slopes, it is close to the Ecrins National Park) and also the largest resort in the Southern Alps. La Grave Meije is known for its high altitude (2150 meters) and some of the world’s best free riding. Montgenèvre has 1860m of vertical altitude on offer and is a beautiful traditional village that has managed to combine the charm of an authentic resort with the modern facilities of an international ski resort.
Puy St. Vincent is right at the entry to the Ecrins National Park and has around 60 kilometres of ski runs for all abilities. Risoul, Vars, Les Orres, Orcieres 1850 and the Devoluy add another 300 km² of terrain to this area’s already diverse snowy offering.

The largest ski area in the Alps of the Haute Provence is Pra Loup which is divided into two villages, Pra Loup 1500 and Pra Loup 1600, within which there are 165 km of marked ski runs on offer. Amongst some of the most famous resorts you can find in the area; Sauze Super Sauze, St. John Montclar with its great small village feel, or Val d'Allos.

In the Maritime Alps we find the Mercantour resorts with Isola 2000 and Auron which share 135 kilometres of groomed ski runs. Situated at 2000m, Isola is one of the highest resorts in the Alps.
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