Serre Chevalier, FR, Jan. 27, 2024

S

Sbooker

Well-known member
Hard and fast conditions at Serre Chevalier today but softened as the day went on. I like the hill. It would be lovely with fresh snow. Plenty of terrain variety and good tree cover for snow days. The weather was perfect for views and lunch in the sun.
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Complementary hats at the restaurant. They don’t want the customers to get sunburned.
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The hill overlooks the town of Briancon. A bigger town than I imagined.
 
I love Serre Chevalier. Easily the best ski area in the southern French Alps, and close to the ultimate "weatherproof" resort. By this I mean it has a fairly solid snow record and a lot of trees for bad vis days, more than just about any other major high (ish) resort in France. Cheaper than the more famous mega resorts of the Tarentaise and with interesting village bases to boot, what's not to like!
 
We covered about half of the hill yesterday. The half on the Briancon end. Obviously just a sampler. I guess we rode maybe 15 lifts. We deliberately stayed above 1800 metres which was very easy to do. We’ll do the other end at some point over the next few days. Might take the 20 minute drive to Montgenevre today.
 
A bit of a follow up to this day’s skiing.
1. I think the Cote Chevalier chair is most certainly the fastest chair I’ve ever ridden. The Ferrari of chair lifts.
2. The hill was pretty quiet. I assumed the large local population would cause crowding on a Saturday but I guess changeover day kept the tourists away. I didn’t wait for more than a minute for any lift.

And not skiing related…… We’re glad we’ve chosen Briancon as a base for a few days. We’ve hardly heard an English accent and a lot of the shop and restaurant proprietors can’t speak much English. Kylie is loving the French experience. I offer the odd phrase just to fit in. My standard opening line is “Je parle Francais comme un bebe” which translates to “I speak French like a baby” which always breaks the ice. :)
 
Weathertoski said:
Easily the best ski area in the southern French Alps
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I agree. In terms of access the other big areas somewhat nearby are Alpe d'Huez and Les Deux Alps, though the climate divide between "western" and "southern" Alps is considered to be the Lautaret Pass between La Grave and Serre Chevalier.

Alpe d'Huez and Les Deux Alpes have considerably higher top lift elevations. But Alpe d'Huez has predominant south exposure vs. north at Serre Chevalier. And the flow of terrain is much better at Serre Chevalier than Les Deux Alpes.
 
We went to Serre Chevalier again today. We skied the lookers right half of the mountain as we covered some of the left side a couple of days ago.
I really rate this area highly. I think it offers a better around skiing experience to Les Arcs for example. The lift positioning allows easy movement across the entire area. It feels pretty seamless. Even in far from ideal conditions it skis really nicely. The tree cover on snow days would be great. And there is an abundance of high alpine area. The off piste terrain in good conditions is endless and there’s heaps of easily accessible low angle off piste for gapers like me. We’ll be back.
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Sbooker said:
It feels pretty seamless. Even in far from ideal conditions it skis really nicely. The tree cover on snow days would be great. And there is an abundance of high alpine area. The off piste terrain in good conditions is endless and there’s heaps of easily accessible low angle off piste for gapers like me.
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All of us who went last year had a similar takeaway.
 
Was the off piste snow any good? At Val d'Isere you needed to be over about 2,200 meters, and Serre Chevalier's terrain above that elevation is much more limited. But yes terrain quality on the west side of Serre Chevalier is very good, both in alpine and in the trees. And with normal weather that side gets the most snow.
 
Tony Crocker said:
Was the off piste snow any good? At Val d'Isere you needed to be over about 2,200 meters, and Serre Chevalier's terrain above that elevation is much more limited. But yes terrain quality on the west side of Serre Chevalier is very good, both in alpine and in the trees. And with normal weather that side gets the most snow.
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It was too hard for me in most places. Even areas in the sun for most of the day didn’t get that creamy softness that is nice to ski.
 
The sun is too low in the Alps to create "that creamy softness" in January unless direct south facing like Aiguille Percee at Tignes Monday.
 
ChrisC said:
Nice article
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My guide, Lisa Gibello, sums up the sensibility of the locals: “We’re montagnards for sure,” she says, referring to denizens of the mountains. “But we’re less posh — less Gucci — than people from the northern Alps and we have the laid-back vibe of Mediterraneans.” Above all, says Lisa, locals are sporty. Whether it’s skiing in winter, cycling and kayaking in summer or hiking in autumn, when the leaves of the larch trees turn a beautiful orange — in contrast to the pines of the north — outdoors is where it’s at.

^^ Lisa was my point of contact there last year. She could speak virtually accent-free American English, (a very rare ability amongst French people) due to spending part of her childhood with her father in Telluride, who instructed there.
 
ChrisC said:
Nice article

Link
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Yes. Very enjoyable to read.
Perhaps a big call but I'm certain Serre Chevalier is my favourite European ski area so far. It says something that we were very impressed given we were there without any fresh snow and less than ideal surface conditions. I think we may look to go back next March. I'm keen to take a look at Vars and Risoul around the corner too.
 
Sbooker said:
Serre Chevalier is my favourite European ski area so far. It says something that we were very impressed given we were there without any fresh snow and less than ideal surface conditions. I think we may look to go back next March. I'm keen to take a look at Vars and Risoul around the corner too.
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That's quite a statement given how prevailing conditions affect our perception of a ski area.

I've noted for future reference that a multi-week itinerary in the general region based in or near Briançon could include three days each at the large resorts Via Lattea (Sestriere, Montgenevre, Sansicario, Sauze d'Oulx), Serre Chevalier, and Vars/Risoul, along with one-day stops at off-the-beaten-path Puy St. Vincent, the Queyras group (St. Véran, Ceillac, Abries), and Crévoux. For those so inclined, La Grave is only 40 minutes to the west of Briançon.

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