Why Train in Serre Chevalier?

Serre Chevalier is situated in the Southern Alps - or Hautes-Alpes - region of France, to the east of Grenoble, the north-west of Gap and an hour and three-quarters drive west of Turin in Italy. Along with its neighbours, Alp D’Huez, Les Deux Alpes, La Grave, Risoul & Vars, Montgenvre and The Via Lattea (or Milky Way as it is also known) this region is one of the largest ski areas in the world and Serre Chevalier alone is the third largest individual ski area in France. Situated at 1400m, a low altitude compared to some other Alpine resorts, this is by no means a disadvantage (in fact, it’s a bonus where physical recovery is concerned). Its highest lifts climb over 2800m and most of the resort is north-facing. The aspect of the resort helps keep the snow base until late spring and extreme and varied snowy and notoriously sunny weather make for awesome snow conditions and a more than interesting location to train.

Some of the Best Tree Skiing in Europe

With an excess of 1500m of vertical skiing, from the tops of the peaks to the valley floor, Serre Chevalier offers some of the best tree skiing of any resort in Europe, let alone France. The terrain stretches from the large and busy town of Briancon to the villages of Chantemerle, Villeneuve and Monetier-les-Bains, situated 19 km up the valley. In between each village there are peaks, troughs, valleys and ridges and when the snow falls then the off-piste skiing is outstanding!

Serre Chevalier boasts its own micro-climate that encourages large snowfalls and long days of sunshine. Rarely is the weather unpleasant and the awesome tree skiing equals great off-piste when the snow is falling and the rest of the mountain is a white out.

AUTHENTICITY & INTERNATIONAL APPEAL

Serre Chevalier has not lost its charm. Amongst the new and somewhat worn out architecture of the late sixties there are some beautiful old villages that are home to a number of fantastic restaurants and bars and a melee of wonderful and enthusiastic locals. As well as an established French culture, there are residents from all over Europe, notably Britain, the Netherlands and Sweden. Deep French roots provide a great opportunity to start or continue learning the language and to practice your skills on a daily basis.

There is a subculture of modest and hardened local skiers and mountaineers in Serre Chevalier who have chosen to escape the stresses and party lifestyle of the Northern Alps in places such as The Three Valleys, Val d’Isere, Avoriaz and Tignes. These people value the empty pistes and the slow pace of life that makes living in Serre Chevalier so much more interesting and quintessentially French. 

French skiing started here in Serre Chevalier, and if you haven’t skied here then you haven’t begun to know what the sport really has to offer. There simply aren’t any queues for most of the season. And if you are skiing with people in the know then you can ski fresh tracks for many days after a good snowfall. If you keep coming back you won’t fail to find new lines on the mountain for years to come. Don’t wait to be invited; unravel your potential, get down here and see it for yourself. We are certain you won’t be disappointed!