Skiing in Chatel
Country: France
In a nutshell: A pretty and traditionally French village, linked to the enormous Portes du Soleil ski area
We like:
- The very pretty, charming and authentic French mountain village
- Being linked to the fantastic Portes du Soleil ski area – one of the biggest in the world
- Fantastic skiing for all levels of skier, from novice to expert
- Short transfer from Geneva, so great for ski weekends
We don’t like:
- Low altitude can adversely affect snow conditions
- The village is very pretty, but also fairly spread out and some accommodation is far from the lifts
- Many of the Super Chatel ski lifts are slow and could do with an upgrade
SKI INFORMATION
- Resort altitude: 1,000m
- Highest lift: 2,450m
- Lowest piste: 1,000m
- Transfer time from most convenient airport: Geneva 1h 30m
- Number of lifts:
- Chatel: 41
- Portes du Soleil: 196
- Number of runs
- Chatel
- Green: 11
- Blue: 18
- Red: 15
- Black: 8
- Portes du Soleil
- Green: 31
- Blue: 100
- Red: 122
- Black: 32
- Chatel
RESORT HIGHLIGHTS
- Family friendly
- Big ski area
- Traditional charm
- Great for beginners
- Great for intermediates
- Great for advanced
- Great for snowboarders
RESORT DESCRIPTION
A Chatel ski holiday offers something different from the standard French ski holiday experience; a sleepy and chocolate-box village sat in mountain pasture with a laid back atmosphere. It’s a real working town too, with over 30 farms making great local produce, much of which is on sale in the local shops.
You’d be forgiven for thinking that the skiing in Chatel would be low key and limited. Quite the opposite, Chatel is located in one of the world’s biggest and best ski areas, the Portes du Soleil. With over 600km of piste the area is an intermediate skier’s dream with plenty of challenging terrain for advanced skiing too. It’s a wonderful place to learn with lots of sheltered tree-lined slopes and runs for building confidence.
A Chatel ski holiday will appeal to those seeking an authentic mountain experience, without compromising on the skiing. The ski resort has been awarded the national “famille plus” label and with a quiet town, lots of activities and good ski schools is a wonderful resort for a family ski holiday