Review of the top 3 ski resorts

If you are thinking of going skiing this year you might want to have a look at going to one of the top three ski resorts. This article gives a quick review of the top three French ski resorts: Chamonix, Courchevel, and Val-d'Isere.

Chamonix:

Like many ski resorts in France Chamonix is made up by several ski areas. In the south there is Brévent/Flégère which has south-facing slopes and amazing views of the Mont-Blanc chain. The Grands Montets region has high altitude north-facing slopes that dominate the village of Argentière. Towards the head of the Chamonix valley is the third area known as Balme which has vast expanses that sit on the Swiss border.

Chamonix offers all types of skiing. There are long slopes, forest runs as well as beginner runs and off-piste runs for the more advanced. There are also three smaller valleys that area excellent fun for the novices and children. In contrast to this there is the Vallée Blanche in Chamonix which offers an off-piste ski route, 20km long with a vertical descent of 2700m. In certain areas of Vallée Blanche you will need a specialist guide.

Chamonix by private air charter

Should you wish to have a break whilst skiing you might want to try the Requin Hut for a bite to eat, which is half way down Vallée Blache. When the snow is thin on the ground you can return to Chamonix using the train at the Montenvers train station.

If you are going to ski at Chamonix try the Les Granges d'en Haut. The complex comprises of numerous luxury alpine chalets which sit amongst trees and have the most amazing views. A chalet takes up to eight guests. For your money you get a concierge, a lovely lounge, and the use of both a 120 seated restaurant and a beautiful large 600m2 spa. Each chalet has four bedrooms and four bathrooms, three of which are en suite. The chalets also come with their own private sauna, a fully-equipped kitchen, a laundry room and a private balcony.

Courchevel:
Courchevel refers to both a region and a number of towns. The town itself is not so much a town but a conglomerate of towns made up of the original town La Praz, now Courchevel 1300, Courchevel 1550, Moriond - Courchevel 1650, and Courchevel 1850. However, Courchevel 1850 is in reality only 1747 meters but it was named 1850 for marketing reasons to compete with Val d'Isere.

Courchevel by private air charter

Courchevel is a world famous resort and rightly so, given its location at the Eastern end of the gargantuan ski area of Les Trois Vallées. It has 600 kilometres of piste which stretch from the Mont Blanc massif in the North to the Les Ecrins massif in the south. The breathtaking scenery includes views of Mont Blanc as well as views over the Swiss and Italian Alps. Should you wish for a quick change of scene you can take the fast ski lifts to the top of Pointe de Thorens which is 3266 m high.

Being the largest linked ski area in the world, the Trois Vallée has 62 chairlifts, it boasts 27 green runs, 44 blue runs, 38 red runs and 10 black. To bash smash and smooth all 119 pistes of this vast expanse Courchevel requires 563 snow cannons and 26 piste bashers. To keep down the risk of avalanche there are an incredible 65 gazex and 4 catex avalance-release systems.

There are many great places to stay in Courchevel but if you want to pamper yourself one would recommend the Hotel de Charme les Airelles. Located at Courchevel 1850 staying at Hotel de Charme les Airelles means you can enjoy the best location for getting straight out to the slopes.

The lounge at Hotel de Charme les Airelles has a library and an open fire which sets the warm and relaxing ambience. There is a choice of four restaurants and you can use the Spa Vermont pour Les Airelles with its pool, sauna, hammam, whirlpools, and snow cave.

If you are staying at 1850 then your best places to party at night are Le Tremplin, the Le Kalicol, the Bar l'Equipe and the Bar le Jump. In Courchevel 1650 the bars of choice would be the Space Bar, Rocky's, the Bubble Bar or Moriond Lounge as the slopes close for a good party before dinner. In Courchevel 1550 the places to be for apres-ski are Barouf, Channossa or The Bar.

Val-d'Isère:
Val-d'Isère is your typical picture post card skiing resort with all the lovely alpine style chalets. The skiing area also includes the ski town of Tignes, which combined with Val-d'Isère, makes up the ski area otherwise know as l'Espace Killy .

Val-d'Isère offers both groomed slops and off-piste skiing. There are a nice balance of green, blue, red and black runs, but just watch out for the run coming into town as it is closer to a red run than a blue run, as advertised. As one would expect the slopes are equipped with both gondolas and the small button chair lifts.

val d'Isere by private air charter

In the recent past you were able to do summer skiing on Glacier De Pissaillas but the glassier has retreated, possibly because of global warming. The snow in Val-d'Isère is excellent but they still rely on a few snow cannons to keep some of the slopes open owing to the large numbers of visitors.

Tignes, the other town of l'Espace Killy also boasts excellent slopes. Here you can blast your way down the motorway wide slopes all the way to the bottom. At Tignes you can also catch the funicular to the Grande Motte glacier.

Val-d'Isère has a lively après-ski as there is a nice selection of pubs and clubs. Dick's Tea Bar is the main English-language hangout. Dick's Tea Bar also has good immediate après-ski with happy hour, videos and then jazz before the disco scene cranks in. The other bars to check out are the Café Face in the Christiania Hotel and St. Hubert Pub under the St. Hubert Hotel. If you want somewhere to relax and have a chat then avoid these place.

If you are not on a tight budget we would recommend the Les Barmes de l'Ours hotel, at the foot of the famous Bellevarde Olympic ski run, right by the main ski lifts. This hotel can best be summed up as traditional alpine style wrapped in a velvet glove of modern luxury. All the rooms have state of the art entertainment, designer bath products and suites include both a bath and a Jacuzzi.

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