Orcières Merlette ski resort · slopes, lifts & elevation

Orcières Merlette is a ski area in Champoléon, Hautes-Alpes, France. Its 69 mapped downhill runs add up to 49 km, which ranks it #52 of 333 ski areas in France and gives it 0.6% of all the country's slopes. The average run is about 717 m long.

Slopes at Orcières Merlette

About 51% of the slopes are beginner or easy runs, 39% intermediate and 9% advanced or expert, which makes Orcières Merlette a good choice for beginners and families.

Lifts and elevation

The resort has 26 lifts: 13 drag lifts, 5 chairlifts, 4 magic carpets, 3 combined lifts, 1 rope tow. Most uphill transport is by surface lifts (T-bars, button lifts and tows). Skiing runs from 1,825 m up to 2,731 m, a vertical drop of 906 m. The high top station usually means reliable snow well into spring.

Getting to Orcières Merlette

The nearest airport is Cuneo International Airport (CUF), about 104 km away in a straight line — roughly 2 h 16 min by car; Grenoble Alpes Isère Airport (GNB) is 107 km away. Nearby ski areas include Serre Eyraud (6.8 km), Domaine Skiable Saint-Léger-Les-Mélèzes (14.5 km), Chaillol, Chalhòl (11.0 km) and Ancelle (22.9 km), which together add 110 km of slopes for a multi-resort trip.