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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)

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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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August 05, 2010
Paul from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
We have stayed in Chatel for our last 3 skiing holidays. The village is exactly what all Alpine villages should be, picturesque with beautiful shops, bars and restaurants. We used to stay in Morzine but find that has now become too much like an English town, and enjoy the 'Frenchness' of a real Alpine village. The skiing here is fantastic, the local Super Chatel area is beautiful and ideal for beginners and people taking it easy (although there are a lot of drag lifts there) and the Linga and Pre La Joux areas are just a couple of lifts away from other places such as Avoriaz and Switzerland with plenty of skiing for the whole family. We always holiday in early April and the snow has always been fantastic (apparently it's to do with the micro climate?) We have stayed with a company called The Alpine Chalet Company for the last 2 years and they are fantastic, they pick us up from the airport, cook and take care of us all week, and their chalet (and hot tub!) is beautiful...just booked again for next April, and can't wait..!!
April 19, 2010
Sally from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
A reviewer has really managed to lower the tone of the Chatel resort review section. It is clear the Agence Majestic, Mrs Miggins, and everyone who works for the above are crooks and are not to be trusted. Which is a shame because Mrs Miggins used to be a respected brand. To everyone else, please ignore the horrible comments posted by Lulabelle and rest assured that Chatel is a lovely place to visit on holiday ;0))
April 09, 2010
Victoria from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Well done to a recent reviewer. You have really lowered the tone of this review section. You have given a really bad impression of both your business and your resort. If your aim is to keep tourists away from Majestic and Chatel, then carry on the good work! To everyone else, please try to ignore the petty bickering and read the genuine reviews.
March 18, 2010
Lulabelle from Ski France France
The comment made by another reviewer is unjust. Even though they had paid to take the final clean, this would have been for a 4 hour cleaning service. However, the chalet, in Chatel, was left in an unacceptable condition. Used contraceptions had been found floating in the toilet and there was rubbish throughout. Bathrooms were left with mud in the shower base. The cleaning ladies spent in excess of 6 hours cleaning this chalet. They had rented a Prestige property and arrived to a property to Prestige standard of cleaning. They had no respect for this chalet, would they have treated their homes in the same way? The agency is a professional concern and I can assure you no "scams" are carried out at any time from any agencies within Châtel. They are right though Châtel (Chatel) is an amazing village, Majestic Immobilier is a busy and professional agency and I ask that you are not put off by such small mindedness, especially when their standard of hygiene left something to be desired!!!
January 27, 2010
Chiara from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
We just came back from a superb winter holiday in Châtel / Haute Savoye / France. The village is amazing, really nice food and all the people we met there were very helpful and nice (and they speak good English!) And yes... brilliant skiing for all ages and levels! The chalet we rented was fabulous, very well furnished and almost everything was in good working order. We really had a great time. The bath tub, in the late afternoon, was exactly what we needed to recover from the intense activities and get ready for the next day! The only thing I would like to signal here is to beware of Majestic Immobilier (real estate) services and keep an eye open on all agencies there. We decided in advance to pay an additional fee ( € 280) to get the place cleaned by the agency on the last day. All went well until we came back, when we discovered the agency charged us the extra unreasonable fee of € 120 claiming the premises weren't clean enough (!?) and that the money will serve to repay for 2 broken glasses (although we separately paid for an insurance that should cover breakages up to € 3000). We are all working professionals and we treated the property really well. We always removed the shoes downstairs and cleaned all the dishes before we left the chalet. We even hoovered the lounge a couple of days before leaving for it not to get too messy. We are really disappointed about the service we received, the tone of the email that was sent and we are thinking not to ever go back to Châtel in the future. It's incredible the sort of scams you can get even in such amazing places!!!
January 18, 2010
Jo from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
We've been going to Chatel (well, a small village nearby called Chappelle d'Abondance) for 5 years in a big family group and it's fantastic. Brilliant skiing for all ages and levels. We go with a company called skiaddiction. They have a lovely chalet or deals with a couple of small local hotels. They pick you up from station or airport (although we've also driven which is perfectly possible), they organise everything, ferry you around if you need it, throw in a few days 'ski leading' for advanced skiers and generally make sure everyone has a good time. The Chatel / Chapelle area is very unspoilt and less expensive than some of the more touristy places. Going again in early April - can't wait.
March 26, 2009
Victoria from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Chatel is a lovely resort. It is very picturesque and family friendly. I have been to Chatel for the last 5 years or so and I have always been able to find snow. It’s a great base to access the whole of the Portes du Soleil, with easy links to Avoriaz and beyond, and I have no trouble finding new places to go even after all this time. The runs are also beautiful and there is plenty of manageable fun off-piste. There is also an amazing selection of restaurants, which I am slowly working my way through. A word on drags – Yes, there are a few in the Super Chatel area, but really, they’re not horrendous and some of them get you onto some fab runs, both on and off-piste. I snowboard and ski at an average level and I have no problems.
January 29, 2009
Dave Hitch from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
We just returned from an excellent week at Chatel and just wanted to give a little advice to other snowboarders. It was our first time there and had heard that there were lots of drag lifts. We found that the only place that they were unavoidable was in the Super Chatel and Morgins areas - which is a pity as there is a huge amount of unmolested off-piste in these sectors. The rest of the area near to Chatel (Linga, Pre La Joux and Avoriaz) is far more boarder-friendly and we were able to rack up huge amounts of slide time from the quick chair lifts. Again, all these areas have loads of easy off-piste and some of the best tree runs I have had anywhere in the Alps - though we were told by a season worker that the snow has been particularly ample this year and a lot of the lower areas have been a bit rocky and bare in previous years We will be going back for sure and hoping for a few lift upgrades.
January 27, 2009
Jenny Truff from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Some friends and myself have just spent a fantastic week in Chatel at chalet L'Optraken run by Steve Hutchinson Adventures, which is a private family run business. The couple who run this chalet, Steve (Hutch) and Becky met us at the airport and looked after all our needs, from guiding us around this fantastic area which is absolutely huge, to even taking us to the bar in the evening. The food was fantastic and the chalet very clean. Nothing was a problem. This was our first time in Chatel but we are definitely going to come back, hopefully very soon
January 26, 2009
Adam from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
My Family and I also stayed at the ClubHotel Soldanelles at Chatel. We were there from 9 Jan 09 for 7 days. The food was excellent, the weather fantastic and the piste conditions were very good considering there hadn't been a major dump for three or so weeks. All members of staff were helpful, polite and great fun, there were also two school parties staying at the hotel; they had different breakfast and dinner sittings so you hardly noticed they were there. The local lift pass at Chatel is good for beginners and people who enjoy drag lifts (or are scared of heights) otherwise get the full area pass. Hope to return soon.