The Queyras (sort of pronounced key-rah) has been on our radar for a long time. Why? It is magnificent on so many measures. Quiet, affordable ski resorts with big verticals, expansive off-piste & great larch tree skiing, plus incredible villages & history in a wild, remote part of France. Coupled with big snowfalls during true retour d'est weather systems it is an absolute winner. Aside from the deep snow, we found all of this in the Queyras during our quick January 2026 visit. And even though the snow wasn't deep, it was of such a delicious quality that depth hardly mattered.

Driving into the Queyras very quickly lets one know they are in for a real treat. Narrow roads & tunnels clinging to the side of precipitous mountains, deep gorges and fine castles are a worthy introduction.

We stayed in the incredible village of Saint Veran and unfortunately only got to ski the Molines – Saint-Véran area. It showed us more than enough to want more; so much more. We can recommend Saint Veran as a 'must do' to stay a few nights. See the Molines / Saint Veran page & reviews for more detailed info about it.

Don't expect the four ski areas of the Queyras to have new gondolas & 6-seaters express chairs with hoods and heated seats. Whilst we suspect that most people coming here will be fine with that, it is important to set expectations for riding a few slow chairs, and a lot of J-bars & T-bars to get around. The low lift pass rates reflect this simple infrastructure. However the slopes are top-quality, on & off-piste. Exploring further by skinning is also almost mandatory .....

Do yourself a favour and visit the Queyras. C'est Magnifique! We will return for an extended stay in season 26/27. See our thoughts on the region's pros & cons via the Queyras overview page...

See our video here

Having been messed by the Retour d'est in Limone Piemonte, we headed towards Queyras hoping to get some decent snow from the “Return from the East” considering the elevation of Queyras. I’d never been skiing in France, so I was excited as we drove past Claviere and stopped at the welcome to France sign to pose for a “gorgeous” photo.

En route to Saint Véran, the highest village in France, Stefan took me for a spin around the old town in Briançon, the highest city in France. That was lovely and then the drive to Queyras was beautiful on a narrow winding road with its little tunnels and deep ravine below. After passing Fort Queyras, it felt like we were out in the middle of nowhere although that was the point.

Molines / Saint Veron sounded OK sized with 13 lifts so we skied there, yet if you subtracted the short kids lifts and those that ran parallel to another, there were only 6 lifts that mattered and only 2 of these were chair lifts. The rest were that lift grouping that has multiple nomenclature such as J bar, disc, button, poma etc. With respect to the Beauregard lifts, I rename these the “bucking broncos”. On the entrance to these lifts there was a warning sign “experts only”, not because of the terrain they serviced, but for the inner thigh prowess and general skills required to stay on the lift. Lots of giggles ensued! In line with the sophistication of the lifts, or the lack thereof, the lift passes were very cheap.

The lift quality was also a bonus because it kept the crowds away. There was barely anyone there, although the lack of snow might have also been a contributing factor.

Retour d'est brought a little fresh snow rather than the anticipated big dump. It’s a boom or bust sort of place and there was no boom. The snow volume was lacking, some pistes were patchy despite manmade assistance, whilst some off-piste zones in the lower reaches were bare.

With respect to snow quality, it was gorgeous. Elevation plus low humidity had blessed the ski area. We played in open off-piste and our tentative turns were lovely. The terrain was not steep and had there been more base, the off-piste would have been perfect for intermediates or others in need of an ego boost. We didn’t tackle the trees above the Mollines base because it was sketchy and tight in places. From the top lift we had a look at some of the tasty backcountry terrain, although we didn’t go ski touring because the snow conditions weren’t calling for it.

The piste skiing was enjoyable, and whilst there wasn’t a lot of variety and no steeps (the biggest challenge came from riding the poma lifts), there was something magical about the place that made it so pleasurable.

Lunch on a sunny deck was pleasant. For full French immersion, I wanted crepes. Alas these didn’t start until later in the day, so I had to resort to a baguette with brie instead.

We stayed in Saint-Véran which was big on charm. What a village! It was a delightful step back in time and had plenty of gorgeous historic buildings of stone and timber. One highlight was drinks and dinner at L’aigue Blanche with its cosy ambience in front of the fire, and I love that in this part of the world, it’s perfectly acceptable to eat a wheel of cheese for dinner.

We stayed at Les Chalets du Villard which offered loads of charm. Our studio was missing a bed compared to the advertised description of the configuration, and the narrow camp beds didn’t seem befitting, but it didn’t really matter as the stay was still great.

Getting up to the lifts at Saint-Véran in ski boots would have required some ice skating, and there was no parking, so we opted to drive down to the lower base area instead.

Whilst the ski resort was dinky and the snow volume lacking, the overall experience was fantastic. It felt like we were in this French bubble of joy because of the combination of the quaint historic village, a retro ski experience, the beautiful setting, and the cool drive to get there and then back to reality.
See our video here