Orcières Merlette & its surroundings

Perched high in the Hautes Alpes in the untouched countryside overlooking the Vallée du Champsaur, the Orcières Merlette 1850 resort is home to a huge range of leisure activities for the whole family to enjoy, plus pleasant weather all year round.

The Orcières 1850 skiing area

Winter activities in Orcières Merlette 1850

Orcières Merlette 1850, sports resort
Take your pick from a huge range of activities to try out: downhill skiing and Nordic skiing, monoskiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, tobogganing, snowshoe hiking, snow biking, ice-rink, dog-sledding, hang-gliding, ice rock climbing, and more. Treat yourself to one of our Ski and Ski Leisure packages that include passes and access to other mountain activities.

Orcières Merlette 1850, a one-of-a-kind resort
Expect the unexpected here:
- The Williwaw Nordic village with its dozen igloos plus a musher camp on the Roche Rousse plateau perched 2,300 m high.
- The Roll’Air Câble, Europe’s longest zip-line with peak speeds of 140 km/h.
- The Snake Gliss, toboggans that are fitted together to go dashing through the snow in groups (10 people or more).

Orcières Merlette 1850, a hub of leisure activities
- A leisure complex and haven of well-being complete with premium facilities: a play area, a huge ice-rink, a bowling bar with snooker tables, a spa area and a pool. Snap up a Ski Leisure package and enjoy unlimited access to the resort’s ice-rink and pool. Getting here couldn’t be easier. Hop on the escalator just across from the residence and arrive right in the heart of the buzz in a matter of minutes.
- Try out the Winter Park too, a unique rubber ring snow tubing experience

Kids at Orcières Merlette 1850
The resort is jam-packed full of things for the family to enjoy:
- The Snow park: the Opoualand fun and educational trail for 6- to 12-year-olds complete with a ‘cute yeti’ experience
- The ice garden, where children can get to grips with skating
- The Jardin des Piou Piou, where children aged two-and-a-half and above can learn to ski
- La Petite Ourse, a centre that’s home to the Les Oursons nursery, the Jardin des Piou-Piou, the Club des Éterlous and the Cartable à la Neige for children aged three months to 12 years.

From beginners to seasoned snow fiends, there’s something for all levels and tastes
The ESF school in Orcières Merlette offers classes for children from the age of two-and-a-half, as well as group lessons for kids and adults to learn snowboarding, carving, free-riding, cross-country skiing, telemark skiing, snow-shoe hiking, off-piste skiing and competitions. Looking to book a class for yourself or the whole family? Head over to our website’s booking page to pick and mix the classes you need.

Sweet treats & regional delicacies

You’ll find lots of different local specialities to sample at Orcières Merlette. A stay at Orcières Merlette is a chance to try:
- ravioles, little  potato and fresh tomme cheese fritters
- blueberry, raspberry or sea-buckthorn Champsaur tart
- sweet or savoury tourtons pasties 
- oreilles d’âne, meaning ‘donkey ears’, named for the spinach leaves used to make them
- a range of different hard and soft cheese, blue cheese, goat’s cheese, Vallée du Champsaur sheep cheese 
- génépi, the French Alps’ most iconic liqueur
- artisanal jams 

And a whole palette of exciting flavours...
 

Summer activities in Orcières Merlette 1850

This Famille Plus-labelled resort offers a range of activities for the whole family to enjoy: hiking, via ferrata, rock climbing, canyoning, mountain biking, cycle tourism, tree-top trails, white water sports, beach sports, a leisure centre, laser game, paintball, tennis, fishing, horse-riding, go-karting, a pool, water slides, a gym, a spa, a cinema, bowling, hang-gliding, trips to farms, the Le Creuset animal farm, Wakatanka tepee village, marmots and the Musée de Prapic. There’s no time to be bored here. Adrenaline junkies will get a kick out of a few sessions on Europe’s longest zipline too!

Hikers and ramblers
Get away from it all with incredible hikes in the great outdoors in this paradise for walkers of all levels. Set off with our mountain guide and wander along a maze of sunny, challenging, and sometimes even refreshing trails and paths, discovering more about the wilderness around you as you go: over 1,800 species of plants, and 350 species of vertebrates call the surrounding landscapes home. 

Brand-new and exclusive: Book your all-inclusive winter ski packages today.

Choose one of our Ski or Ski Leisure packages and get discounted rates on your all-inclusive apartment and ski passes for all the Orcières 1850 ski lifts. -Save money and timewith ski passes ready for you to collect along with the keys to your apartment upon check-in at the residence. Snap up a Ski Leisure package and enjoy unlimited access to the resort’s ice-rink and pool for the duration of your stay, too.

Treat yourself to a little extra: you can now book your SKISET ski gear at discounted rates directly through our website, as well as ski classes for adults and kids at the ESF ski school. To do so, head over to the booking page where you’ll find all the extra add-on activities available for you to book.

Book your activity to complete your stay!

• Book your tree climbing activity !

Our partner Arbraventure, located only 15 minutes drive from your vacation home, offers you to book your tree climbing activity at preferential rates. Perfect activity for a family outing, you will enjoy different courses adapted to all ages! The 200 workshops offered by the park are waiting for you: zip lines, footbridges, monkey bridges and other trapezes!

To be booked at the next stage of your reservation on our website or by phone (for stays booked at least 24 hours in advance).

• Book an outing with a donkey!

Live an unforgettable experience with your family. Accessible to all and adapted to all levels of hikers, this activity will be perfect to discover nature with your family. You will be accompanied by a donkey for a hike in the Champsaur at your companion's pace. Affectionate and intelligent animal, the donkey is also very resistant and docile to carry your bags during your walk. Want to try the adventure, our partner Arbraventure offers you to book on our website at preferential rates 2 formulas: Half day (4h) or full day hiking with a donkey. To know : unguided hike, price including only the provision of a donkey. Limited to 4 people maximum. 

To be booked at the next stage of your reservation on our website or by phone (for stays booked at least 24 hours in advance).

• Book your first paragliding experience!

Are you a thrill seeker? Go ahead and book your paragliding flight from 5 years old with our partner Ecrins Vol Libre. Accompanied by qualified instructors, you will enjoy a 15 to 20 minute discovery flight or a 25 to 30 minute sensation flight with acrobatics, perfect for admiring the view at 800 m altitude! To take advantage of our negotiated rates, book your activity at the next step of your reservation (for a stay booked at least 7 days in advance).

• Book your outdoor treasure hunt! 

Search for the captain's treasure in a treasure hunt!

An exciting new adventure awaits you! Bookable from 3 and up to 5 people from 7 years old, embark on an immersive outdoor treasure hunt combining puzzle solving and clue finding to find the lost treasure of Captain Barbozarm...

To be booked at the next step of your reservation on our website or by phone (for stays booked at least 7 days in advance). 

Your shopping in a few clicks!

Don't wait any longer and do your shopping now for your next vacation at Étoiles d'Orion ***. With our partner Off Courses, your groceries will be ready and delivered at the foot of the residence when you arrive. A panel of healthy, varied and greedy choices awaits you. Whether in a box or à la carte, choose what suits you! Forget the stress and constraints and leave with a peaceful mind.

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