department
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
in southeastern France. It is located in the French Alps between the towns of Briançon and Gap.
Risoul is home to a ski resort that partners with the neighbouring town,
Vars
Valyl-tRNA synthetase is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the ''VARS'' gene.
Function
Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases catalyze the aminoacylation of tRNA by their cognate amino acid. Because of their central role in linking amino acids with ...
, to form the Forêt Blanche ski resort, located between the Queyras and Écrins national parks. The ski resort is sometimes called Risoul 1850 because it is 1,850 meters above sea level.
Durance
The Durance (; ''Durença'' in the Occitan classical norm or ''Durènço'' in the Mistralian norm) is a major river in Southeastern France. A left tributary of the Rhône, it is long. Its drainage basin is .Paris by train or car a long one. The A51 motorway link is still awaiting a financial commitment, likewise, the Montgenèvre rail tunnel to connect Briançon to the
TGV
The TGV (french: Train à Grande Vitesse, "high-speed train"; previously french: TurboTrain à Grande Vitesse, label=none) is France's intercity high-speed rail service, operated by SNCF. SNCF worked on a high-speed rail network from 1966 to 19 ...
network. The nearest major airport is at Turin, across the border in Italy. The resort concentrates its efforts on returning clients but still lacks sufficient long-stay guests. The Forêt Blanche link with its 180 km of pistes is a major marketing tool, especially with tour operators who can include Risoul with transfers to Montgènevre and Serre Chevalier.
The resort was an early adopter of
snowboarding
Snowboarding is a recreational and competitive activity that involves descending a snow-covered surface while standing on a snowboard that is almost always attached to a rider's feet. It features in the Winter Olympic Games and Winter Paralympi ...
. The Surfland snowpark existed for over a decade and is now complemented by rails for beginners and experienced users. The snow park was chosen as a training zone for the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics. The resort believes that the concept of black, red and blue run gradings is outdated and is moving to a series of themed areas such as the freeride zone.
Ski area
The resort has 55 ski lifts, including a
cable car Cable car most commonly refers to the following cable transportation systems:
* Aerial lift, such as aerial tramways and gondola lifts, in which the vehicle is suspended in the air from a cable
** Aerial tramway
** Chairlift
** Gondola lift
*** Bi ...
and 14 chairs. These give it an uplift capacity of 57,000 skiers per hour. The resort is linked to Vars through the Forêt Blanche ski area giving a total of of ski runs situated between 1650 and 2750 metres altitude.
Risoul should be well placed to pick up weather systems from Italy or the Atlantic but has suffered from a lack of snow over the last couple of seasons with skiing on artificial snow at the bottom of the ski domain. 30% of the resort runs are covered by snowmaking. Risoul is looking to increase snow making capacity but there are limits to water resources in the dry Southern Alps.
The resort has earned the ‘’Petit Montagnard’’ label and its tree-lined lower slopes are ideal for family holidays. The ski school has a capacity for 60 children. The area is famed for its southern sunshine with 300 days of sun per year.
chalets
A chalet (pronounced in British English; in American English usually ), also called Swiss chalet, is a type of building or house, typical of the Alpine region in Europe. It is made of wood, with a heavy, gently sloping roof and wide, well-suppo ...
. SARA which is owned by SFVA runs 6,000 beds. The resort has had a refurbishment program since 2003. There are also a number of wood chalets that give a more traditional feel to the resort.
Apres-ski life encompasses a range of cafes, bars and night clubs within a compact town centre backing onto the main ski school meeting point. Outdoors there are
ice-skating
Ice skating is the self-propulsion and gliding of a person across an ice surface, using metal-bladed ice skates. People skate for various reasons, including recreation (fun), exercise, competitive sports, and commuting. Ice skating may be perfo ...
facilities at both Risoul and Vars,
snow-shoe
Snowshoes are specialized outdoor gear for walking over snow. Their large footprint spreads the user's weight out and allows them to travel largely on top of rather than through snow. Adjustable bindings attach them to appropriate winter footwe ...
walks and skidoo rides. The resort also has a cinema.
In 2000 the resort was the first in Europe to host the Snowbombing dance, music and winter sports festival.