Visitor reviews for Serre Chevalier Ski Resort
Serre Chevalier Ratings
Snowsure: 4.6
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Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing
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Is often closed due to a lack of snow
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Occasionally suffers from a lack of snow
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Rarely suffers from a lack of snow
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Serre Chevalier is snowsure even in the poorest seasons
Variety of pistes: 4.9
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The ski runs are featureless and unvaried
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The ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week
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Serre Chevalier has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain
Off-piste: 4.5
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No off-piste worth mentioning
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Off piste is out-of-bounds
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Some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days
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A vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days
Scenery: 4.6
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An ugly resort in a bland setting
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Average mountain views and resort
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A spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town
Access: 4.2
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At least one overnight stop
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Requires a whole day
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Requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns
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Arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon
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There is a main airport within an hour of Serre Chevalier
Public Transport: 4.1
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There are no buses or taxis to Serre Chevalier
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There are slow or infrequent buses / trains available
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Getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections
Accommodation: 4.6
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No places to stay in/near Serre Chevalier
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A few places to stay in the resort
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A wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets
Cheap Rooms: 4.2
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No budget accommodation available
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Just one or two hostels so book ahead
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Several cheap hostels and pensions available
Luxury Hotels: 3.6
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No luxury accommodation available
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Just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead
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Several up-market hotels in Serre Chevalier
Ski in/Ski out: 4.2
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The ski area is located far from any accommodation
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A free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip
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Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available
Childcare: 4.2
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There are no child care facilities at Serre Chevalier
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The resort has limited child-care facilities
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the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche
Snowmaking: 4.4
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Serre Chevalier relies entirely on natural snow
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There are just a few snow cannons
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There are snowmaking facilities on all pistes
Snow Grooming: 4.7
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There are no snow groomers at Serre Chevalier
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Occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state
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All the runs at Serre Chevalier are groomed daily
Shelter: 4.4
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There is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut
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There are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close
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Serre Chevalier is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close
Nearby options: 4.0
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If snow conditions are poor at Serre Chevalier, it will be poor everywhere nearby
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There are good alternatives within an hours drive
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Other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions
Regional rating: 4.4
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Serre Chevalier usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region
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Has average conditions for the region
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Usually has the best snow conditions in the region
Lift Staff: 4.5
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The staff at Serre Chevalier are rude or unhelpful
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Lift staff at Serre Chevalier are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help
Crowds/Queues: 4.0
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The resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues
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It is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays
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It is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare
Ski Schools: 4.7
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No ski schools available
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One or two ski schools but local language only
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A few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors
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Plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available
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Excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors
Hire and Repairs: 4.9
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Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex
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There are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance
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Good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible
Beginners: 4.4
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Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard
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A few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week
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Vast areas of gentle terrain
Intermediates: 4.8
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No intermediate terrain at Serre Chevalier
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Intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days
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Vast areas of cruising runs
Advanced: 4.8
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Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders
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Enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste
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Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week
Snow Park: 3.9
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Not even a kicker at Serre Chevalier
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Average sized park quite well looked after
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Huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails
Cross-country: 4.1
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There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Serre Chevalier
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There are some cross country trails available
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The area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails
Luge/Toboggan: 3.3
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No designated luge or toboggan runs
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There are toboggan runs that open quite often
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Serre Chevalier has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages
Mountain Dining: 4.5
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Nowhere to buy food by the pistes
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Some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive
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There is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets
Eating: 4.5
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Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop
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There are a few places to eat in the resort but nothing special
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A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants
Apres-Ski: 3.6
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Nothing to do, not even a bar
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There are a few bars in the resort but nothing special
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Clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere
Other Sports: 4.4
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No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts
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Resort has just a small public swimming pool
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Resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool
Entertainment: 4.2
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Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here
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The non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week
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The resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports
Winter Walks: 4.4
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Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails
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A couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails
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Extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities
Ski Pass Value: 4.1
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A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available
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The ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts
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Ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area
Value (National): 4.2
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Overall, Serre Chevalier is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money
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Overall represents average value for money
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Overall offers the best value resort in the country
Value (Global): 4.1
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Overall, Serre Chevalier is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world
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Overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries
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Internationally the resort offers excellent value for money
Show all 35 ratings
September 15, 2004
Colin Benson
from

United Kingdom
I think Paul from Holland must have mixed up his resorts! We have an apartment in Serre Che and have spent 10 years skiing these brilliant mountains. Mid Feb is very busy but go in Jan, March or April and you will have a fantastic time.We are there most of the winter so if anybody wants some free ski guiding just email me.
July 05, 2004
Paul
from

France
The worst resort that I've ever visited. The runs were poorly maintained icy, narrow and just plain nasty. The people were unfriendly and it was far too overcrowded. There are *much* better resorts to be found.
January 16, 2004
Ben Scales
from

France
Has Ady been following me around? Serre Chevallier is a bit like Chamonix in that it's fairly spread out along a valley, so transport is an issue and you need to choose your spot to ski and pretty much stick with it for the day.
Unlike Chamonix, there's no real decent choice of nightlife, but visitors looking for some top skiing won't be disappointed. The red run 'Casse de Boeuf' is well up there for an awesome technical 'cruisey' red - a bit like the decent into La Daille at Val d'Is?re though longer, more exciting, not nearly as icy (generally) and not teeming with as many muppets.
The scenery is spectacular, which is a nice distraction when you're combing the piste map trying to figure out where you are.
January 08, 2004
Ady Keeble
from

United Kingdom
Great ski-ing area with one major complaint - the piste map combined with the inconsistent piste marking makes for THE most infuriating instances of getting lost. It took a good 2 days for us to even start to find our way round. In addition the queues in the French school holidays are often lengthy - in that respect everything you will read in the guide books is true - be very careful where you ski around lunchtime as we encountered some real bottlenecks, especially at Frejus.
Other than that - excellent!! Well worth a visit.
August 15, 2003
Melanie Kerslake
from

United Kingdom
Serre Chevalier is a large resort made up of unique and friendly villages.
Le Mon?tier les Bains is Serre Che's highest village at 1500m and offers the best off-piste, extensive mid-terrain tree-skiing and nursery slopes right at the bottom.
Still a farming village, you'll love the rustic stone buildings, traditional restaurants and excellent hotels, and the smiling locals that live there all year round.
Other villages include Villeneuve (Serre Che 1400, built up but with lots of nightlife), and Chantemerle (Serre Che 1350, a bit more charm and lots to do but getting busier and busier each year).
Le Mon?tier les Bains is definitely my favourite.
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