Orcières Merlette 1850

Orcières-Merlette is a ski resort in the north-eastern part of the Champsaur massif, on the edge of the Ecrins, the largest national park in France. The ski area, with a total of 100 km of downhill pistes, centres on the Alpine village of Orcières at 1,450 m and, four hundred metres higher, the ski village of Merlette, built "from scratch" in the 1960s. Two of the resort's ski areas, Drouvet and Mèollion, can be reached directly from Merlette, while the third lies some distance from the others, around the Lac des Estaris. Easy green pistes for beginners are found around the very centre of Merlette. There is a wide choice of intermediate pistes and a slightly smaller choice of difficult ones (mainly on the slopes of the Aiguille de Cedera). There is a snow park at 2,000 m. The lift network serving the resort is very modern, and further improvements are made every year. The local Tele-mix (a mixed lift with chairs and gondolas) was the first of its kind in France. The resort holds the P’tits Montagnards label, which the Ski France club awards to resorts that specialise in holidays for families with children. Besides a wide choice of activities for young children, this means discounts, specially adapted slopes and lifts, and specialised ski schools and ski kindergartens. The cross-country trails total 50 km and run through the upper parts of the Champsaur massif. Most of them are prepared for skating. The resort's offer away from skiing includes paragliding, snowshoe trips, dog sledding, quad bikes and ice hockey. The Le Palais des Sports "Grande Ourse" sports and leisure centre in Merlette (3,000 m² of floor space) has a pool with a slide, a sauna, a hammam, a jacuzzi, a bowling alley, an ice rink and a cinema, among other things. The biggest local attraction, however, is Kanata, an igloo village built on the Roche Rousse plateau at 2,200 m, which serves as an ice hotel and hosts many sports events.