Haute Ubaye, among the 3000-meter peaks of the Lower Alps

To those who prefer light powder spraying in the air to tracked-out slopes, who choose the company of chamois and other four-legged companions over groups of thirty skiers, to those who would rather set off from wooden chalets with stone roofs than from concrete blocks of all-inclusive studios, to those who cherish the hushed silence of wind and snow, to those who love carving turns in alpine meadows as much as jumping into steep couloirs — set your course for Haute Ubaye, a secluded corner of the Southern Alps, far from mass tourism and sprawling ski resorts. Here, you’ll enjoy the (exhausting!) privilege of breaking trail through half a meter of fresh snow from the latest retour d’est, far from the classic routes of Aravis or Belledonne, which are skied out faster than the flakes fall.

At the eastern edge of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, you’ll immerse yourself in a timeless mountain landscape, dotted with centuries-old hamlets of wood and stone, and a religious heritage that includes listed 11th-century churches.