La Grave vs Vars: which should you book?
These two are not really rivals, they are opposites, so the honest answer depends on who is skiing. Book Vars for almost everyone: families, intermediates and groups who want a big, sunny, well linked area with proper pistes. Book La Grave only if you are a strong, confident off piste skier who wants one of the most serious lift served mountains in the world, ridden with a guide. For most groups it is Vars. For expert powder hounds, nothing replaces La Grave.
Last reviewed June 2026
The short answer
Vars wins for the vast majority: families, intermediates and mixed groups wanting groomed pistes and a big linked area. La Grave wins only for expert off piste skiers seeking a legendary, ungroomed, guided mountain. They serve completely different skiers.
La Grave and Vars sit in the same broad corner of the southern French Alps but could not be more different. La Grave is a tiny stone village under the Meije, with a single pulse gondola rising toward 3,200 m and essentially no marked pistes, just wild, glaciated, avalanche prone terrain for experts. Vars sits at around 1,850 m and links with Risoul to form the Foret Blanche, a sunny, well groomed area of around 180 km. Choosing between them is really choosing what kind of skier you are.
The numbers side by side
| La Grave | Vars | |
|---|---|---|
| Village altitude | around 1,450 m | around 1,850 m |
| Top lift | around 3,200 m | around 2,750 m |
| Marked pistes | Almost none, a couple of routes | Foret Blanche, around 180 km with Risoul |
| Terrain | Wild, glaciated, off piste only | Groomed, sunny, mostly intermediate |
| Best for | Expert off piste skiers with a guide | Families, intermediates, groups |
| Nearest airports | Grenoble around 2 hours | Turin or Marseille, around 2 hours 30 |
The skiing
This is the whole story. La Grave has one of the most famous off piste descents in the Alps, a 2,000 m vertical down ungroomed glaciers and couloirs, served by a slow pulse gondola and patrolled only at the very top. It is genuinely dangerous in poor conditions and demands a guide, the right kit and real ability. Vars offers exactly what most skiers actually want: a big, sunny, well groomed network shared with Risoul, with long cruising runs, a famous speed skiing track and terrain that flatters intermediates. Winner: Vars for the great majority, La Grave for experts seeking something singular.
The village
La Grave is a tiny, authentic mountain hamlet, beautiful in a raw way, with a handful of bars and lodgings and a serious, low key mountaineering culture. There is little to do but ski and talk about skiing. Vars is a proper resort with several linked villages, a working center, shops and family amenities. For atmosphere La Grave is unmatched, but for a comfortable holiday base Vars wins. Winner: Vars for a holiday, La Grave for soul.
Families
Vars wins this without argument. It has gentle nursery slopes, ski schools, a compact and convenient layout and plenty of easy terrain to progress on, which makes it a strong family choice in the southern Alps. La Grave is emphatically not a family resort and has essentially no beginner or easy intermediate skiing. Winner: Vars.
Apres and evenings
Neither is a party town. Vars has more to offer simply because it is larger, with a reasonable spread of bars and restaurants across its villages. La Grave is quiet and intense, the kind of place where the evening talk is about lines skied and conditions tomorrow. Winner: Vars for variety, though some will prefer La Grave's focus.
Cost
Both are good value by Alpine standards. Vars puts most family weeks in the under $2,000 to $2,000 to $4,000 per person band including a pass. La Grave can look cheap on paper because the lift pass is modest, but a strong guide is essential for most visitors, which adds up over a week and pushes the real cost higher. Winner: Vars on predictable value, with La Grave cheap only if you can ski it safely without daily guiding.
Access and snow
Access is a wash, with both involving a transfer of roughly two to two and a half hours from the nearest useful airports. On snow, Vars is reliable thanks to its altitude and sunny southern aspect, though the sun can soften lower runs in spring. La Grave's north facing glaciers hold cold snow superbly but the mountain only truly shines, and is only truly safe, when conditions line up. Winner: Vars for dependable conditions, La Grave for quality when it is on.
The verdict
Book Vars if you are a family, an intermediate or a mixed group who wants a big, sunny, well groomed area with real pistes and a comfortable base, which describes most people reading this. Book La Grave only if you are a strong off piste skier who wants one of the most serious and rewarding mountains in the world, and you will hire a guide to ski it properly.
They are different trips for different skiers. If you lean toward lift served off piste, you might also weigh nearby Les Deux Alpes, which sits just over the col from La Grave and links to it, and you can see the wider area in our best of Les Deux Alpes ranking. Otherwise browse more French resorts before you book.
If you want this trip priced by specialists, tell us your dates and budget below and we will route your brief to the right operators.
Common questions
Do La Grave and Vars share a lift pass?
No. They are separate resorts with separate passes. Vars shares the Foret Blanche pass with Risoul, while La Grave sells its own pass for the pulse gondola up the Meije.
Which is better for beginners and families?
Vars, with no contest. It has gentle nursery slopes, ski schools and plenty of easy intermediate terrain across the Foret Blanche. La Grave has almost no beginner skiing and is built around serious off piste.
Do you need a guide at La Grave?
For most visitors, yes. La Grave is ungroomed, glaciated and only patrolled at the top, with real avalanche and crevasse hazard. Hiring a qualified mountain guide is strongly advised unless you are highly experienced and know the terrain.
Which has more reliable snow?
Vars is the more dependable for a normal holiday, sitting high at around 1,850 m with a sunny aspect, though lower runs can soften in spring. La Grave's north facing glaciers hold superb cold snow but the mountain is only at its best, and safest, when conditions align.
Which is cheaper?
Vars offers more predictable value, with most weeks in the under 2,000 to 4,000 dollars per person range. La Grave has a cheap lift pass but the cost of essential guiding over a week pushes the real total up for most skiers.
Can you combine the two on one trip?
It is awkward, as they are an hour or more apart by road. A more natural pairing for off piste fans is La Grave with neighboring Les Deux Alpes, which links over the col and offers groomed terrain to balance the wild side.