Serre Chevalier is a different vintage from the mega-resorts of the French Savoie region. From the moment you arrive you can feel the difference, whether that’s the scent and sight of the Mélèze pine trees, the Provençal architecture or the slower pace.
Situated just south of the Col du Lautaret pass, the dividing point between the northern and southern Alps, Serre Chevalier is a collection of three high-altitude villages: Chantemerle, Villeneuve and Monetier-Les-Bains, anchored by the town of Briançon, together spanning eight miles along the valley.
Up and over the pass to the north are La Grave and Les Deux Alpes, big mountains with big mountain reputations.
It’s this geographical quirk that is driving the recent boom in interest. Serre Chevalier has been selected to host the freestyle events for the 2030 Olympics – the Games are being shared between the north and south of France – with Briançon hosting one of the five athletes’ villages.
It will certainly be the most eye-catching. Thanks to its Louis XIV-era forts, Briançon is a Unesco World Heritage site and it’s one of the surrounding disused forts that is being remodelled as the athlete village.
Olympic fever
And so history is repeating itself. While Louis XIV’s plans led to a flurry of investment in the 18th century, today the Olympic torch has lit a similar spark.
I visited with my family last season to stay in the newly refurbished Club Med property; what had been a tired three-Trident (star) property is now a four-Trident-plus, at a cost of a cool €60m.
Club Med has become ever more popular with British skiers in the last five years, as its all-inclusive model offers value-for-money cost certainty – and this development is no exception.
Modelled on an Alpine hamlet, the hotel in Serre Chevalier is divided into two interconnected mega-chalets, together sleeping 700 guests, with an entire floor of restaurant space and a large south-facing terrace.
Ski-in/ski-out just above the village of Villeneuve, it’s a fantastic gateway to the ski area. Just below the resort is the new €26m 10-man Pontillas gondola that lifts you straight up to 7,380ft, in the heart of the ski area. Turn skier’s right and work your way over to Briançon, or head left up towards the 9,285ft Pic de l’Yret above Monêtier, the high point of the piste map.
Snow-sure skiing in the wilderness
Around 80 per cent of all the skiing is above 6,500ft in Serre Chevalier, meaning the snow conditions are good. There’s a proper wilderness feel to the series of interlinked sectors too – we saw both bouquetin and chamois roaming the high flanks – with characterful long valley runs down to the base villages.
One of the perks of Club Med is the guided skiing, with ESF-led groups and lessons for all abilities included in the price. Our instructor, Nico Brun, has been teaching and guiding here for 30 years.
For him, the most important of the recent lift upgrades was Côte Chevalier, a high-speed six-man chair that links the Villeneuve sector to Chantemerle: “There is a great flow around the mountain now, you can do so many different circuits without any bottlenecks”.
Heading across to this lift from Villeneuve, we passed the first of many cabane à sucre (sugar shacks) dotted across the mountain. These small timber cabins sell home-made honey lollies, liquid honey poured into a shallow snow trough and individually rolled out as it cools. It’s this kind of quirky characteristic that makes Serre Chevalier such a special place.
‘We don’t need Chanel boutiques here’
One of our group was Xavier Dupont, a Parisian who has been coming to Serre Chevalier for 20 years. It’s “one of my top three resorts. The variety, the mélèze, the wildness.
“There are far fewer crowds; it’s not like the ski factories of the Trois Vallées and Val d’Isère. I come from Paris and it’s much further for me to get to, but it’s worth it,” he said.
According to the local tourist office, being a bit harder to get to is actually an advantage; it’s a 3.5-hour drive from Lyon, but if you fly into Grenoble or Turin the transfer is only 90 minutes.
“We like being a hidden gem, we don’t want to become like the northern Alps, we don’t need Chanel boutiques here.”
As a community, Serre Chevalier is fiercely protective of its family-friendly identity. There are no nightclubs, though a recent trend is for lunchtime DJs at mountain restaurants; this season they are teaming up on a non-compete basis to offer a new Sound of Altitude programme.
Brun’s top on-mountain lunch tip is Aravet. Patron Olivier Colombero wants to bring a touch of Côte d’Azur glamour, and magnums of rosé, to the resort while staying true to its roots. “We don’t want to become a Courchevel, but we recognised that people want to treat themselves too.”
One place that does not need a soundtrack is Villeneuve’s La Marotte. A tiny restaurant with a big personality, this converted Provençal cottage seems wonderfully out of context for a ski resort, and all the more marvellous for it.
Stone-walled with an oak-beamed ceiling and sturdy earthenware pottery, it has been serving up classic bistro dishes since being converted in the 1980s.
At €32 (£27) for a dazzling three-course menu, it’s still the best value for money in the valley, and packed to the low-slung rafters every night.
Another local business drawing on the Meleze heritage is the Distillerie des 4 Freres, a brotherhood of distillers that runs a bar and restaurant, as well as a distillery with a 100-year-old copper Alambic distillation truck. They make gins, genepi and all manner of digestifs with local flavours.
The Chef du village of Club Med was a particular fan, offering shots from a double magnum of the Meleze distillation at the boot room every morning. No doubt a punchy way to start the day, but a true taste of the southern Alps.
Essentials
Seven nights, all-inclusive, at Club Med Serre-Chevalier (03453 67676), costs from £5,515 for a family of four (with one child under four years), including flights and transfers.
Felix was a guest of Club Med.
The new openings putting Serre Chevalier on the ski map
The Grand Hotel
Built in 1947 as the first hotel in the village, shortly after the opening of the cable car, the Grand has retained its historic façade overlooking the square and added a collection of contemporary chalet apartments and Nuxe spa.
Caserne de Briançon
This four-star hotel was converted from the old military barracks of the famed Chasseurs regiment, who manned the battlements of the old forts throughout the 20th century, and blends military heritage with contemporary design and comfort.
La Maison des Drapiers
This 10-room boutique hideaway in the historic cité du Vauban (the fortified old town) is the perfect base for occasional skiers more interested in culture. A former library, it has been expertly restored to reflect the traditional textile craftsmanship of Briançon.
Les Grands Bains of Monêtier
Another long-standing attraction with a recent upgrade is the natural baths at Monetier-les-Bains. The celebrated source of hot springs since Roman times has a new first-floor spa and treatment area.