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Risoul Resort Reviews


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Visitor reviews for Risoul Ski Resort

Risoul Ratings

Overall: 3.5. Based on 14 votes and 18 reviews. Vote

Snowsure: 4.1

(1) Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing, (2) is often closed due to a lack of snow, (3) occasionally suffers from a lack of snow, (4) rarely suffers from a lack of snow, (5) Risoul is snowsure even in the poorest seasons.

Variety of pistes: 3.5

(1) The ski runs are featureless and unvaried, (3) the ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week, (5) Risoul has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain.

Off-piste: 3.7

(1) No off-piste worth mentioning, (2) off piste is out-of-bounds, (3) some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days, (5) a vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days.

Scenery: 4.3

(1) An ugly resort in a bland setting, (3) average mountain views and resort, (5) a spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town.

Access: 3.2

(1) At least one overnight stop, (2) requires a whole day, (3) requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns (4) arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon, (5) there is a main airport within an hour of Risoul.

Public Transport: 3.2

(1) There are no buses or taxis to Risoul, (3) there are slow or infrequent buses / trains available, (5) getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections.

Accommodation: 3.2

(1) No places to stay in/near Risoul, (3) a few places to stay in the resort, (5) a wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets.

Cheap Rooms: 2.7

(1) No budget accommodation available, (3) just one or two hostels so book ahead, (5) several cheap hostels and pensions available.

Luxury Hotels: 2.3

(1) No luxury accommodation available, (3) just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead, (5) several up-market hotels in Risoul.

Ski in/Ski out: 3.4

(1) The ski area is located far from any accommodation, (3) a free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip, (5) Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available.

Childcare: 3.7

(1) There are no child care facilities at Risoul, (5) the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche.

Snowmaking: 3.8

(1) Risoul relies entirely on natural snow, (3) there are just a few snow cannons, (5) there are snowmaking facilities on all pistes.

Snow Grooming: 3.6

(1) There are no snow groomers at Risoul, (3) occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state, (5) all the runs at Risoul are groomed daily.

Shelter: 4.5

(1) there is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut, (3) there are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close, (5) Risoul is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close.

Nearby options: 3.2

(1) If snow conditions are poor at Risoul, it will be poor everywhere nearby, (3) there are good alternatives within an hours drive, (5) other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions.

Regional rating: 3.8

(1) Risoul usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region, (3) has average conditions for the region, (5) usually has the best snow conditions in the region.

Lift Staff: 3.6

(1) The staff at Risoul are rude or unhelpful, (5) lift staff at Risoul are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help.

Crowds/Queues: 4.1

(1) the resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues, (3) it is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays, (5) it is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare.

Ski Schools: 3.8

(1) No ski schools available, (2) one or two ski schools but local language only, (3) a few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors, (4) plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available, (5) excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors.

Hire and Repairs: 4.0

(1) Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex. (3) there are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance, (5) good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible.

Beginners: 4.0

(1) Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard, (3) a few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week, (3) Vast areas of gentle terrain.

Intermediates: 3.9

(1) No intermediate terrain at Risoul, (3) intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days, (5) vast areas of cruising runs.

Advanced: 3.7

(1) Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders, (3) enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste, (5) Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week.

Snow Park: 3.9

(1) Not even a kicker at Risoul, (3) average sized park quite well looked after, (5) huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails.

Cross-country: 3.1

(1) There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Risoul, (3) there are some cross country trails available, (5) the area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails.

Luge/Toboggan: 3.4

(1) No designated luge or toboggan runs, (3) there are toboggan runs that open quite often, (5) Risoul has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages.

Mountain Dining: 3.3

(1) Nowhere to buy food by the pistes, (3) some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive, (5) there is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets.

Eating: 3.5

(1) Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop. (5) A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants.

Apres-Ski: 3.0

(1) Nothing to do, not even a bar, (3) there are a few bars in the resort but nothing special, (5) clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere.

Other Sports: 2.4

(1) No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts, (3) resort has just a small public swimming pool, (5) resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool.

Entertainment: 3.1

(1) Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here, (3) the non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week, (5) the resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports.

Winter Walks: 3.7

(1) Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails, (3) a couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails, (5) extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities.

Ski Pass Value: 3.4

(1) A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available, (3) the ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts, (5) ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area.

Value (National): 3.6

(1) Overall, Risoul is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money, (3) overall represents average value for money, (5) overall offers the best value resort in the country.

Value (Global): 3.7

(1) Overall, Risoul is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world, (3) overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries, (5) internationally the resort offers excellent value for money.

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March 26, 2007
melanie lazenby from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
A nice & quiet, albeit small resort with good doorstep ski-ing, mostly tree lined, don't be put off by long transfer comments, as you don't normally ski the first day anyway, so there's no hurry. We stayed in the Le Morgan hotel which is run down, but the staff were really nice & so was the food. Good snow record & no lift queues:-) Just about enough to do in a week if your used to ski-ing the big resorts, like Espace killy & 3 Valleys etc. We did enjoy it.
January 19, 2007
alun evans from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Went to Risoul skiing for 2 days. We stayed below in Guillestre and traveled up to the resort..the road is along way up and windy. Once there the skiing was excellent. Wouldn't stay in the resort but ok to travel there etc.good if you have young kids as all the lifts and runs end at the same place near enough.what i would suggest is stay below like we did then do a few resorts nearby,such has sierra Chevelier, Puy St Vincent and so on..
March 04, 2006
Chris Rogers from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Quiet, civilised, cheap with a relaxed French atmosphere. Limited resort facilities, lots of chairs and unexceptional piste skiing. Fine for a week and if it snows. Mind blowing tree skiing amongst larches for those of you who know what that means.
January 16, 2004
Ben Scales from Ski France France
If you look at the piste map of Risoul you could be forgiven for thinking that it was a fairly poxy little resort. It is however, taking in Vars next door, deceptively big - not on the scale of eg Val d'Is?re/Tignes or Les Tois Vall?es, but it is certainly big enough for all standards for a week. I would disagree with Ady's comment suggesting it is not a lot of bottle for experts. True, the piste skiing is, with the exception of a couple of tasty black runs, fairly intermediate, but off piste opportunities are spectacular if the snow is right. Even over new year the queuing is very light and there are also 'quick lines' at almost all lifts so you can bypass the masses if you don't mind making up the extra man on a chairlift of random punters. The drawbacks are as follows: 1. The lift system is basic, comprising button lifts and chairlifts with only one t?l?cabine system taking you up out of Vars. This is not in itself much of a problem, provided the weather is OK! 2. As has already been said, the night life is not exactly belting, but there are a few good bars, which cater for the unwashed boarding hoardes, who incidentally would do everyone a favour if they kept off mogul fields which 9O% of them can't get down other than on their backsides (thereby shaving off the tops of the bumps and wrecking them). 4. Quite a lot of Italians ;) Plus points: 1. Relaxed southern Alps atmosphere; few English. 2. Easy access from Marseille: 3 hours, mostly of autoroute (don't bother with Turin). Also winter flights to Marseille are cheap. 3. Compared to the well-trodden Britpack resorts like Val d'Is?re, Risoul is very good value for the lift pass, accommodation and food up the mountain.
January 02, 2004
Ady Keeble from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Some good varied ski-ing, plenty to keep most but the expert busy for a week, I enjoyed this resort. It has a real French feel about it, which is unusual for a purpose built resort, and the ski-in, ski-out convenience is a real bonus. Two major drawbacks - a very long transfer from Turin (4 hours+), and exceptionally quiet at night, but well worth a visit at least once.
November 20, 2003
Mauce from Ski Netherlands Netherlands
I'm going for the first time to Risoul this januari and have been to several places in Austria before and last januari to Alpe d'Huez. I've heard a lot of good stories about Risoul and I am going to test it myself this winter I will let you know in januari! Greetings Mauce
October 23, 2003
Wiebe Koorevaar from Ski Netherlands Netherlands
Last year with Christmas I went skiing in Risoul, and it was a real good experience! I've been in 10 diffrerent skiing resorts in 5 different countries, and of all those Risoul is my favorite, and this is why: * Great snow and lots of sun thanks to high altitude * Large variety of slopes, but in skill as in environment (trees, above treeline, broad, narrow and off-piste) * Skiing to your front door for practically all accomodations * Apres ski is ok, but not abundant * No waiting times at all * Nice day-routes possible Of the skiing lessons I don't know anything, but I can agree with the previous comment about bad English. The last disadvantage I'd like to mention is the long and time-consuming road to Risoul. From Holland (Germany, Belgium and North-France alike) the distance is very long and contains a mountain pass. Prepare for quite a drive. I can recommend this resort to both snowboarders (200m halfpipe) and skiers, but it only gets real attractive for people with a bit of skiing experience. Like in the most French resorts the skiing area is large, but that also means the prices for skipasses are high. When you're not experienced that much you might only use a very small portion of the area. Overall, very good skiing (to your front door), good weather conditions and the lack of waiting times will give you an excellent holiday!
August 26, 2003
Chris Hill from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
I have been to Risoul 2 times now. The runns are varied and tree lined which makes for great skiing. The resort staff on the whole don't speak English - as one person said to me 'Risoul is where the French go skiing' meaning that it is a very popular with people who know what they are talking about. So being English and going there ment that i did really feel that i was in France. Nightlife is too in your face, but if you go when there is a big compitition then you will have access to the music, lights and booze on the slopes too. I would recomend it for skiiers and snowboarders alike. I give it 4*

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