Serre Chevalier ski resort guide Ski area, apres-Ski, things to see & do in Serre Chevalier
Serre Chevalier Review
Serre Chevalier is the area along the south-facing Gruisane valley between the Col du Lautaret and Briançon in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region.
There are 13 villages and hamlets that are dotted along the valley floor which range from the ultra modern to charming, authentic and traditional. The main holiday resorts are...
- Briancon (1200m) - good for non-skiers
- Chantemerle (1350m) - family friendly
- Villeneuve (1400m) - lively apres-ski bars
- Le Monêtier les Bains (1500m) - relaxing
Après-ski
Depending where you base yourself, the apres-ski scene ranges from quiet and relaxed to late night bars and clubs. Villenuve is the place to head to for a lively night out and gets very busy especially at weekends whereas Briancon, being a large town has lots more variety in terms of bars and restaurants plus a casino.
| Key information (whole area) | |
|---|---|
| Altitude | 1200m |
| Top lift | 2830m |
| Family | |
| Beginner | |
| Intermediate | |
| Expert | |
| Piste (km) | 250 |
| Longest run | 8 km |
| Off piste | |
| Cross country | 35 km |
| Season | Dec - April |
| Snowboard parks | 5 |
| Heli Skiing | ✘ |
| Summer skiing | ✘ |
| Glacier skiing | ✘ |
| Babysitting | ✔ |
| Creche | ✔ |
| Apres ski | Lively |
Serre Chevalier ski area guide
The ski area is impressive with 250kms of linked pistes of skiable terrain offering over 1600m of vertical between 1200m and 2860m. With an annual average of 400 inches of snow and with 80% of the ski area lying at altitudes of over 2000m, the skiing conditions are usually excellent throughout the season which typically starts mid December and runs through to mid April.
The local skiing area is directly above the 4 villages with many of the green and blue pistes passing through the larch forests back in to the resorts. Its also possible to ski in the nearby resorts of...
- La Grave
- Montgenevre
- Puy St Vincent, and
- Claviere
Beginners
Villeneuve has some great beginner slopes at the top of the Frejus gondola which is rare as most ski resorts have beginners area at the bottom of the slopes where you don't get the chance to experience skiing at the top of the mountain.
Intermediate
With 40 pistes graded as blue and red, intermediate skiers will feel the ski area around Val Cenis is tailor made for them. With zero queues and modern high speed lifts, so much more time is spent skiing rather than hanging around.
Advanced
The entire ski area clocks up 13 black pistes which are mainly on the Villeneuve and Chantemerle sectors and include trails such as Casse du Boeuf and Super Draye. For freeriders, the best terrain is accessed from the top of Le Monêtier and for off-piste, Serre Chevalier offers too many options for a weeks ski holiday - the area is vast.
Snowboarding
As well as the 5 terrain parks, there is a dedicated snowboarding area between the snow park and the border cross course which is very popular for skiers as there is a "cool zone" with music, bar and barbeque.
Childcare
Serre Chevalier received its "Familie Plus" accreditation in 2008 in recognition of the excellent facilities and services the resort offers families. This includes daycare centres, nursery and nanny services where children from the age of 6 months are looked after. Details of all the childcare services can be found on the Tourist Office website.
Other activities
The villages in Serre Chevalier provide some mouth watering activities other than skiing such as...
- Ten pin bowling
- Cinema
- Snow kiting
- Ice skating
- Sledging
- Snowshoeing
- Snowmobile tours
- Thermal spa & wellness centre
- Karting on the ice
Our view on Serre Chevalier
Outside of France, Serre Chevalier is off the grid for most skiers and boarders - but for how long? With its state of the art lift system, excellent snow record, pristine pistes and superb ski touring options, our advice is to visit this enchanting skiing area soon.
If you want to go skiing and not queue for hours for the morning lift, enjoy first class mountain restaurants serving high quality, value for money food and feel you are in a traditional and authentic mountain village, Serre Chevalier is not to be missed.
