Saint-Léger-les-Mélèzes is named for its larches, and they fill the slopes above this Champsaur village at 1,260 m above Gap. Twenty-three kilometres of family piste, seven lifts and a network of cross-country trails make for one of the gentlest weeks in the southern Alps. The Champsaur is where Briançonnais skiers come to breathe.
Saint-Léger-les-Mélèzes is a ski resort in France, in the French Alps. The village sits at 1260 m and the lifts top out at 1800 m, with 23 km of pistes and 7 lifts. Its BestSnowHotels snow score is 70/100, and the season usually runs Dec 14 → Apr 7.
Run counts and piste kilometres are indicative. Green runs only exist in France, Spain, Andorra, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Japan, the United States, Morocco, Algeria, Lesotho, South Africa, Egypt, Canada, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and Chile; Italy, Austria, Switzerland and Germany start at blue. Indicative average snow depth near the top of the resort, in cm.
Where to stay
A handful of well-rated hotels in and around the resort. Pick one, then compare live prices across Booking, Expedia and Hotels.com.
4.7461 reviews
€125
★ Top pick
Les Chenets - Hôtel / Restaurant
Excellent · 461 reviews
👍Why we like it
One of the highest-rated places to stay in Saint-Léger-les-Mélèzes, with guests singling out the service and comfort.
Guests rate this hotel as excellent (4.7/5 from 461 reviews). It sits about 5.3 km from the slopes. A mid-range option for Saint-Léger-les-Mélèzes, with live nightly rates shown for your exact dates so you always see the best price.
Ratings from Google, prices indicative per night. Live availability and rates via our booking partners.
Ski-in/ski-out
True ski-in/ski-out is not really on offer: the lifts start a few hundred metres above the village and a free skier shuttle links the centre with the lift base every morning. A short walk in ski boots, not an open balcony onto the piste.
Get to know the resort
The Champsaur is one of the sunniest valleys in the French Alps, and Saint-Léger sits at its heart, just above the regional capital of Gap. The shared Saint-Léger-Ancelle ski area, eight greens, ten blues, four reds and a single black, runs through proper larch forest with views across to the Écrins, and the cross-country network reaches up onto the plateau above the village. The local lift pass is modest, the lessons fill quickly with kids on holiday from Gap, and the snow holds longest on the north-facing pistes despite the southern latitude. When the Briançonnais and the Embrunais get crowded in February, this is where their own residents disappear to. Hotels and guesthouses are small, mostly run by farming families that still keep the lavender summer business going. Booking, Expedia and Hotels.com cover the village; if you arrive without a car, Gap has the train and a couple of seasonal shuttle services run to Saint-Léger on weekends.
Good to know
The piste map leans gentle: 8 green and 10 blue runs against 4 red and 1 black, so beginners and early intermediates rarely run out of comfortable terrain.
From 1260 m at the base to 1800 m up top, the resort leans on grooming and snowmaking in lean spells (score 70/100).
It is a compact resort, 23 km of piste on 7 lifts, best as a day trip or a relaxed short break rather than a week-long base.
The lifts typically turn for about 16 weeks a season, planning around late January to late February tends to land the most reliable cover.
Hotels in Saint-Léger-les-Mélèzes
Hotels and apartments around the lifts. Compare prices on Booking, Expedia and Hotels.com.
Saint-Léger-les-Mélèzes offers 23 km of pistes across 7 lifts, from 1260 m to 1800 m. Whether it suits beginners depends on the dedicated learner zones at the base of the slopes, so check the local ski-school options for green and blue run access.
When is the best time to ski Saint-Léger-les-Mélèzes?+
The season runs from Dec 14 to Apr 7, with a snow score of 70/100. The best conditions are usually from late January through February, while spring skiing in March and April brings longer days and softer afternoons.
Where should I stay for true ski-in/ski-out?+
True ski-in/ski-out is not really on offer: the lifts start a few hundred metres above the village and a free skier shuttle links the centre with the lift base every morning. A short walk in ski boots, not an open balcony onto the piste.
How big is the Saint-Léger-les-Mélèzes ski area?+
Saint-Léger-les-Mélèzes has 23 km of marked pistes served by 7 lifts, between 1260 m and 1800 m of altitude.
Is Saint-Léger-les-Mélèzes more for beginners or experts?+
Saint-Léger-les-Mélèzes counts about 23 marked runs in total. The colour breakdown above shows how they split by difficulty, a good guide to whether the resort fits your level.
Ski resorts near Saint-Léger-les-Mélèzes
The closest alternatives, an easy switch if dates or hotels are tight.
