Courchevel is always innovating and there are plenty of plans to improve this world-class French ski resort even further for winter 2019/20.
New 10-seater Gondola in Le Praz
If you travel to Courchevel Le Praz this winter, you’ll see that the layout at the bottom of the pistes has been completely reconfigured.
Watch out for the new 10-seater gondola lift that will connect Courchevel Le Praz to the centre of Courchevel 1850 in under 6 minutes. The capacity for the lift will more than double from 955 to 2400 skiers and snowboarders per hour.
The route will be different from the previous lift with the departure station located in the new Alpinium and the arrival station just below Courchevel 1850’s Croisette building.
You’ll also notice that the snow front area in 1850 has been redesigned, offering better links for pedestrians and with the Tovets chair lift moved to a slightly different location.
New 4-seater Chairlift from 1650
The lift connections in Les 3 Vallées are already among the best in the world, but they will improve further with the addition of the new 4-seater Grandes Combes chairlift.
This will link the new 4-star Hôtel L’Écrin Blanc, opposite the Aquamotion watersports centre, to Courchevel 1850. The hotel will open in December 2019 and a new kilometre long blue run will return skiers to the site.
This recent Tweet shows work currently going ahead on the new lift:
Les Creux Noirs: The powder snow spot
The Freeride
LAB is Courchevel’s new powder snow laboratory for all terrain
skiers.
This is a demanding high-altitude sector providing access to some of the best off-piste areas in Les 3 Vallées.
Two red runs and one black run will be left ungroomed (but still be made safe) throughout the winter to allow skiers to test out deeper and more challenging snow.
The Alpinium arrives
We have already written about the impressive €26.6 million Alpinium on our blog and you can find much more about it here.
This new development in Courchevel Le Praz is all part of the resort’s preparations for hosting the World Alpine Ski Championships in 2023. It will act as the base for the event including a roof terrace for watching all the action.
The new 18,000 square metres building has been designed to blend perfectly into the landscape and improve facilities at the bottom of the slopes. With 500 parking spaces, plus a 350 square metre multimedia library the building will also host the new gondola from Le Praz to 1850.
Other facilities include a children’s area, lift pass sales, ESF, Tourist Office, toilets, ski lockers and other administrative offices.
The 2023 World Ski Championships
Ex-racer Perrine Pelen was appointed Director of the event earlier this year and expects the event to be a flagship event that will “give Courchevel, Méribel, Savoie and France the chance to shine”.
The Championships will take place in February 2023 with events shared between Méribel and Courchevel.
Enjoy a Native American adventure
Native Americans are back this winter in the wild canyons of Courchevel Moriond (Courchevel 1650).
Young and old skiers alike will be able to follow in the tracks of the young Native American Kaya and commune with the mountain spirits…and more prosaically you can pose for a photo with Kaya and his little silver fox as well.
Catered Chalets in Courchevel
If you’d like to stay in a catered chalet in Courchevel this winter, then please contact the Chaletline team on 01822 617761 and one of our small team of experts will be delighted to help.