Serre Chevalier

Our previous visit to Serre Chevalier had allowed us to ski only a part of this vast domain, so we vowed to return, to get a clearer picture of what to expect during a more typical ski break. Some places take some getting to know, and in our experience, are all the better for it.

To any seasoned ski traveller, leaving Grenoble via the D1091 towards Briançon always brings a sense of adventure. The route is an experience in itself, climbing steadily past a succession of ski stations including Vaujany, Oz-en-Oisans, Alpe d’Huez and Les 2 Alpes. As we reach La Grave the first snow flurries announce the final climb towards the 2058m Col du Lauteret, but the ‘Col Ouvert’ signs prove to be reliable and we make it over without recourse to snow chains. All the same, we take it easy on the final long descent into Le Monêtier-les-Bains (our base during our first visit) then onward to our apartment at the Résidence l’Adret in Chantemerle.

Next morning, after picking up our lift-passes we take the Blétonet and Les Combes chairlifts through the tree-line and into bright sunshine at around 2350m. From here you can launch straight onto the humps and banked hairpins of a popular boardercross piste, a now-essential feature. We love them too, but as time is short we ski down beside the run on the blue-graded Combes, to pick up the Grande Serre chairlift. Finding it closed, we press on, passing the venerable Coqs draglifts and soon reach the six-seater Prorel chairlift. This powerful lift hauls us smoothly up to over 2400m, where a stiff, icy breeze is blowing in from the southeast with a Mistral-like ability to slice right through your clothing. Once beyond the ridge, though, things are suddenly calmer as we drop down on Bergers, another wide, blue-graded run, while two nearby reds go their own way for awhile before ending up right where our run does, namely the base of the Rocher Blanc chairlift.

At the foot of the piste lies a decision or two: continue on the red-graded descent snaking its way down into Briançon, take the gondola down (or up) or do as we do and stop for lunch at the Chalet de Pré Loup mountain restaurant. It’s cunningly sited between the gondola and the children’s ESF Piou-Piou children’s learner area and also throws in startling crow’s-eye views of the remarkable fortified city far below. On a sunny day like today it’s a tough place to leave, but we still have some distance to cover if we’re going to head back over to Chantemerle and beyond.

So, the Prorel gondola it is, then. This really is quite a lift, whose first section (or ‘tronçon’) brings skiers and visitors up from Briançon, a cable-distance of 1222m, with 414m or vertical. But it’s nothing compared to the second stage, which hauls us another 2370m, along the way climbing through 728m – by any standards an impressive ride.

While boarders hone their tricks in the large snowpark to our right, we ski on, taking Angea (blue) down to the Cote Chevalier fixed chairlift for a sedate haul up through a steep tract of larch forest. This time we decide to cruise down towards Villeneuve by way of Génépi, Alpage and the much longer Marteau runs. One of the joys of skiing here is the wealth of sheltered return pistes among the forested mountainsides, and this perfect example drops us neatly just beside the novice area. From here it’s just 200m or so to the shuttle-bus pic-kup point, for connections along the valley between Le Monêtier-les-Bains and Briançon. Given time, there’s a lot more we could have done before heading back, but we’ve previously explored the sector about Le Monêtier and know just what it offers. It’s also well-connected with the other areas these days, after massive investments in lift upgrades by owners Compagnie des Alpes. Our experiences tell us that obviously it won’t be quite so relaxed during peak season periods – particularly the French school holidays – but we haven’t encountered any signs of bottlenecks during our time here, and there’s an awful lot of terrain on tap to keep everyone happy – including near-limitless off-piste.