← Ski Ski resort · La Forêt Blanche, France

Vars

The livelier side of La Forêt Blanche, a spread of hamlets sitting high around 1850 m in the Hautes-Alpes, with the main ski station at Les Claux. It has more variety and a bit more buzz than Risoul, and it's the home of the Chabrières speed-skiing track — the fastest in the world.

  • 1,850 m Village base
  • 2,722 m Top lift
  • 1,090 m Vertical
  • 101 Pistes mapped
  • 38 Lifts

Terrain, lift and aspect figures shown are for the whole La Forêt Blanche — Vars shares the area's linked lift pass. Its own base altitude is shown above.

⛰ Part of the La Forêt Blanche — 185 km on one pass →

The village

Guide coming soon. A full write-up of Vars is on the way. The live weather, snowfall, stats and where-to-stay map below are all ready now.

Snow & weather

Live conditions from the mountain, plus the average snow you can expect month by month.

Conditions now · Vars
Fetching live mountain weather…

Live data © Open-Meteo.com

Average monthly snowfall

Avg. monthly snowfall (cm) · 10-yr means Weather data © Open-Meteo.com (CC-BY 4.0), ERA5 reanalysis.

Terrain & aspect

For the whole La Forêt Blanche.

66% beginner 27% inter. 6% expert
N · green: 3% N · blue: 10% N · red: 11% N · black: 2% N · orange: 0% NE · green: 1% NE · blue: 9% NE · red: 8% NE · black: 3% NE · orange: 2% E · green: 1% E · blue: 7% E · red: 5% E · black: 4% E · orange: 0% SE · green: 2% SE · blue: 5% SE · red: 3% SE · black: 1% S · green: 1% S · blue: 3% S · red: 0% S · black: 0% SW · green: 0% SW · blue: 3% SW · black: 1% W · green: 0% W · blue: 2% W · red: 1% W · black: 1% NW · green: 1% NW · blue: 6% NW · red: 5% NW · black: 1% NESW
Downhill runs only
  • Novice
  • Easy
  • Intermediate
  • Advanced
  • Freeride

Slopes mostly face N — 76% on snow-holding, poleward-facing slopes.
Aspect derived from run bearings · OpenSkiStats / © OpenStreetMap (ODbL).

Skiing & terrain

A level-by-level guide to skiing from Vars is coming soon. The difficulty split and slope aspect (for the whole La Forêt Blanche) are shown here now.

On the map

Vars
Legend

Run difficulty

  • Novice
  • Easy
  • Intermediate
  • Advanced / Expert
  • Freeride / Extreme
  • Unknown

Run types

  • Downhill — groomed
  • Downhill — ungroomed
  • Downhill — gladed
  • Nordic (groomed)
  • Ski tour
  • ☾Lit (night)
  • △Not patrolled
  • →One-way
  • ❄Snowmaking

Lifts

  • Operating
  • Operating (private)
  • Non-operating
  • Lift station

Slope-gradient grading

Downhill / ski tour

  • Flat<3°
  • Easy3–14°
  • Intermediate14–22°
  • Advanced / Expert22–45°
  • Freeride / Extreme>45°

Nordic

  • Easy<6°
  • Intermediate6–9°
  • Advanced>9°

Aspect (sun exposure)

  • N — least sun
  • E — morning
  • S — most sun
  • W — afternoon

Legend after OpenSkiMap

Map & ski data © OSM (ODbL) via OpenSkiMap · basemap OpenFreeMap · terrain Mapterhorn
See the official piste maps on Skimap.org →
Where you'll stay

Stay in Vars

The livelier side of La Forêt Blanche, a spread of hamlets sitting high around 1850 m in the Hautes-Alpes, with the main ski station at Les Claux. It has more variety and a bit more buzz than Risoul, and it's the home of the Chabrières speed-skiing track — the fastest in the world.

Ski-in / ski-out

Lifts and pistes from the door — the point of a high, purpose-built resort.

Apartments

Self-catering residences, the bulk of the beds and the flexible-budget option.

Chalets

Catered and self-catered chalets for groups wanting the whole place.

Hotels & spa

From simple to high-end, with pools and spas to thaw out in.

Nearby ski areas

Other bases within reach — including the rest of the La Forêt Blanche.

~approx 31 km away
Faces north-east
France · Allos

Espace Lumière

185.1 km (OSM) 1,495–2,592 m
29% beginner 31% inter. 8% expert
Vertical
1097 m
Pistes (mapped)
219
Lifts
39
~approx 39 km away
Faces north-east
France · Briançon

Serre-Chevalier

157 km (OSM) 1,219–2,765 m
60% beginner 29% inter. 10% expert
Vertical
1546 m
Pistes (mapped)
120
Lifts
70
~approx 62 km away
Faces north-west
France · La Grave

Les Deux Alpes

107.9 km (OSM) 1,284–3,511 m
77% beginner 15% inter. 7% expert
Vertical
2227 m
Pistes (mapped)
81
Lifts
46
~approx 65 km away
Faces north-west
France · Orelle

Galibier-Thabor

131.2 km (OSM) 1,406–2,738 m
61% beginner 31% inter. 8% expert
Vertical
1332 m
Pistes (mapped)
97
Lifts
34
~approx 75 km away
Espace Haute Maurienne Vanoise ski area Faces north-west
France · Aussois

Espace Haute Maurienne Vanoise

209.8 km (OSM) 1,306–2,948 m
60% beginner 30% inter. 8% expert
Vertical
1643 m
Pistes (mapped)
162
Lifts
79
~approx 75 km away
Faces west
France · Auris

Alpe d'Huez Grand Domaine

162.3 km (OSM) 1,124–3,306 m
55% beginner 27% inter. 17% expert
Vertical
2182 m
Pistes (mapped)
132
Lifts
82
~approx 80 km away
Les Sybelles ski area Faces east
France · Fontcouverte-la-Toussuire

Les Sybelles

135.7 km (OSM) 1,278–2,587 m
64% beginner 26% inter. 9% expert
Vertical
1309 m
Pistes (mapped)
112
Lifts
65
~approx 82 km away
Les Trois Vallées ski area Faces north
France · Brides-les-Bains

Les Trois Vallées

498.2 km (OSM) 1,110–3,221 m
62% beginner 29% inter. 9% expert
Vertical
2110 m
Pistes (mapped)
336
Lifts
142
Complete your trip

Getting to Vars

Book an airport transfer up to the resort, or pick up a car at Marseille (MRS) — search and compare without leaving the page.

Ski data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), via OpenSkiMap & Skimap.org. Basemap © OpenFreeMap / OpenMapTiles. · Weather data © Open-Meteo.com (CC-BY 4.0), ERA5 reanalysis. Village grouping & editorial: mynext.holiday. Accommodation via Stay22; transfers via Kiwitaxi; car hire via Travelpayouts.