Risoul

Risoul has grown in popularity over the past two decades and is now one of the few resorts which attracts most of the major international tour operators. Although the resort has few distinguishing features it is invariably described as, “very pleasant for a purpose-built centre” whilst the large Foret Blanche ski area of which it is a part is the largest doorstep skiing area in the Southern Alps.

The idea to build a ski resort here dates back to the mid 1940s when the team responsible for envisaging the Espace Killy and the Trois Vallées looked at the area. However, work on Risoul did not start until 1970. The skiing, which is linked to the larger and older and ‘very French’ resort of Vars, takes place in sunny bowls, with most of the runs ultimately returning to the resort base, so it’s hard to get lost. Pistes are usually quiet with lift queues a rarity, unlike the sun, which shines 320 days a year.

Risoul is located 300km (187 miles) north of the Mediterranean city of Nice and within the Queyras Regional Park, an area of great scenic beauty. The resort has been sympathetically designed using local larch wood and the pink stone of Guillestre region.