Spent a month in Serre Chevalier in one of the lightest snow years in 60 years. Arrived on the 4th of March and stayed until the beginning of April.

4 ski areas with all levels of challenge, Monetier was the best for mine in a light snow year. Terrain of all levels of challenge, beginner, intermediate, advanced and schutes off the top (and highest) Yret chair.

You can see some incredible in resort off piste skiing would be available in a year with better snow, below the Clot Gothier chair, through the trees in Chantmerle and below the Casse de Boef chair. Shame to not get to ride it.

Off piste area between the Villeneuve and Monetier ski areas is a 15 minute walk up the ridge line from the top of the Vallons chair for the best adventure afternoon. Open bowl into some steep trees, worth the short walk.

Ratier best value for money place for lunch, coffee, beer, in Chantmerle. Best dining experience’s are Le Peyra Juana towards the bottom of Monetier in the sun. Honourable mention to Pai Mei in Villenueve above the Vallons Chair, and the a la carte menu at La Flockon in Monetier.

Not much Apres scene, not a party resort, come for the skiing. Dead quiet for the second half of March, had the place to ourselves between 9-10:30 most mornings. Pisteurs (snow groomers) did an amazing job to keep a lot of the resort skiable in a down year.

Got 3 lessons with Ben from Ski Connections based in Villenueve. Would 10/10 recommend if you want a lesson, helped me a lot as an advanced rider and showed us our favourite spots on the hill.

Did both the Zipline and the Mountain Cart for 40 euros for the pair, which were both well worth the fun - money ratio. Laughed for an hour, do it with the group in a morning with average snow.

Great resort at a very reasonable price point compared to nearby resorts. La Grave just up the road to blow your mind if it dumps. Get in there.
See our video here

So I have been living here for over a month…. Was gonna post after the full season but I wish I saw an honest opinion sooner so here goes.

300 days of sun is what they claim, they are not kidding this place is always blue birds and never gets that cold. To the beginner/intermediate and families this will sound like paradise. This ski area suffers with no natural snow for 4/6 weeks. The average annual snowfall is nowhere near the 6m that is stated. Shame as they have great off piste terrain and would be an awesome playground.

They do have plenty of cannons if you like that kind of thing and they like to make big piles in the middle of the pistes then weeks later will sort it out.

The terrain park, because of the lack of snow I would be expecting a decent size park. Sadly it is limited with a few features. Instead the have spent all they time and resources building a pump track course for one person to ride which I’m sure we will see a clip soon….

Under covid rules and any rules they are very relaxed. Won’t tell people to wear a mask and never checking for passes. I don’t mind but thought they would have a duty of care to follow gov guidelines.

If your new to the game and want a cheaper quieter place to try then it’s great. Personally for me (snowboarding powder seeker) I wish kept looking!
See our video here

Skiing Serre Chevalier (Ser Che) for a second time certainly reinforced its all-round appeal. Passing through in January after a visit to La Grave, Les 2 Alpes & Alpe d'Huez, some surprise fresh snow, low crowds & a great night in the resort’s most authentic base village (Le Monêtier-les-Bains) provided an interesting contrast to some of the elements in the afore mentioned ski areas.

The snow quality & breadth of terrain at Serre Chevalier are first rate. Even though the visibility was near zero when we skied, the lower tree lined piste & off-piste was easily navigable & joyous to ride with no midweek crowds.

Wandering down to the lifts from the centre of Le Monetier les Bains in the morning with light snow falling is one of those classic French Alps moments that most people never get to experience. Villages like Le Monetier les Bains are sadly few & far between in the major ski resorts of France, so it is a location to be cherished. Some new chair lifts above the treeline assist as well, although their recent replacement was in our view far less necessary than other ancient lifts which, disappointingly, still operate further down the valley. Having been in Ser Che during the busy French school holidays in 2017, we can however begrudgingly agree that replacing the old Cibouit chair will improve waiting times exiting the popular Bachas area. Mid-week in January though, there are no lines…..

At night the best bars & restaurants of Le Monêtier-les-Bains were pleasantly heaving. We enjoyed the food at Le Montagn’Art & drank at the Blue Bird. A host of other great spots hidden amongst the village laneways will cater to most tastes & budgets.

If you cannot stay in Le Monêtier-les-Bains then Chantemerle is the best alternative. Chantemerle has less authentic charm, but far better access to the ski lifts. Its central location in the valley allow for easier exploration of the entire resort.

Even though pressed for time, we still wandered through the Cite Vauban in Briancon before heading off to Montgenèvre. We love an ancient fort and this one is still a living example with its thriving village inside the walls. Being in sight of the ski area highlights another thing most French ski resorts lack - local access to some of the Alps built history (ancient ski lifts & challenging 1970s architecture aside!).

Serre Chevalier is a great all-round ski resort & a fine location to get a dose of the real France. Just dont stay near the Villeneuve or Briancon bases as unfortunately you will get a dose of the wrong kind of real French ski accommodation!

See our video here

We were so impressed with our visit to the area known as Serre Chevalier we are planning when we can get back there. We were there in February 2020, just before the Covid 19 closures. The variety of slopes for all levels of skiers was excellent, the weather was perfect, and the proximity of most of the accommodation to the lifts at most of the resorts along the 15 km valley was very handy.

We stayed at Hotel Plein Sud in Chantemerle across the road from the lifts. We found it clean, well run and very welcoming. Not to mention very convenient to shops and bus stops. The many cafes and eateries on the mountain offered delicious food and very reasonable priced compared to Australian and New Zealand resorts which tend to be very expensive and quite ordinary.

The low key feel to the valley added to it's appeal, with a very laid back and most pleasant atmosphere. Lift & ski hire costs were comparable to those in Aus and NZ. The food in the little restaurants tucked away in the villages was very good indeed, and the owners and staff were very welcoming to non-french-speaking clientele, who went out of their way to assist with menus etc. Two standouts were Triptyque in Cantemerle & Eau Petit Pont in Villeneuve.

We also had an excellent and entertaining ski instructor in the form of the legendary Darren Turner from Insight Ski.

Thanks to everyone who made our stay one of the best ski experiences we have ever had. It's a long haul from Australia, but well worth it.
See our video here

Massive ski area. Could spend weeks at Serre Chevalier and still be exploring and finding new areas to ski. Able to find fresh lines days after snow fall.

Aside from the skiing, loved roaming the narrow streets of the old town in Briancon and sampling all the local artisan galleries, shops and restaurants.
See our video here

A combination of four different ski areas, Serre Chevalier has something for every skier or boarder. Spread along a stretch of 15km of valley, one can stay in four different towns and villages with access to the mountains from the valley by at least 8 different lifts. The resort is enormous allowing exploration of a new area each day for an entire week without getting bored. The snow quality in the huge alpine area of the resort is excellent. The Powderhounds found fresh untracked snow, without too much effort, 6 days after the last snowfall. Off piste and backcountry access is excellent, as are the opportunities for some challenging tree skiing.

Serre Chevalier has an excellent children's program so parents can rest easy and enjoy their turns. At the base in Briancon, the way the instructors wrangled all the children from their 'holding pens', onto the gondola and up the mountain on a busy day was a sight to behold - superb. We've NEVER seen anything like it.

We also love the two BBQ areas in the resort - they beat Vail's Blue Sky Basin BBQs hands down. Not a bad endorsement!

Serre Chevalier's negatives include: a range of truly awful old accommodation developments fronting the resort (sadly typical of many French ski resorts); some very old lifts that are museum relics of the past & best avoided unless for the sake of nostalgia (i.e. the Frejus gondola); some poor quality piste runs low down into the valley at Le Monetier les Bains that should have been closed. during our visit. Left a fair chunk of one of my skis on one them.......

That aside, Serre Chevalier is an overall fantastic ski resort, topped off by the old forts & walled town area at Briancon which makes a wonderful diversion for a day (or night). In Briancon, the excellent restaurants, bars & some unfettered exploration of the town walls added to the generally fabulous skiing, making for a complete ski holiday experience not to be missed. 
See our video here

Our family spent 2 weeks from 28th Dec- 11th Jan 2014 in late staying in a lovely local apartment in La Villard Late', which is (a long way!) up the opposite side of the valley from one of the main Serre Chevalier ski stations at Chantemerle. Although Serre Chevalier is a vast ski area there is generally not a large foreign contingent, predominantly French and their families, and therefore it's not as expensive and friendlier than some of the more famed/international French resorts.

The ski area runs for about 12ks off the main range overlooked by the Barre de Ecrins massif running NW and linking the peaks of Col Du Prorel above the alpine city of Briancon to Serre Chevalier above the towns of Chantmerle and Villeneuve and over the Col's de la Cucumelle and de L'Eycheud to the Monetiers ski area above Le Monteier les Bains.

The elevation from 1400m to 2800m is not huge by French Alps standards but the high treeline and SE facing aspect protected by the Barre de Ecrins massif ensure the snow holds up well while getting plenty of sun. Generally speaking the pistes above Montier les Bains are better protected and steeper than the Briancon side which being more exposed to wind and sun making the snow quality somewhat poorer. There are pistes suitable for all levels from beginners to long thigh burning black runs (try Casse de Boeuf down to to Villeneuve if there is enough snow) to under the ropes expert only off piste under the Yret and Cibouit chairs at Monetiers. There is also plenty of slack/side country and trees for those so inclined. For those who want more of an off piste challenge the bottom station of the legendary La Grave (a alpine guide and rescue gear is strongly advised) is an hour up the road and Alpe d'Huez another hour further on the road to Grenoble. A pass on the other side of Briancon takes you Montgenevre and on to the Milky Way resorts in Italy.

The vast lift system varies in age from modern detachable bubble quads to the ancient Fresus gondola (still worth a ride!) but it links up well to give access to huge terrain.

All in all a great place to base yourself for access to the southern French alps and across to Italy.
See our video here