Summer
Overview
In summer Courchevel and the
Three Valleys transforms from a premier
ski area into a wonderland for walking, climbing, mountainbiking,
fishing and golf, as well as swimming, ice skating, tennis, riding,
archery and general kids' recreation. It's an obvious fact that
terrain which is good for skiing is also good for hill walking and
mountainbiking. And the great advantage a ski area has in summer
over other terrain is its lift system. Key arterial lifts operate in
summer, so you can avoid that initial upward trudge or pedal, and
you can get to Meribel and Val Thorens using the lifts, just like in
the skiing season.
Courchevel in summer has an enchanting atmosphere quite distinct from that of Courchevel the chic ski resort. It can get surprisingly hot here, despite the altitude. After the snow melts, the apron in front of the Croisette becomes a fun park with swings, chutes, a bouncy castle and a crazy golf course. There is a large swimming pool and tennis courts in 1550, and the lakes at Le Praz and La Rosière are good for fishing as well as being magnificent beauty spots. Children can be left at the Village des Enfants and there they can undertake the full range of available sports and recreations under qualified supervision.
Lift passes are available for frequent users, and there is also the leisure pass (Carte Forfait Loisirs) which is a single pass covering lifts, buses, swimming pool, ice rink and tennis courts.
Walking & Climbing
The
range of walking possibilities in the Courchevel area is so huge
it's difficult to take it all in. Most of the main skiing descents –
together with numerous variations – become trails in the summer, and
many other routes, over rocks and through woods, up to craggy peaks
and down into deep valleys, are available to the walker. Every type
of walking, from gentle strolling to guided high-mountain hiking
with overnight stopovers is catered for. And as for climbing, there
are the Via Ferrata on the Croix de Verdons and at La Rosière, which
offers some of the highest and most challenging ascents in France.
Using the lifts which connect Le Praz, 1550 and 1850, and run from 1850 up to Chenus, Verdons and the Saulire, a large network of local walks can be accessed. You can simply walk down from 1850 to 1550 and Le Praz following the ski runs, or else meander through the wooded slopes above Le Praz and perhaps descend to Saint Bon. From Chenus there are a variety of walks back to 1850, or through the woods to Le Praz and La Tania, or into the Meribel Valley. And from the Saulire summit there are descents back to Verdons, into the Creux Valley and over to Meribel.
From
1650 the Ariondaz lift will take you up to Mont Bel Air, from where
you can walk up to the lakes near Col de Chanrossa, or descend into
the scenic Vallee des Avals. The beauty spot around La Rosière lake
is a short walk from 1650. There are many paths around the lake and
hillsides, and longer walks over the hills towards Pralognan, or
down through the woods around Montcharvet, can be undertaken from La
Rosière.
For walkers looking for greater challenge in distance and difficulty, there is plenty on offer. Bordering onto the Three Valleys area is the Vanoise National Park, a huge area of high mountain wilderness stretching from the Maurienne Valley beyond Val Thorens to Val Cenis in the south and Val D'Isere in the east. Wardens offer a guiding service within the park, and overnight accommodation is available in mountain huts (refuges) – if you don't want the bother of carrying a tent.
From Courchevel the park can be entered from the Saulire or the high lakes at Chanrossa. There are huts at the lakes and more near Pralognan, where there is challenging mountain walking on Rocher de Plassa and Petit Mont Blanc, so this area is a useful stopover point.
For more info about the park visit: www.vanoise.com.
Mountainbiking
Or,
as they say in France, 'Le VTT', is really big in Courchevel. With
215 kilometers of marked trails, incorporating the ski routes, and
below and beyond, the area is mountainbike nirvana. Using the lift
system, it is possible to 'ski', so to speak, with a bike –
ascending mechanically and descending on runs. In fact the various
runs are graded green, blue, red and black, just like ski runs. Also
there is the 'Stade de Descente de la Loze', a championship VTT
course, open to the public when competitions aren't being held.
The various runs are divided into descents and circuits, and given names similar to the names of corresponding ski runs. From the Saulire summit you can take red runs down the front to Verdons and back to 1850, or else into the Creux Valley and then either back to 1850 or through Prameruel into the 1650 area, and, if you like right down to La Rosiere and back through the woods to Le Praz. From Chenus there are various blue and red descents back to 1850 or through the wooded area between Le Praz and La Tania, or again into the Meribel Valley. For the easy-going there are many fairly flat green and blue trails in the pleasant wooded environs of Le Praz and Saint Bon. And for the daredevils there are black runs from 1850 to Le Praz, under the gondola, and through the rocky Les Gravelles area down to 1650. Maps of the routes are available from the Tourist Office in the Croisette.
Bike and equipment hire is available at many of the sports shops at different village levels. You can pick up and return bikes on the apron in front of the Croisette in 1850, right by the lifts. The sports shop in the centre of 1650 has a large selection. For frequent use of the lifts a pass is recommended.
Golf & Fishing
At
the Verdons basin, where the Biollay and Coqs chairs start and the
runs from the Saulire, Chenus and Biollay funnel together, there is
a secret unknown to the thousands of skiers who glide through it
every winter. Buried under all that snow is a beautifully
landscaped, lush nine-hole golf course. The location is a warm,
wind-sheltered suntrap in summer, ideal for a leisurely round. And
the blue Lac de Verdons, together with the surrounding peaks make it
a superbly scenic spot to spend time.
And when it comes to fishing, the excellent well-stocked lakes at Le Praz, Bozel and La Rosière, together with the high-level lakes at Col de Chanrossa and Chenus, provide plenty of choice. The Lac du Praz, near the Olympic ski jump, is the most convenient spot, if staying in Courchevel. It is well stocked with Fario and Rainbow trout, salmon and carp, and is open from mid-June till mid-September. Permits are required and are available at tourist offices.
The Lac de la Rosière, a short walk from 1650, also has trout and salmon, but operates a 'no kill' policy. Lac Bleu, with Fario and Rainbow trout, can be easily reached via the Chenus gondola. The high-level lakes near Col de Chanrossa – Rateau, Pêtre and Merlet, superior and inferior – can only be reached by means of an uphill walk from 1650, or Mont Bel Air if you take the Ariondaz gondola. These lakes are within the Vanoise National Park, and accommodation in huts is available to fisherman who wish stay overnight in the area.
Les Sapins in Summer
The Residence is open during the Summer season, and the apartment
is priced reasonably – greatly cheaper than in the ski season. It
provides a good base from which to practise local activities, and
with a car the possibilities for day trips are myriad.
As regards the resort itself, a good number of bars, restaurants and shops remain open during the summer, and the Forum centre is a lively focus of activity. Overall the resort has a fair buzz to it in the daytime and evening, though late at night it's a little quiet.
Generally in winter we book from Saturday to Saturday, but in summer we can often be more flexible about dates. Contact us to discuss, and view our Summer prices on the Accomodation page.