Le Devouly
We love to ski and snowboard. Gavin started boarding in 2009 and I started in 2011. We have had our fair share of ups and downs. Believe me, there have been alot of downs!
Devouly is a little known ski resort sat slightly North of Saint-Etienne and South of Grenoble near Gap.
When you find a resort that captures you and keeps drawing you back for its welcoming and traditional feel, you know you have found a gem! This is what has been pulling us back year after year.
There are very few British people that come here, but it’s very popular with the French and Italians. In a way, it’s nice to have to practice your broken French in the Patisserie each morning when collecting the bread, much to the amusement of the owner. You always get points for trying!
The resort
A small resort compared to our visit to Chamonix, there are around 200km of piste’s to use. The resort has a great selection of green’s (beginner), blue & red ( intermediate) and black’s (expert / crazy). There are a number of runs that you can take in to the next resort of Joue Du Loup.
With Devouly and Joue Du Loup, both have alot to offer in terms of entertainment or as we know it, Apres Ski! There are activities for non skiers to soak in some winter sun and enjoy a drink at one of the bars. There is also a spa, bowling, nightclub and late bars in Superdévoluy and the options to rent a snow mobile.
If you are travelling as a family you wont be disappointed. There is a large leisure centre with swimming pool and fitness suites, basketball courts and play areas. There are cross country walk and trails where you can take the little ones out for a walk on a horse.
Accomodation
Accommodation in Devouly is a mixed bag. You have studio and one bedroom apartments in the main building at the bottom of the 4 man Jas chairlift, apartments and chalets for groups and families. All have a traditional alpine feel with plenty of pine cladding!
We mainly stay in the chalets as these tend to be 3 bedroom, which is ideal as we usually go with friends of ours. Its nice to sit in the evening, chatting over a nice bottle of wine and watching the grooming machines winding their way up the mountain in the dark to prepare the slopes for the next day of skiing.
Getting to the resort
As with most ski resorts its a drive to get to. wether you get a pre-arrnaged coach, car or taxi, its a drive. The pain of resort transfers is eased by the beautiful scenery in the Alps that is only rivaled in our opinion by the resorts of Canada.
Most of the time we opt to drive from the UK. It gives us the freedom and flexibility to plan our own time and schedules. We can take a drive out of resort for a day if we wish and we wouldn’t be able to do that when we fly.
We’d recommend a winter holiday to anyone. Its fun packed and you get to experience so much. Why not take a summer holiday to the mountains too?! There is more to do in a ski resort in summer than you think possible, such as mountain biking, walking, horse riding, paragliding and much more.
