Courchevel - World Snowboard Guide

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British Olympic Boarder-X

Some good free riding but it is pretty expensive

Courchevel is one of France’s premier resorts, and part of the world-renowned Trois Vallees ski area. It offers a complete range of terrain, a fantastic modern lift system, an ok park and a reasonable snow record. All that comes at a cost; it’s one of the most expensive resorts in Europe, full of very rich French in Versace ski suits and furry boots, closely followed by wannabe Brit snobs. By the end of the week, you won’t think twice about paying £1.50 for a bag of crisps and washing it down with a £5 pint of Euro fizz.

There are four stations all named after their altitude:

1850, home to flash hotels, luxury chalets and Michelin star restaurants, with a good connection over to Meribel.

1650 has had a lot of money spent replacing most of the drag lifts, which means all those previously hidden spots have been opened up. It’s almost a resort in itself, with a very slow new (although secondhand) chair added to a couple of old chairs, linking it to 1850. 1550, with direct access to 1850, has lots of chalets which can be a long walk from the lifts.

1300 (Le Praz) is the only alpine-style village is good if you want to chill out at night, but is sometimes short of snow early and late in the season. There’s two bubble lifts, with one going direct to the fun park. And if you fancy breaking your legs, there’s also an Olympic ski jump. If you’ve got loads of the green (or manage to get a cheap chalet deal) then Courchevel can be a fantastic resort, but don’t go during school holidays as the place is mobbed.

New for season

2007/8:creation of a ski pass valid in the morning only
some new snowcanons
creation of snow storage areas on the side of the slopes

2007/8:creation of a ski pass valid in the morning only
some new snowcanons
creation of snow storage areas on the side of the slopes

05/06: in 1650, Signal and Bel Air drag lifts replaced with a new 6-person chairlift. 1550 16-person lift connecting road to the main gondola. Hands-free lift pass system, more snowmaking, improvement to signage

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Resort Statistics

Resort Type: Alpine
Winter: Dec to April
Summer: None

Lifts

Total Lifts: 63
Cable cars: 1
Gondolas: 10
Chair lifts: 16
Drag lifts: 36
Max people per hour: 68,000
Board Leashes required: Yes

Mountain

Total pistes/trails: 117
Total ride area: 100miles (160km)
Longest run: 3miles (5km)

Top lift: 2700m
Vertical drop: 1400m
First lift: 1300m

Piste suitability

Green runs: 25%
Red runs: 64%
Black runs: 11%

Lift Passes

	Low Season		High Season
	EUR	GBP	EUR	GBP
Day Pass	24.00	21.80	37.00	33.60
6-Day Pass	116.00	105.35	178.00	161.66
6-Day Linked area Pass	149.00	135.32	220.00	199.80

	EUR	GBP
Season Pass:	790.00	717.47

Lift Passes:
3 Vallees
1-Day pass 43 euros
6-day pass 215 euros
Season 935 euros
Courchevel only
1 day 36,50 euros
6 days 174 euros
Season 775 euros
Lift times:8.30am to 4.00pm 4.45pm late season

Snowfall

Average annual snowfall: 6m
Artificial snowmaking coverage: 26%

Facilities

	EUR	GBP
Days Rental of Board & Boots:	30.00	27.25
4hr Group Lesson (full day):	30.00	27.25
4hr Private Lesson (full day):	-	-

Snowboard Schools: Group lessons: 15hrs 195 euros
12hrs 165 euros
Private lessons: 2hrs 120 euros, 3hrs 165 euros
Snowboard Hire: 6 days 150 euros
Night Riding: : In 1650

Other activities

Heliboarding: : Heli's fly into Italy's Monta Rosa area
Snowmobiles: 60 euros

Further information

www.courchevel.com/
Email:pro@courchevel.com

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Summary

Good all-round resort. Miles of groomed piste and natural terrain. An excellent intermediate/advanced resort but expensive. If you're a beginner, save your money and come here when you can fully utilise the whole resort.

ON THE SLOPES: Excellent
OFF THE SLOPES: Okay, but stuck up
MONEY WISE: Hellishly expensive resort. Worth it if you have the cash!