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Chatel resort snow
Lat Long: 46.27° N 6.84° E
Ski France

Chatel Resort Reviews

Weather Forecast for Chatel at 1701 m altitude

Issued: 7 am 25 Apr 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Next snow in Chatel: 1.6 cm on Thu 7th

Visitor reviews for Chatel Ski Resort

Chatel Ratings

Overall: 4.4. Based on 59 votes and 66 reviews.

Rate this resort

Snowsure: 4.5

  • Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing
  • Is often closed due to a lack of snow
  • Occasionally suffers from a lack of snow
  • Rarely suffers from a lack of snow
  • Chatel is snowsure even in the poorest seasons

Variety of pistes: 4.7

  • The ski runs are featureless and unvaried
  • The ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week
  • Chatel has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain

Off-piste: 4.3

  • No off-piste worth mentioning
  • Off piste is out-of-bounds
  • Some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days
  • A vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days

Scenery: 4.8

  • An ugly resort in a bland setting
  • Average mountain views and resort
  • A spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town

Access: 4.2

  • At least one overnight stop
  • Requires a whole day
  • Requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns
  • Arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon
  • There is a main airport within an hour of Chatel

Public Transport: 3.8

  • There are no buses or taxis to Chatel
  • There are slow or infrequent buses / trains available
  • Getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections

Accommodation: 4.8

  • No places to stay in/near Chatel
  • A few places to stay in the resort
  • A wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets

Cheap Rooms: 4.3

  • No budget accommodation available
  • Just one or two hostels so book ahead
  • Several cheap hostels and pensions available

Luxury Hotels: 4.2

  • No luxury accommodation available
  • Just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead
  • Several up-market hotels in Chatel

Ski in/Ski out: 4.0

  • The ski area is located far from any accommodation
  • A free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip
  • Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available

Childcare: 4.4

  • There are no child care facilities at Chatel
  • The resort has limited child-care facilities
  • the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche

Snowmaking: 4.7

  • Chatel relies entirely on natural snow
  • There are just a few snow cannons
  • There are snowmaking facilities on all pistes

Snow Grooming: 4.8

  • There are no snow groomers at Chatel
  • Occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state
  • All the runs at Chatel are groomed daily

Shelter: 4.3

  • There is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut
  • There are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close
  • Chatel is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close

Nearby options: 4.3

  • If snow conditions are poor at Chatel, it will be poor everywhere nearby
  • There are good alternatives within an hours drive
  • Other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions

Regional rating: 4.4

  • Chatel usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region
  • Has average conditions for the region
  • Usually has the best snow conditions in the region

Lift Staff: 4.4

  • The staff at Chatel are rude or unhelpful
  • Lift staff at Chatel are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help

Crowds/Queues: 4.0

  • The resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues
  • It is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays
  • It is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare

Ski Schools: 4.7

  • No ski schools available
  • One or two ski schools but local language only
  • A few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors
  • Plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available
  • Excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors

Hire and Repairs: 4.9

  • Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex
  • There are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance
  • Good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible

Beginners: 4.5

  • Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard
  • A few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week
  • Vast areas of gentle terrain

Intermediates: 4.8

  • No intermediate terrain at Chatel
  • Intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days
  • Vast areas of cruising runs

Advanced: 4.5

  • Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders
  • Enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste
  • Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week

Snow Park: 4.2

  • Not even a kicker at Chatel
  • Average sized park quite well looked after
  • Huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails

Cross-country: 4.2

  • There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Chatel
  • There are some cross country trails available
  • The area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails

Luge/Toboggan: 3.1

  • No designated luge or toboggan runs
  • There are toboggan runs that open quite often
  • Chatel has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages

Mountain Dining: 4.7

  • Nowhere to buy food by the pistes
  • Some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive
  • There is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets

Eating: 4.7

  • Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop
  • There are a few places to eat in the resort but nothing special
  • A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants

Apres-Ski: 4.1

  • Nothing to do, not even a bar
  • There are a few bars in the resort but nothing special
  • Clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere

Other Sports: 3.9

  • No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts
  • Resort has just a small public swimming pool
  • Resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool

Entertainment: 3.9

  • Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here
  • The non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week
  • The resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports

Winter Walks: 4.2

  • Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails
  • A couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails
  • Extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities

Ski Pass Value: 4.4

  • A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available
  • The ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts
  • Ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area

Value (National): 4.3

  • Overall, Chatel is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money
  • Overall represents average value for money
  • Overall offers the best value resort in the country

Value (Global): 4.4

  • Overall, Chatel is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world
  • Overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries
  • Internationally the resort offers excellent value for money

Show all 35 ratings

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February 09, 2012
Mike from Ski Switzerland Switzerland
A charming, old-fashioned farming village turned ski-resort. The skiing is extensive and varied, with easy access to Avoriaz if you've got a thing about concrete. There are plenty of great restaurants and bars.
January 02, 2012
lawrence Kormornick from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Chatel is a vision of heaven on earth and provides a superb family skiing holiday. The Chablais mountains set around the winding Abondance valley and the Dranse pounding its way to Lac Leman. The mountains are loaded with snow and the skiing is superb all around Chatel and the Portes du Soleil; a photographer's dream. The village looks so pretty up the winding Bechigne and then looking back towards Mont Chauffe and the Cornette de Bise, and then towards Mt Grange and the peaks of Linga, one marvels at the magical hand of nature. Keep Chatel special and enjoy this little piece of heaven on earth. Bonnes Vacances!
December 13, 2011
Ray Hutchins from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Chatel is open and ready for Christmas 2011. The new 6 man express Rochasson lift has replaced the old wooden 2 man rickety lift. The webcams have been updated and the Rochasson webcam is now full HD and panoramic so you can see Plaine Dranse and the snow conditions clearly. Chatel is our favourite resort in the Alpes as it combines the friendly atmosphere of the fantastic village of Chatel with clearly defined pisted runs and fantastic off piste skiing when the conditions allow. Looking at the forecast for the week commencing 12th December, the snowfall is looking fantastic, so we can't wait to get out there on the 17th of December with the family for a great week of skiing finishing with Christmas day at the end of the ski week. checkout Chatel for a great family skiing holiday.
November 02, 2011
nigel emery from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
We had a fantastic family skiing holiday in April 2010. We stayed with 2 other families in a chalet. We used Alpine quest. The accommodation was luxurious and the food amazing. They took care of the needs of 8 staving kids as they came off the slope each day. It was the best skiing holiday we have had in the region. We normally stay in Avoriaz due to the convenience and altitude. Chatel is so much nicer to stay in and it only takes 30 minutes to ski over to Avoriaz. The area above Super Chatel is relatively quite and is ideal for intermediates. We drive over to Tougin to try out an area we had not skied before. As we skied in the afternoon and it was April the snow was very poor and the lack of chair lifts was a pain. The area is serviced by drag lifts, which is unusual for PS as you get used to fast chair lifts. We have booked to go back again in 2012.
April 23, 2011
Garry Haywood from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
As a Chatel holiday resident for 27 years I'd just like to say what a fantastic job the pisteurs have done this season which has been one of the worst in the Alps for many a year. But with a combination of a big investment in snow canons and very hard work from the pisteurs the skiing has been great, I've only just left the resort on the 22nd April and the skiing was still good. Well done guys.
February 21, 2011
Jacski55 from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Just returned from a one week skiing holiday in Chatel and despite reports that there isn't much snow in the French Alps, we had the best time ever. There is still a fair amount of snow around the village and the runs are amazingly good considering the lack of new snow. The French certainly know how to make the most of what they've got and I'd say 80% of the runs were open. Couldn't get over from Super Chatel to Morgins as the top slope faces directly south and had hardly any covering at all but all the Chatel and Super Chatel slopes were fantastic. Been skiing in Chatel for over 10 years and the best thing is that very little changes year on year - no new tower blocks springing up, just the odd tweak here and there. A 6 day Portes du Soleil pass now costs €209 which has hardly changed from 3 or 4 years ago so very good value still. Restaurant prices are not cheap and food up the mountain is still expensive but worth it for the views that surround you. Great mix of slopes and still my favourite place to ski.
January 24, 2011
Sean from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Stayed at the 'Chalet Lac de Vonnes' in Chatel, with hosts Darren and Tracy. Six of us altogether and have stayed in few catered chalets. This was the best hosted chalet. Every day Darren accompanied us and guided superbly, it's great not having to stop at every chair and think "where next" as Darren did all this for us. Tracy came out too and she's no mean skier either. There's a wide mix of skiing covering all standards. The town is a good mix of bars and restaurants - not really set up for the 18 ~ 25 yr old clubbing set - and all are really friendly too. All in all, we had a fantastic time and will definitely go back to stay with Darren and Tracy. Darren, you're gonna need a bigger place for next season!
December 28, 2010
Brian Evans Ski Degrees from Ski France France
As a chalet operator in Chatel and Chamonix, I have to say that Chatel can top any of the Top Ten ski destinations, with easy access to the Portes du Soleil, some fantastic off-piste and runs to suit all abilities. With reasonably priced food and drink and a really alpine village feel it really is a little gem. Take the time Summer or Winter and I promise you will be back time and time again.
December 22, 2010
Adam from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
I've skied all over Europe including 4 seasons as a ski guide in 3 Vallees, Val d'Isere and Portes du Soleil. I now return every year with family and friends to Chatel staying with Glen and Francis at Alpine Quests. Chatel is without doubt the best base to explore the PDS. A totally unspoilt alpine village, ideal for mixed group abilities and families and with a good snow record and a short transfer time. No package holidays here which makes Chatel less busy than other ski areas. Glad those 'in the know' stay away in favour of Val d'Isere and 3 Vallees as it means no lift queues and a better quality skier in Chatel.
December 13, 2010
John from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Chatel is a fantastic genuine alpine village all year round. Quiet at the end of the ski season and summer but a great base for skiing both in Chatel and the Portes du Soleil during the winter with walking and biking at other times. Very handy for summer touring too.