Serre Chevalier

Serre Chevalier is the collective name given to the towns, villages and hamlets along the south-eastern French valley that give access to some of the best snow conditions in all of France, if not Europe.

It is this dispersed nature that has kept this area one of the best kept secrets, as each of the four municipalities jealously guard their entry point to the some 250km of groomed pistes and innumerable off-piste tree runs, however it is only recently that they have begun to work in concert to develop the area.

From the Unesco listed city of Briancon, following the Guisane river there are four entry points into the inter-linked ski system: Briançon, Chantemerle, Villeneuve and Le Monêtier les Bains, with each having a very different character and ambience.

Briançon at 1,200m, has the famous Vauban fort and the biggest supermarkets, Chantemerle and Villeneuve the closest to purpose built ski resorts and the village of Le Monêtier les Bains, 1,500m, is still a village – but with a ski lift.

Being in the southern Alps means plenty of sunshine, with some 300 days a year claimed by many, but the majority of pistes are north facing, which means amazing snow but with amazing longevity.

The closest airports are Grenoble and Turin, both about 1 hour 40 minutes away, the fast TGV train comes to Oulx 40 minutes away and for the unrushed there is a sleeper all the way from London via Paris to Briançon.

It’s a cliché to say once you visit Serre Chevalier you won’t want to ski anywhere else, but it’s true, it really is the ideal combination of welcoming people, climate and snow.

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