Les Orres

A snowHead

This is a great little resort with about 100km of pistes. Sounds mad but we (2 families) did a day trip there on 5th April which it sounds from other resorts and reports was one of the best days of the season. Drive up from the Var where we were staying was about 2.45 hrs. Kit hired from Ski Low Cost which is just on the right as you enter 1650, cost was about 80 € for x5 people. Parking was free on the street as you enter the village, I gather it can be tricky during busy weeks. Ski passes were about 40€ pp inc. carte neige and the reusable placcy card. We were on the lifts by about 9.45am

Pistes - we were lucky, it had snowed about 20-30 cm in the previous couple of days so the pistes were in great nick with soft powdery snow to resort level, off piste was surprisingly already ski’d out, probably the day before. I had been eying up the long red La Grande Cabane but annoyingly it was shut. Pretty much everything else was open. Lots of stunning tree lined pistes and some fun off piste between the runs. Pretty easy skiing but what made the day was the lack of other skiers, I reckoned there were probably only 50-60 other skiers on the hill so most of the time it felt like you were on a private piste.

Lunch- We skied hard until a late’ish lunch at about 2pm at Le Zenith which is at the top of the Pousterle chair. Great value at about 180€ for 9 of us. This included beers, the obligatory several bottles of Provençal rose at about 18€ each, a charcuterie platter for the adults plus a main course each. I had a delicious Duck Confit Parmentier which is essentially a duck shepherds pie, yum.

We skied for about another hour after lunch and then headed down for several loops of the L’Orrian Express which is one of those summer luge things. A quick coffee for the drivers and then headed back down south.

We would definitely go back but probably only for a day or weekend trip. We are all fairly speedy and proficient skiers so any longer and we might get a bit bored. Great value, quiet, stunning views and friendly - Les Orres gets a big thumbs up from me. Hope this helps.

A snowHead

I agree that this is a great little place to ski. I went in January and it was chosen as it was served by night sleeper from Paris (I work for an Anglo-French company and I had some meetings in Paris in January), had a regular bus service, easy to book accomodation and a bagagerie. Left Paris at around 10pm and was skiing at 9:15 the next morning. On the Friday the slopes were deserted but hardly crowded the other days.

Snow wasn't great but most of the runs were open and some were brilliant especially la grand cabane (probably one of the best runs I've ever done) rolande and Cretes. It isn't a huge ski area but I found that I liked that as it reduced the stress of missing last lifts.

Assuming I get meetings in Paris next winter I'll be back.

Help!!

Les Orres

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