Headlines

SICA Le Montagnard des Alpes has inaugurated a new cutting room in Gap, marking a decisive step for the future of the Hautes-Alpes pork industry. Located in the immediate vicinity of the slaughterhouse, this facility strengthens the local capacity for processing and marketing pork meats, destined for butchers, delicatessens and cured meats producers in the Hautes-Alpes and throughout the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region.

A pioneer in the collective organization of production, slaughtering and marketing, today it remains the only pork producer organization in the Hautes-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur regions.

François-Xavier and Bertrand Ranvier, company managers at Tourtons du Champsaur, share their thoughts on CSR and present concrete actions around three key issues: economic performance, quality of life in the workplace and the environment.

The 4ᵉ edition of the Semaine des Métiers du Soin, de l’Accompagnement et de la Petite Enfance was held from April 7 to 10, 2026 in Briançon, Embrun, Gap, Veynes and Laragne.

Through immersive workshops, meetings with professionals and students, conferences and job dating, participants were able to obtain information, exchange ideas and project themselves into these professions at the heart of service to others.

Founded in 1890 and now run by Emmanuel and Jonathan Ebrard, Fromagerie Ebrard is one of the oldest in the Hautes-Alpes region. It relies on a network of around ten local producers (cow, goat and ewe milk) and last year processed almost 1.6 million liters of milk, a record for the structure that testifies to its development and consumer interest in cheeses and yogurts from the Hautes-Alpes.

With a staff of around twenty, the company has developed a production facility sized to meet the needs of a wide range of outlets. With a range of almost 90 products, it has an offer adapted to both institutional and commercial catering. The company has been working with local establishments for many years, such as the Saint-Bonnet-en-Champsaur secondary school for over 15 years.

This structure, supported by the organization of milk supplies by Hautes-Alpes Lait (a local milk collection scheme devised jointly by the Ebrard cheese dairy, the Laiterie du Col Bayard and Sacré Willy), guarantees regular volumes, product traceability and fair remuneration for producers.

Today, the Hautes-Alpes, alongside the Alpes du Sud collective, kicked off their summer season in the heart of the capital. Organized on the initiative of the Comité Régional du Tourisme Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur and the Agence de Développement des Hautes-Alpes, this workshop brought together representatives of the resorts and territories of the three southern Alpine départements (Hautes-Alpes, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Alpes-Maritimes).

Some thirty journalists from the national press, including So Press, L’Express, Les Echos, Le Parisien and L’Equipe, accepted the invitation. Each of them had the opportunity to exchange views with tourism professionals and discover the latest news and highlights that will mark the 2026 summer season.

An increasingly attractive destination

The signs are green for the coming season, after a positive winter in the massif. Since 2015, the Southern Alps have been steadily gaining in attractiveness over the spring-summer-autumn period.

A highlight for the regions

This Paris event marks a strategic milestone for destinations in the Southern Alps, as they prepare for a season rich in sporting, cultural and outdoor events. It’s a way for the tourism industry to highlight the diversity and quality of the experiences on offer, in an unspoilt environment conducive to disconnection and adventure.

Organized by Atout France in partnership with the Comité Régional de Tourisme Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, this major event brings together key players in the French tourism offer and international buyers.

For two days, tourism professionals, destinations, accommodators and activity providers had the opportunity to develop their network, enhance their know-how and create new business opportunities through qualified B2B meetings.

In an exceptional setting between the sea and the mountains, this year’s event in Nice will showcase the excellence and diversity of France’s tourism offering, while offering a special showcase for the Southern Alps.

Program
Tuesday, March 31 – Reconnaissance and official training
Wednesday, April 1 – Race 1: reconnaissance, qualifying, finals and awards ceremony
Thursday, April 2 – Race 2: reconnaissance, qualifying, finals and awards ceremony

Held at the heart of the La Chalp ski area, the meeting provided an opportunity to discuss the various promotional and communication levers, to generate new ideas and to strengthen the collective dynamic around the development and enhancement of the Nordic offering in the Hautes-Alpes.

Marseille, March 25, 2026.

At the ” Meet the Buyers ” event, the Région Sud and the Games organizers, COJOP and SOLIDEO, presented the major economic prospects linked to the organization of the 2030 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in the French Alps.

Over and above the sporting stakes, the project is a lever for regional transformation, with spin-offs estimated at 3.6 billion euros and the expected creation of 50,000 jobs.

Interested companies are invited to apply now via the dedicated platform :

A long-time president of the Ecrins and Oisans guide companies, he has worked hard with us to promote mountaineering. By keeping the memory alive, reminding us that the Hautes-Alpes was the cradle of the discipline in France. By building for the future, by opening fourteen school sites for the youngest climbers throughout the massif.

Always sensitive to the right balance and the preservation of our natural environment – our greatest asset – Benjamin was one of our most beautiful alpine faces.

Through its Bureau d’Accueil des Tournages, the Agence de Développement des Hautes-Alpes (Hautes-Alpes Development Agency) showcases the diversity of the region’s landscapes, particularly in the mountains, as well as the support offered to film crews.

Against a backdrop of strong growth for series on channels and platforms, the often longer shoots generate direct spin-offs in terms of employment, accommodation and local consumption.

And these benefits are significant. For example, the fiction film Le Train perdu (The Lost Train), directed by Aude Gogny-Goubert and shot in the fall of 2025 over a four-week period in the Hautes-Alpes (20 shooting days), had a budget of 2.3 million euros. The production estimated its direct local expenses at around 400,000 euros.

Established five years ago, the Meyssirat farm, run by Christopher Simiand, relies on a herd ofaround forty Alpine goats. The farm produces around 30,000 liters of milk a year, or almost 900 liters per animal. The breeding system favors extensive management, respecting natural cycles.

In fine weather, the animals graze on 3 hectares adjoining the farm, while a further 10 hectares are dedicated to forage production. All the production tools are on site: milking parlour, processing laboratory, store and farm areas.

All the milk is processed daily on the farm to meet a sustained demand for fresh produce. Raw-milk cheeses and yogurts make up a range of around 25 references. Today, business is evenly balanced between direct sales and local outlets.

Supported by the Département and run jointly by the Chamber of Agriculture and the Hautes-Alpes Development Agency, the PAT aims to support agricultural initiatives, structure short circuits and promote access to quality, locally produced and processed food.

A combo of several disciplines, this end-of-season race has become a veritable institution in the Serre Chevalier valley in just a few years.

A cocktail of wacky events
Games, wacky events, surprises – that’s what the Grand Prix de Serre Chevalier promises participants.

Halfway between a derby, a rally, an enduro, an orienteering race and a mud-day obstacle course, the world’s most popular amateur skiers’ race will surprise you with the creativity and craziness of its courses, which stretch across the entire ski area.

Top ambiance
Beyond the competition, the event is a great opportunity to share. Music, entertainment and stalls punctuate the day. Families, friends and athletes come together in a warm atmosphere where mountain traditions mingle with a festive spirit. On March 20, 21 and 22, will you be Sweet or Crazy?

For the Hautes-Alpes, this presence is part of an international promotion strategy, and will help to showcase the diversity of the summer offer(hiking, cycling on the major passes, white-water sports or aerial activities) to a British clientele in search of nature and active experiences.

Participants also discussed upcoming workshops and shared tools, notably press reviews, to improve the monitoring and valorization of media coverage.

These constructive exchanges confirmed the relevance of the collaborative work underway between the region’s various players, as well as the need for strategic alignment to boost the Hautes-Alpes’ visibility in the media.

Link to the Agence de Développement press area :

On Monday, in the Super G, Aurélie took her second silver medal. As for Arthur, a small error prevented him from reaching the finish line. In his own words, despite the disappointment of the moment, Arthur has his “fangs in the snow” and intends to keep going right to the end.

Highlights included an inclusive handball tournament on Tuesday, a day open to the general public on Wednesday with two round-table discussions on sustainable sport and the organization of responsible mountain events, and the inauguration on Friday of a totem pole created by 16 local school classes.

Conceived as an event that will run throughout the Alps until 2030, it aims to promote sporting activities while raising awareness of the need to preserve mountain areas.

2 days of competition in Ceillac

Handling course, springboard, slalom, reverse passage and speed ring… are just some of the tests competitors will have to pass. For the 2nd year running, Haut Savoyard Matthieu Gay Perret and his faithful Vandale de Tremalla will be present, crowned TREC (Technique de Randonnée Equestre deCompétition) world champions in 2022.

Arthur BAUCHET
Para alpine skiing – Ski Club Serre Chevalier

At the age of 25, Arthur Bauchet is a multiple Paralympic medalist in alpine skiing. He comes to these Games with the crazy ambition of winning five gold medals in as many disciplines. Smiling, approachable and resourceful, he is a combination of talent, perseverance and joie de vivre.

Aurélie RICHARD
Para alpine skiing – Ski club Queyras

Aurélie Richard, 20, is hoping to be the French revelation of the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games. She will not be taking part in Beijing 2022, having ruptured the cruciate ligaments in her right knee in June 2021. Aurélie, the bubbly one, arrives at these Games full of pride in representing France, and intends to make the most of every moment.

2 athletes from the Club Elite Hautes-Alpes, who never give up, and of whom the Hautes-Alpes are very proud.

The development agency won the award in the ” Saveur & Savoir-faire: valoriser le patrimoine agricole français ” category, which recognizes initiatives that promote local produce and the transmission of know-how.

This recognition underscores the constant commitment of the organizing team, which has been present at the Salon International de l’Agriculture for over ten years, and pays tribute to the long-standing work of highlighting Haute-Alpes producers and craftsmen, ambassadors of a living heritage and a fully-fledged agricultural chain.

A word from the jury

“The Haut-Alpin candidate ticked a lot of boxes: transmission, generational renewal, pedagogy, gustatory pleasures. On the stand, we travelled. And in the speech, no fuss, precise, concise, intelligent, without trying to seduce us, on the other hand absolutely convincing!”

Opened on Saturday February 21, the Salon International de l’Agriculture runs until Sunday March¹ at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles. The Hautes-Alpes stand was officially inaugurated on Tuesday February 24 by Jean-Marie Bernard, President of the Hautes-Alpes Department, in the presence of Renaud Muselier, President of the Southern Region.

Wines

Domaine de Tresbaudon (Tallard):
🥇 U Chjùcu Corsu (white wine, vintage 2025)

Cave Coopérative des Hautes-Vignes (Valserres):
🥇 Croquant de petit grain (white wine, vintage 2025)
🥈 Domaine de la Grande Hauche (red wine, vintage 2025)

Charcuterie

La Salaison des Écrins (Aubessagne):
🥇 Le Petit Écrin traditional dry sausage
🥉 Dry sausage

Goûte Traiteur (Pont-du-Fossé):
🥈 Home-made dry sausage
🥉 Home-made dry sausage

La Salaison du Champsaur (Saint-Laurent-du-Cros):
🥉 Le Montagnon old-fashioned, unsmoked cooked ham

Sarl Laurent Lamorlette (Embrun):
🥉 Le Barcelo traditional dry sausage

Dairy products

La Fromagerie de la Durance (Guillestre):
🥈 Capriraclette

Sacré Willy (Tallard):
🥇 Vanilla rice pudding
🥈 Caramel baked cream
🥈 Vanilla cottage cheese

La Fromagerie de la Durance (Guillestre):
🥈 Capriraclette

Fromagerie Ebrard (Chabottes):
🥉 Cow’s milk yogurt with vanilla

GAEC des 2 Bégüe (Manteyer):
🥇 Plain ewe’s milk yogurt

Beers

Brasserie Artisanale de Serre-Ponçon (Chorges):
🥇 La Dure à Cuire Ambrée
🥈 L’Apicole Triple au miel de châtaignier
🥈 La Caturige bière blonde

Walpine (Saint-Jean-Saint-Nicolas):
🥈 Lost rabbit
🥉 Grisette
🥉 Chantal Goyave

Jams

Le Plantivore (Château-Ville-vieille):
🥈 Woodland mara strawberry jam
🥉 Bitter orange jam
🥉 Raspberry jam

Liqueurs

Le Plantivore (Château-Ville-vieille):
🥇 Limoncello

Distillerie Saint-Véran (Saint-Véran):
🥈 Liqueur Mélilot Citron

Honeys

Joël Borel (Poligny):
🥈 Lavender/lavandin honey

Apiland (Rousset-Serre-Ponçon):
🥇 Lavender honey
🥇 Honey from the Alps
🥇 Mountain honey

Le Rucher de Saruchet (Montgardin):
🥇 Clear polyfloral honey
🥉 Acacia honey

EARL des Terres sauvages (Saint-Firmin):
🥈 Acacia honey

Apiculture Monnet & fils (Château-Ville-vieille):
🥇 Heather honey
🥇 Clear polyfloral honey

Apiculture Monnet & fils (Château-Ville-vieille) :
🥈 High mountain honey

The 62ᵉ Salon International de l’Agriculture opens its doors this Saturday at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles and, as has been a matter of course for the past 12 years, the Hautes-Alpes is there.

Under the impetus of the Département and in coordination with the Chamber of Agriculture and the Hautes-Alpes Development Agency, a hundred or so farmers, producers and craftsmen from the Hautes-Alpes will be making the trip to bring the capital to the rhythm of the mountains.

The stand

With this ^12th year of presence, the Hautes-Alpes is inaugurating a brand new stand, made of larch wood, the emblem of our mountains, and Valgaudemar wool.

Once again this year, its 120 m² will host the entertainment area, the Gourmet Corner and the boutique.

Animation area

For the duration of the show, the stand comes alive with over 100 scheduled events: come and talk to our producers and craftsmen to discover the manufacturing secrets that are the pride of our region.

Le Coin gourmand

The Gourmet Corner returns to the Hautes-Alpes stand. Run by the Association des Producteurs des Alpes du Sud, it features :

• the Cantine haut-alpine, where you can enjoy delicious raclette and local ham sandwiches, or pasta with Bleu du Queyras cheese,
• the Bar à Tourtons, where you can enjoy these little stuffed cushions and ravioles from Champsaur,
• the Bistrot des Hautes-Alpes, where you can refresh yourself with a traditional beer or fruit juice

The store

To prolong the pleasure, the stand’s boutique offers you the chance to find all the products showcased during the events. The perfect opportunity to take home an authentic souvenir of our mountains!

An eagerly-awaited annual event, the joint press conference between the Banque de France, the Direction Départementale des Finances Publiques and the Greffe du Tribunal du Commerce was held this week at the Hautes-Alpes CCI.

Charlotte Bankes wins the Olympic medal in mixed team snowboard cross at the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Games, along with her British compatriot.

A golden Alpine in one of the freestyle skiing and snowboarding disciplines to be held in 2030 in the Briançonnais region – quite a symbol.

The 62ᵉ Salon International de l’Agriculture will open its doors in Paris, until March¹, 2026. As it has every year for the past twelve years, the Hautes-Alpes will proudly hoist its colors with a 120 m² stand dedicated to the Southern Region space. A presence that is no longer to be missed at “France’s largest farm”.

Arounda hundred farmers, producers and craftsmen will be taking part, along with the Département, the Agence de Développement and the Chambre d’Agriculture. They all share the same ambition: to showcase the diversity of mountain industries and highlight what makes a high-altitude agricultural region so unique.

Activities, tastings and demonstrations will punctuate the days, providing a panorama of local products and the know-how that goes with them.

Let’s go!

The traditional kick-off event was held at the Hôtel du Département in Gap, in the presence of local authorities. It was an opportunity to recall the structuring role of agriculture and pastoralism in the Haute-Alpes economy, with 1,656 farms and 2,351 agricultural jobs. Agriculture is both rich in the diversity of its sectors and particularly dynamic in terms of generational renewal.

At the heart of this delegation, some forty producers will be taking part in the Concours Général Agricole. Last year, the Hautes-Alpes won 40 medals, including 14 gold. For the 2026 edition, 143 products are entered, from wines to honeys, oils to dairy products, meats and charcuterie to beers, spirits and jams.

This diversity illustrates the expertise of a region driven by an unwavering commitment to quality, and recognized as France’s leading organic department.

SNCF Réseau regional director Karim Touati was in Briançon this week to present the “Performance Alpes du Sud” project. The project is in line with the 2030 Winter Olympics. The President of the Southern Region, Renaud Muselier, and the Prefect of the Hautes-Alpes, Philippe Bailbé, were also present.

The infrastructure work concerns the four branches of the Étoile de Veynes, which serves the lines to Marseille, Valence, Grenoble and, of course, Briançon.

While the creation of the Briançon multimodal interchange is an emblematic project in the run-up to the Olympic Games, several stations in the Hautes-Alpes region will be renovated (Gap, Chorges, Embrun, Eygliers, L’Argentière-la-Bessée).

17 new trains have been ordered, and a technical building to maintain the rolling stock will be built in Briançon.

Studies have begun, and the work will be carried out between 2027 and 2029.

Nils Allègre

Discipline: downhill and super-G
Club: Serre Chevalier
^2nd Olympic appearance

Nils Alphand

Discipline: downhill and super-G
Club: Serre Chevalier
^1st Olympic appearance

Camille Cerutti

Discipline: downhill and super-G
Club: Risoul
^2nd Olympic appearance

Their participation in the Winter Olympics is the culmination of a lot of hard work, punctuated by sacrifices, injuries and doubts.

Three inspiring athletes of whom the Hautes-Alpes is very proud.

Presided over by chef Michel Troisgros, this year’s event brought together 300 French and international jurors, who awarded 176 prizes.

For the first time, the Agence de Développement des Hautes-Alpes took part in the event as a member of the jury.

The Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region came out on top with 20 medals, confirming its position as France’s second-largest beekeeping region.

The Hautes-Alpes contributed to this success with six awards: three gold medals, one silver, one bronze and a “coup de cœur”. These awards are an important recognition of the quality of beekeeping products from the Hautes-Alpes.

Among the winners were several beekeepers from the Hautes-Alpes region, including Joël Borel, Joseph Faure and Lucie Gantes.

This success reflects the dynamism of the local beekeeping industry, which boasts over 500 beekeepers and relies on apiary schools and the Apiland museum to preserve and pass on its know-how.

In 2025, the Bureau d’accueil des tournages recorded 45 requests from project developers, resulting in 28 film shoots hosted in the Hautes-Alpes and Alpes de Haute-Provence regions, for a total of around 316 filming days.

The year’s highlights include three feature films:

• Jean Valjean by Éric Besnard (already in theaters);
• Pirates by Myriam Gharbi (in theaters soon);
• Et après by Pierre Menahem (in cinemas soon), shot in July 2025 at La Grave with Emmanuelle Béart.

The region has also played host to several major television shoots, including three episodes of the France Télévisions series Alex Hugo(Le Tombeau du poète, La Chute d’Icare and La Vallée des oubliées), the latter directed by Samuel Le Bihan himself.

Other productions filmed in 2025 include: Impossible by Emmanuel Finkiel (Gapençais, Buëch, Valgaudemar, La Grave), Le Train perdu by Aude Gogny-Goubert (Gap and Serre-Ponçon) and the series The Mystery of the Yellow Room series by François Velle.

The result is direct spin-offs. The TV movie Le Train perdushot in November and December 2025 in the Hautes-Alpes region, generated almost 400,000 euros in direct local spending.

These next four weeks will be decisive for the Hautes-Alpes resorts, as they alone generate 40% of the winter season’s sales. During this period (February 7 to March 8, 2026), the occupancy rate for resort accommodation in the Hautes-Alpes reaches 70.8% (-3.5 points compared to last year, due to the different school vacations).

Hope, because we’re off to an excellent start to the season, and the Hautes-Alpes is one of France’s best snow-covered massifs. This augurs well for last-minute bookings and major day trips. Lucidity, because this year’s school vacation schedule is not very favorable.

These figures testify to the strong appeal of winter sports to the French (Source: Harris Interactive survey – Atout France 2025, in partnership with ADDET05):

• 1 in 3 French people visit the mountains in winter;
• 1 in 5 French people ski;

The France Montagnes association was born out of the common desire of all those involved in tourism (elected representatives, ski instructors, ski area operators, tourist offices, accommodation providers, shopkeepers, etc.) to join forces to raise the profile of French mountain destinations.

Federating, promoting and influencing are the three pillars of the association, which has renewed part of its team and unveiled its future roadmap, based on a promise that has stood the test of time: You’re a winner in the mountains!

This is where it all comes down to it. The qualification circuit, a veritable antechamber to the Freeride World Tour, propels riders just a few bends away from the pro dream. On demanding faces without nets, skiers and snowboarders forge their style, their mentality and their future. Only the very best will earn their ticket to the FWT Challenge, the ultimate stepping stone to the world’s elite.

The South Line Series

4 dates in the Hautes-Alpes before the final at Le Sauze:

Vars, January 16-18 [cancelled due to weather]

Serre Chevalier, February¹

La Grave, February 6-8

Puy Saint Vincent, March 7-8

Five criteria: line, control, technique, fluidity and air & style (freestyle tricks).

In Serre Chevalier, local Maxime Buffet put his stamp on the internationals with a run that was both relaxed and committed, taking a solid second place.

L’Homme de Pierre, a detachable 6-seater chairlift, is the latest addition to the Risoul ski area. Make way for speed and comfort.

In just six minutes, compared with 25 previously, it transports up to 2,800 skiers an hour to the heights, while consuming less energy.

It replaces 1 chairlift and 1 drag lift, for a total of 11 towers and 2 km less cable.

The new machine runs directly from the snow front to the top of the sector, serving a panoramic blue run ideal for beginners and intermediates. The result: a fluid, better-distributed area where everyone can find their own trail.

And pedestrians haven’t been forgotten: high-altitude restaurants, snowshoe itineraries and Nordic hiking trails are all there for them, guaranteed by faithful snow cover.

For the past few days, it’s been falling like crazy 😉 50 cm of powder on average.

The snow has taken control of the mountain ranges and is here to stay.

OUR ADVICE

Safety First: we can’t stress this enough: check the weather forecast and avalanche risk before leaving the marked trails. The mountain commands.

Curves: get the wide battens ready, it’s going to float!

Orcières Merlette 1850 hosts the Ladies’ European Speed Cup from January 26 to 30, 2026. 80 athletes of 13 nationalities are expected to take part in this now traditional fixture on the world circuit.

• Monday, January 26: Super Giant

• Tuesday, January 27: Downhill training

• Wednesday, January 29: 1ʳᵉ Downhill

• Thursday, January 30: 2ᵉ Downhill

Heading up the organizing committee, local Alizée Baron takes you on a tour of the now-famous Camille Ricou piste, which arrives at the heart of the resort.

The Hautes-Alpes Development Agency is taking part in the Partir en France 2026 workshop, organized by ADN Tourisme in Paris on January 26 and 27, 2026.

The event brings together 200 journalists and influencers, and around 100 French destinations, to discuss the major tourism trends of tomorrow.

The Agence de Développement des Hautes-Alpes, along with the CRT Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur and some 40 partners from the Southern Region (accommodation providers, incoming agencies, transporters, activity providers, destinations), is embarking on a timely mission to the Americas, with the support ofAtout France.

The week will include 3 stops to meet nearly 180 Canadian, American, Mexican and Brazilian tour operators and travel agencies, as well as some 20 media outlets in Calgary and Mexico City.

The MMV group opens its new 4* residence-club, the Serra Neva, in La Salle-les-Alpes.

Located just a few steps from the Pontillas gondola, this address combines top-of-the-range comfort with the excitement of a lively holiday. With 164 modular apartments, it’s the ideal base camp for families and ski tribes.

But Serra Neva isn’t just a cosy roof: there’s an integrated ski shop, kids’ and teens’ clubs, daily entertainment… and, the icing on the cake, a wellness area worthy of the finest resorts, with a heated pool facing the peaks, spa, sauna and treatments.

More than just a place to stay, it’s an art of living designed with tomorrow in mind, thanks to an eco-responsible design featuring wood-fired heating, photovoltaic panels, a green roof and nesting boxes.

After celebrating 9-time WRC world champion Sébastien Ogier, the Hautes-Alpes is once again hosting the prestigious Monte Carlo Rally.

Gap will be at the heart of the event.

Program

20 to 24.01: service park and fan zone

21.01 Shakedown

This winter, Vars is hitting hard.

In the heart of the resort, a new building stands out as the symbol of a modern era: the tourist office and SEM SEDEV (lift operator) now united under one roof.

More than just a point of welcome, it’s a hub where information, services and technology come together.

Interactive kiosks, connected areas, rest areas: everything is designed to make the holiday experience as smooth as possible, guided by a dedicated team.

This achievement marks the culmination of a vast project to modernize the ski lifts, and affirms a clear ambition: to make every arrival in Vars simple, comfortable and memorable.

And the story is just beginning. Day nursery, day care center, multi-purpose hall by 2027… The resort is charting its future with one guiding principle: to reinvent the way we welcome guests to the resort, season after season.

Just a few days away from the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games, a delegation from the Haut-Alpes visited teams from the Italian organizing committee, MICO.

Just before the opening ceremony, this meeting opens the doors of all the Olympic facilities and backstage areas to the people of the Haut-Alpes.

It’s a unique opportunity to take stock of what lies ahead in 2030, gather valuable information and prepare for the Games.

After a stopover in Milan, the delegation visited the Livigno Olympic site in the Italian Dolomites, wherethe freestyle skiing and snowboarding events will be held, the same ones that will be held in the Hautes-Alpes in 2030.

The Southern Alps are strongly represented at Destination Montagnes, with nearly thirty partners mobilized over the two days of the workshop, under the impetus of the Comité Régional de Tourisme Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur and theAgence de Développement des Hautes-Alpes.

These include Serre Chevalier, accompanied by numerous hoteliers and transporters, as well as Le Dévoluy, Les Orres, Montgenèvre, Orcières Merlette, Puy-Saint-Vincent, Pra Loup, Val d’Allos, Auron and Isola 2000. Accommodation providers and incoming agencies complete the picture, with hotels in the Hautes-Alpes including 16/150 in Vars, Snowchill in Risoul, Anova and Le Chalet Blanc in Montgenèvre.

The Hautes-Alpes department is attracting an ever-increasing number of foreign customers – almost 30% – a dynamic that is essential to our business and directly supported by our international BtoB initiatives. The United Kingdom, Central and Eastern Europe and Spain are among the top priority markets.

There is growing interest in Scandinavia and markets across the Atlantic: the American, Canadian and Latin American markets offer strong development prospects, particularly in the run-up to the 2030 Winter Olympics.

A strategic lever for international promotion

Destination Montagnes is a major strategic event for the promotion of the Southern Alps, with some 10,000 business meetings encouraging exchanges, negotiations and new partnerships.

Bringing together some 1,000 professionals each year (including over 400 international tour operators from 60 countries), the event promotes a four-season tourism offering combining skiing, nature and the art of living. The event’s impact was confirmed by the 2025 edition, when 86% of tour operators declared that the meetings had a direct influence on their future programming.

A step aside, three key ideas

1. A focus on current events…
2. Original cross navigation…
3. A unique digital platform…

One ambition

The Hautes-Alpes Development Agency launches its new digital portal.

Much more than just a website, hautes-alpes.net is a manifesto for a mountain region in the throes of change.

Here, the experience goes beyond simple relaxation: it’s a total, multi-sensory immersion, with an interactive pool featuring a giant screen, world-first sparkling water, a saline area forhalotherapy and a panoramic sauna suspended overlooking the snow-capped peaks.

Inaugurated on Tuesday January 13, in the presence of the Prefect of the Hautes-Alpes region, this new facility heralds a new era for the valley.

6 million euros were invested in the renovation.

Here’s a meeting where cold brings people together and ice brings them closer.

For 35 years now, in January, L’Argentière-la-Bessée has been vibrating to the rhythm of tinkling carabiners. The ice becomes a playground, sculpted by winter and tamed by ice axes.

Frozen fortresses, translucent walls and chiselled stalactites are the backdrop for daring vertical dances where crampons crack the silence.

In Briançon, theformer ^19th-centurymilitary barracks has reopened in a completely different guise: as a 4-star hotel designed by Garrigae (Noemys Group). Named Caserne de Briançon, the address combines heritage grandeur with contemporary elegance.

In the “15/9” district (named after the former regiment), its 83 rooms become a base camp, a stone’s throw from the historic lanes and the Prorel ski lifts.

On the service side: a 100-cover bistronomic restaurant, an ode to Alpine terroir, and a Cinq Mondes spa with hammam, sauna, Nordic baths and swimming pool, to regenerate body and mind.

In the attic, seminars and spiritual retreats breathe life into new projects.

A flamboyant renaissance at the crossroads of history, luxury and summits.

Here, like nowhere else, the business community is united in its greetings. Hundreds of entrepreneurs and elected representatives gathered in Gap on January 8, 2026 to share a moment of conviviality.

The theme of the evening was Corporate Social Responsibility. On this occasion, some twenty representatives of consular chambers, federations, trade unions and professional bodies in the Hautes-Alpes signed a CSR Charter, under the watchful eye of the Prefect.

A mobilization and a commitment based on a humanist and ecological conscience and an attachment to a territory, with the 2030 Winter Olympics in its sights.

The snowfalls at the start of the year are most welcome, magnifying the Hautes-Alpes and delighting skiers and our economy.

Snow depths in Hautes-Alpes resorts, by massif, mid-January 2026:

Briançonnais: 40-130 cm
Champsaur: 30-90 cm
Dévoluy: 25-60 cm
Embrunais: 35-90 cm
Guillestrois-Queyras: 30-85 cm
Pays des Écrins: 50-140 cm

In the heart of Briançon’s Cité Vauban, a new chapter has begun for the former Aristide Albert library, built in 1883. In December 2025, its walls, steeped in history, opened a new chapter: Maison Soyeuse, an intimate 4* hotel by The Social Club.

Behind the facades, architect Nathalie d’Artigues has designed a refined refuge, blending Alpine warmth with timeless elegance. Just ten rooms, including two suites, for a hushed, almost confidential atmosphere.

The restaurant (70 covers) celebrates the seasons and local produce, while the Le Boudoir wellness area promises massages and saunas. A vibrant tribute to the drapers of yesteryear, this place combines heritage and modernity.

Boldness and mountain traditions

Combining tradition, innovation and respect for the terroir, Distillerie Saint-Véran, located in the hamlet of La Chalp in Saint-Véran, Europe’s highest commune, raises the profile of Queyras and the Hautes-Alpes in the world of spirits.

Around two copper stills, carefully mastered by Claire and Laurent Démarets, Alpine herbs and flowers, potatoes from the local valleys and hand-picked plants deliver all their aromas.

Specialties include Signature Vodka, a Gold Medal winner at the prestigious “Spirits Selection” by CMB competition in 2025, a worldwide benchmark for spirits competitions, and Alpine Herbal Gin, with its unique freshness and intensity.

Orcières Merlette 1850 gets a makeover

The Orcières Merlette 1850 ski resort is equipped with a new-generation detachable 6-seater chairlift. The lift, named La Muande, is a technological colossus capable of propelling 3,000 skiers an hour to the heights, covering 650 m of vertical drop in just six minutes.

Gone are the three existing lifts, replaced by a streamlined, economical line that is more respectful of the landscape.

At the summit, the ski area opens up: the Camille Ricou piste, FIS-approved and a training ground for champions, the Vallons blue run remodeled for flowing pleasure, and a series of blue runs from the summit to the snow front.

The whole face of the resort is changing: a covered conveyor belt for beginners, pylons reduced from 56 to 17, and a panoramic terrace to take a breather facing the Champsaur.

A visionary and exemplary project that combines comfort, top-level sport and respect for the mountains.