Slope Breakdown
Vars at a glance
Vars is a ski resort in France, part of the Forêt Blanche ski area. It offers 185 km of slopes served by 42 lifts, with skiing between 1,650 m and 2,750 m (1,100 m vertical). That makes it the 26th largest of the 40 ski resorts in France listed on Intski. The season usually runs from December to April. Vars offers a balanced mix: 41% easy, 49% intermediate and 10% expert slopes.
Top features of this resort
Snow forecast
About 6 cm of new snow at the top (2,750 m) in the next 3 days, none at the base.
New snow and temperature at the top station. Estimated by Intski from the MET Norway forecast, updated every few hours. Where it snows most this week
Email me when it snows
An alert when 15 cm or more is on the way at Vars, and a heads-up before it opens.
Getting there & lift pass
Nearest airport
Cuneo (CUF) — about 74 km from the resort, straight-line distance, allow more by road.
Lift pass
Adult day pass around 53 EUR (2026/27 season).
Compare lift pass prices at all resortsPrice source, checked 2026-09-10
Driving to Vars
Rules for a car in France, checked 30 September 2026 against official sources.
Road charge
Motorway tolls by distance. A43 (AREA) Saint-Quentin-Fallavier barrier (Lyon) to Chambéry Nord, 88 km, class 1 €13.40, A43 (AREA) Chignin barrier to Aiton, 31 km, class 1 (towards Albertville and Maurienne) €4.20
Winter tyres
Winter tyres or chains on board, 1 Nov to 31 Mar, in the signed mountain zones
Studded tyres
Allowed 1 Nov to 31 Mar (90 km/h, rear disc)
Vars resort facts
These figures cover the whole Forêt Blanche area, which Vars shares with 1 other resort on Intski, not Vars's own sector. Difficulty shares from skiresort.info.
About Vars
Vars is a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department of south-eastern France, and Wikipedia's summary is brief and specific: it is famous for its ski resort, with seven snow parks and 185 km of ski slopes.
Resort Highlights
Seven parks and 185 km
Vars is a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department of south-eastern France, and Wikipedia’s summary is brief and specific: it is famous for its ski resort, with seven snow parks and 185 km of ski slopes. That is an unusual emphasis. Most resorts lead with their vertical or their village; Vars leads with freestyle, and seven parks across one domain is a serious commitment. Our own data does not record park numbers for Vars, so the figure is Wikipedia’s, but the 185 km matches exactly.
The Forêt Blanche
The 185 km belongs to the Forêt Blanche, the ski area under which Vars is listed in our data, and it is served by 42 lifts. That works out at roughly 4.4 km of piste per lift, which points to long runs and a domain that spreads across the mountainside rather than stacking short chairs on one slope. The base is at 1,650 m and the top station at 2,750 m, a vertical of 1,100 m. A top above 2,200 m means altitude helps snow reliability, and the resort is tagged as snow-sure; the base is also comparatively high, which matters in the closing weeks of the December to April season when lower resorts are struggling. Our data does not break the pistes down by difficulty.
Setting
The domain’s name, Forêt Blanche, translates as ‘white forest’, which hints at skiing among trees as well as above them. Combined with the snow-sure tag and a 2,750 m top station, that suggests a resort able to offer sheltered runs in poor visibility and open high slopes on clear days, although our data does not confirm the tree cover. Scenic views are the second tagged feature.
Who it suits
Freestylers and snowboarders are the obvious audience given the park count, but 185 km is far more than parks alone, and a domain of that size with 1,100 m of vertical has room for cruising intermediates and families as well. Without a difficulty split we cannot say how much of the terrain is steep, so experts should check the current piste map before committing to a week. Groups mixing skiers and snowboarders are a natural fit, since the parks and the pistes sit in the same domain and nobody has to travel to find their preferred terrain.
Practical
Turin (TRN) in Italy is the nearest airport in our data, roughly 101 km away as the crow flies. The season runs from December to April, and the resort’s official website carries current information.
Frequently asked questions about Vars
Seven, according to Wikipedia. Our own data does not record a park count.
The Forêt Blanche, which in our data has 185 km of pistes and 42 lifts.
Hautes-Alpes, in south-eastern France.
1,650 m, with the top station at 2,750 m, giving 1,100 m of vertical.
Vars has 185 km of marked slopes: 75 km easy (blue), 90 km intermediate (red), 20 km expert (black), served by 42 ski lifts.
The skiing in Vars ranges from 1,650 m at the base to 2,750 m at the top — a vertical drop of 1,100 m.
The ski season in Vars typically runs from December to April. Exact opening dates vary by year and snow conditions.
Vars works for beginners, though it is not a dedicated beginner resort: about 41% of the slopes (75 km) are easy blue runs.
Vars has 20 km of expert (black) slopes — about 10% of the total.
An adult day pass in Vars costs around 53 EUR (2026/27 season).
Skier reviews
Been to Vars? Tell other skiers what it is really like.
Sign in to leave a review
We ask for an account so every review comes from a real person. It takes about ten seconds and keeps this page free of spam.
