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Courchevel resort snow
Lat Long: 45.42° N 6.65° E
Ski France

Courchevel Resort Reviews

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Visitor reviews for Courchevel Ski Resort

Courchevel Ratings

Overall: 4.3. Based on 68 votes and 68 reviews.

Rate this resort

Snowsure: 4.6

  • 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
  • Courchevel is snowsure even in the poorest seasons

Variety of pistes: 4.9

  • The ski runs are featureless and unvaried
  • The ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week
  • Courchevel 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: 4.4

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

Access: 4.1

  • 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 Courchevel

Public Transport: 4.1

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

Accommodation: 4.4

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

Cheap Rooms: 2.8

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

Luxury Hotels: 5.0

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

Ski in/Ski out: 4.8

  • 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: 4.3

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

Snowmaking: 4.6

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

Snow Grooming: 4.7

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

Shelter: 4.1

  • 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
  • Courchevel 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 Courchevel, 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: 4.5

  • Courchevel 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: 4.3

  • The staff at Courchevel are rude or unhelpful
  • Lift staff at Courchevel 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: 4.8

  • 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: 4.8

  • 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: 4.6

  • 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: 4.9

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

Advanced: 4.7

  • 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: 4.0

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

Cross-country: 3.7

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

Luge/Toboggan: 4.2

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

Mountain Dining: 4.5

  • 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: 4.6

  • 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: 4.4

  • 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: 4.3

  • 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: 3.8

  • 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: 4.0

  • 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: 4.2

  • 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): 3.7

  • Overall, Courchevel 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): 3.7

  • Overall, Courchevel 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 06, 2009
lisa from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Returned to Le Praz (Courchevel) on Dec 26th. There was plenty of snow and good skiing. Stayed with skivolution. Excellent chalet and food. Tuition was fab. Will return again. This is 2nd time to Le Praz this year. Will recommend Courchevel to anyone and will definitely come to Courchevel again; it's the place to be if you want to ski.
February 04, 2009
iona from Ski Australia - Victoria Australia - Victoria
I have snowboarded before in Turin, Italy where the winter Olympics were held but my first time skiing was at Courchevel 1850. The instructor wasn't very good and I thought the prices were way too expensive. Apart from that absolutely stunning views and great snow Courchevel can be a bit busy at times but definitely worth it. If you want something cheaper try 1650 or 1550. :) happy skiing.
January 01, 2009
Donna from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Went to 1850 for Xmas week 2008. The snow was fantastic. Best snow ever for this time of year they say. We had a 3V pass but stayed mainly in the Courcheval area as the snow was much better - powdery and better groomed. It was sunbathing weather without the snow melting. We will definitely be going again. So much more to ski. I would recommend it to anybody at any level.
December 14, 2008
charlotte from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Courchevel, wow. We stayed at an amazing chalet (Chalet Carmily) which was incredible. The staff were Tony the chef and Frankie the chalet maid. They were both very cheery and always very helpful. In the chalet there were 5 bedrooms and 2 staff rooms. This Chalet was definitely fully equipped: cinema, swimming pool and loads more. We skied everyday with Sam Burrows from Ultimate Snowsports. Sam is so nice and is always very patient with, both, young and older children and adults. Sam is always happy and never sad. Whilst on ski lifts he always has a good laugh with you. When you go back to Courchevel every year, it is always really exciting to see Sam. In 1850 there is so much to do, there is shopping, bowling and loads more. There is definiletly one place not to miss and that is Grand Marnier the crepe shop in the town. After skiing you see loads of people lining up outside waiting to be fed. There is only one place to go skiing and that is most definitely Courchevel 1850.
December 13, 2008
emily from Ski USA - California USA - California
We have just had the most fantastic holiday ever at Courchevel. Great snow, and we stayed in the most fantastic chalet ever. It had a swimming pool, cinema, steam room it was called chalet Charmily; recommended buy a previous blogger. We had booked a ski instructor recommended by a friend, he was called Sam Burrows from Ultimate Snow Sports.
November 28, 2008
Martin from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
I have been coming regularly to Couchevel/3 Valleys for over 20 years and my family have been brought up on skis there. I have also skied in most "brand name" resorts throught the Alps. So why Courchevel (in winter)? In no particular order 1) It's north facing and high enough so the snow is aways reliable though the season; 2) the piste care is extraordinary; 3) the off-piste is great (but you need a guide to unlock the secrets); 4) The top 5 US resorts combined would fit into the size of the 3V 5) the restaurants are unparalled in the 3V, but particularly in Courchevel (they dish out a free restaurant guide to visitors each season!), and you CAN find places to eat cheaply; 5) the Russians sure know how to party, but they are only there for the first two weeks in January and most get worse press than they deserve 5) 30% of visitors DON'T ski (i.e there are plenty of other things to do with granny/young children) 6) A new motorway from Geneva to Annecy opens for this season and cuts the journey to c.2hrs from the Airport 7) Night life highly entertaining (particularly in Russian fortnight!) but probably not as extensive as Val d'Isere/Verbier 8) If you try and speak a little French they are really quite nice people!
November 20, 2008
russell from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Happy days . . snow is about to fall. . get ready and wax your skis. . the resort will be open in 3 weeks. Can't wait. Courchevel 1850; the finest resort . . ever. Great snow, great mountain & resort restaurants. Fantastic night life. Forget the cost, you only live once. Stayed at a fabulous chalet on the Bellcote (chalet Charmily), organised through John Taylor fr. The attention to detail was amazing. Staff were superb, food exquisite. I will be skiing at every available moment this season (flights and work permitting). Why go anywhere else. My advise is always book an instructor. We always book Sam from "ultimate snow sports " he is amazing with the children and always knows where the best snow is and which lifts are going to be quiet. Also being able to use the instructors gates will allow you to get at least a couple of extra runs in. Don't wait, get on the web and get booked.
October 29, 2008
LISA from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Stayed at Le Praz in April 2008 Had a fab time. Snow:great, place: brilliant. Skied in Andorra but Couchevel is better. Going back to Le Praz for new year. Looking forward to it and would recommend it to anyone once you've been to Courchevel. You don't want to go anywhere else.
October 14, 2008
Robert from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Been to Courchevel twice now and i now dont want to ski anywhere else! The sheer size and choice make this place Skiing heaven! I would definitely recommend Courchevel 1650 as an alternative to its more expensive neighbour. With a better atmosphere than 1550 and its own ski area, it is almost a hidden gem with fabulous runs like Rocher, Bel Air and Chapelets deserted the majority of the time! Courchevel doesnt have to be the rip off many associate with the place. If you choose the right places to eat and drink as well as stay, you can have the best of all worlds. If you fancy a treat, Bel air on a clear sunny day for lunch is amazing! If you are considering a skiing holiday and are put off by the price of Courchevel, if you go the first couple of weeks after the schools return in January, you get empty piste, excellent snow and very reasonable prices. Also, you get to ski in four of the best ski resorts in France, Courchevel, Meribel, Val Thorens and Les Menuires so its well worth the extra expense!
February 19, 2008
Nick Clark from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
As a moderate intermediate skier all I can say is once you've skied Courchevel and the Three Valleys then you'll have been so spoiled that when your mates ask if you fancy a week in somewhere like Bulgaria "cos it's cheap" then you're going to pull a face like a bulldog chewing a wasp! Have stayed in Le Praz several times now and having come back 3 weeks ago have decided to go back for an unscheduled trip in mid March. My advice...avoid first two weeks of Jan while the barmy Russians raise all the bar prices by 100% and give the place a bit of a "heavy" atmosphere and you'll be fine. Fantastic trails over to La Tania, Meribel and Val Thorens with superb and stunning views. Always seems to have snow there and without doubt the biggest and bestest ski area in the world. You should ski it at least once before you die!!!