{"id":553,"date":"2014-08-14T11:27:10","date_gmt":"2014-08-14T09:27:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mountainpassions.com\/wordpress\/?p=553"},"modified":"2022-12-14T15:44:59","modified_gmt":"2022-12-14T14:44:59","slug":"ski-serre-chevalier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mountainpassions.com\/winter\/ski-resort-reviews\/alps\/ski-serre-chevalier\/","title":{"rendered":"Serre Chevalier"},"content":{"rendered":"
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O<\/span>ur 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.<\/p>\n

To any seasoned ski traveller, leaving Grenoble via the D1091 towards Brian\u00e7on always brings a sense of adventure. The route is an experience in itself, climbing steadily past a succession of ski stations including Vaujany<\/a>, Oz-en-Oisans<\/a>, Alpe d\u2019Huez<\/a> and Les 2 Alpes<\/a>. As we reach La Grave the first snow flurries announce the final climb towards the 2058m Col du Lauteret, but the \u2018Col Ouvert\u2019 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 Mon\u00eatier-les-Bains (our base during our first visit) then onward to our apartment at the R\u00e9sidence l’Adret in Chantemerle.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\nIt\u2019s impossible to remain unmoved by the outline of Mont Pelvoux and the countless other peaks of the Parc National des Ecrins stretching to the horizon beneath a steely-blue sky. Days like these are apparently pretty typical here..\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\n\"Early
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Early morning finds wide, freshly-groomed pistes awaiting our tracks.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\n\"Skiers
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There's easy access to the fine skiing to be had above Brian\u00e7on \u2013 but it can be a windy spot...<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Our base in Serre Chevalier: Chantemerle<\/h2>\n
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Next morning, after picking up our lift-passes we take the Bl\u00e9tonet 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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Despite the terrain over here being south-facing, low temperatures have kept the snow in great condition so there are no nasty icy patches to suddenly unsettle our skis. Which means we can relax and take in the jaw-dropping surroundings. They\u2019re called the Hautes Alpes for good reason, and it\u2019s impossible to remain unmoved by the outline of Mont Pelvoux and the countless other peaks of the Parc National des Ecrins stretching to the horizon beneath a steely-blue sky. Days like these are apparently pretty typical here, interspersed with frequently epic snowfalls \u2013 the perfect combination in the eyes of just about any keen skier.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\n\"Le
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Le Chemin gives any intermediate skier a taste of ski-touring without going off-piste. Ahead lies the Brian\u00e7on gondola lift.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\n\"Briancon
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Far, far below (and shrinking rapidly) lies Vauban's remarkable fortified town of Brian\u00e7on, which is also well worth visiting.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The Outer Limits<\/h2>\n
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But we\u2019re not just here for the views. The plan is to make our way over towards Brian\u00e7on, by what turns out to be the scenic route.<\/p>\n

The onward run around the mountain begins as Le Chemin, a gentle enough cruise to be graded green before morphing into Chauss\u00e9e, which is a blue with a couple of quite steep sections. Why do they do this? Maybe to build up green-only skiers\u2019 confidence and encourage them to step up to blues; after all, you have to do it sometime.<\/p>\n

For your effort you\u2019re rewarded with a real sense of being right away from it all, a factor which almost always makes perimeter runs well worth discovering, even when they might look unexceptional on the piste-map.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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