Postcard from Serre Chevalier - Phil Frewer, Serre Chevalier
Monday February 15, 2010 - Email this article to a friend

This one comes from Phil Frewer a PlanetSKI, reader from  Australia, who was in Europe recently with his partner and 2 children and decided on a last minute trip to somewhere in the Alps while he was over here. 

He sent in a question to ask PlanetSKI and we recommended Serre Chevalier with Zenith Holidays.......

The challenge: A party of 4 Australians, 1 non-skier (my partner, Karen), 1 skier absent from the slopes for 12 years (me) and 2 kids who had never skied before (Zoe 12 and Luke 15).

Any ski holiday would carry risk - Would I still love it? Would the kids take to it? Would the shelling out for flights, transfers, hotel, skis, lessons and ski passes pay off?

Luke and Zoe had never seen snow before so that added an element of excitement and temptation. They had no expectations of what the next 5 days was about. The closest they had come to skiing was rollerblading back in Oz.

On arrival we arranged ski passes, lessons and got the kit fitted.

We'd prepaid for ski hire from SKISET, via PlanetSKI, and made a huge saving. SKISET also allowed us to leave the skis with them at the end of each day too - a real bonus.

Picture postcardPrior to leaving there had been a prediction of snow, fog and rain. There was none of that. Just clear blue skies and enough sun to remind us of the Australian summer we were missing.

In fact the kids were confused at applying sunscreen when it was -11ºC.  

We booked lessons with ESF who ensured the kids had an instructor with good English. Nothing was too much trouble. The same for the holiday company we were recommended, Zenith.

By Day 2 we all tackled the Serre Chevalier summit, perhaps nothing to boast about but for 2 beginners and another well out of touch, but it was a major achievement.

The 360 degree views were magnificent and provided good sights of the adjacent ski slopes fed by Villeneuve.

All around there were wide perfectly groomed pistes providing ample thrills and for the more adventurous there were ski-trails and opportunities to go off-piste.

We knew our limits and were satisfied that there was a good balance of opportunities for beginner to advanced.

Of course the really great thing was the lack of people; where was everyone?

There were many fast six man lifts carrying 2-3 people per chair. We skied for 3 days and never queued once.  OK it was January but even so we were surprised.

Apart from our skiing, other highlights included the many skiers who had a preference for going backwards, the boardercross race track and watching the British Army who were out in force all trying to "Be the Best" on the downhill.  

Karen, the non-skier, would meet us daily for lunch at Serre Ratier, a cable car trip from Chantemerle. Then in the afternoon explore the adjacent villages. A favourite was Briançon.

It has many historic sites including a fort. But what made it attractive were the boutiques that had more on offer than just ski fashion.

We made a trip to the thermal baths and hot springs at Monetier les Bains, about 5km's from Chantemerle.

Well worth the trip though my only gripe being they didn't accept Australian bathing costumes (board shorts) and force you to fork out 17 euros for something that's more suited to an aerobics class.

Quality snowOn the day we left they were predicting some new falls, it's not like the pistes needed it there is plenty of quality snow around.

The verdict - money well spent and a fanastic place.

Coming from Australia where there's not much skiing to be had Serre Chevalier was a breath of fresh air.

As we travelled out of the valley to Turin the kids were already planning their return.

Mission accomplished.

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