Every year Courchevel invests heavily in its infrastructure and strives to continually improve its offering to our guests. We love watching the resort develop and seeing what’s new in Courchevel, from sweeping green runs to new lifts, this year will not disappoint. As we spend the summer enjoying hill walking and biking, we are always amazed at how quickly the ski resort improves and transforms. Read on to find out more about whats new in Courchevel this Winter.
Le Praz Alpinium
Artists Representation of the New Le Praz Alpinium and Gondola Due December 2019
Two years in construction and they are pushing on hard. The new Alpinium is developed with the 2023 Alpine Ski World Championships in mind; the finish area will be on top of this incredible structure, with stands for spectators as well as athlete and media areas. There is a massive four-story car park located below providing some 500 spaces with the aim of reducing the number of vehicles in the resort.
That, however, is not the only exciting news!
The old Le Praz bubble and lift pass office has been demolished, and a new state of the art Gondola has been installed. The lift will carry ten people per bubble and take 6 minutes to reach its destination in Courchevel 1850 where the top station has moved very close to La Croisette. This new arrival point will save you a five-minute walk, stroll out the bubble and get access straight onto the Verdons or Jardin Alpin Gondolas. As part of the Le Praz Gondola development, the Croisette and snow front areas have had a facelift too making it more accessible and even improving the sled run!! If you prefer to ski down from this point, you will have direct access to Courchevel Village or the Plantrey Chairlift. The bubble will also have extended opening hours allowing those keen skiers and snowboarders to access first tracks before the ski runs open.
L’Ecrin Blanc
L’Ecrin Blanc Hotel
If you visited Aquamotion located between Courchevel Village and Courchevel Moriond last season you couldn’t help but notice the large white building opposite. Ready for opening in December 2019 L’Ecrin Blanc is the newest 4-star ski in ski out hotel in Courchevel. Yes, that’s right it will have a dedicated chairlift called Grandes Combes with a new piste down to the hotel. This is excellent news for those of you who love skiing on this side of the mountain; it could also open up a host of potential off-piste options. The residents of L’Ecrin Blanc will have inclusive access to Aquamotion. For those looking to use Courchevel for Corporate events or product launches the L’Ecrin Blanc boasts 800m2 of conference and meeting rooms as well as numerous restaurants.
Aquamotion Courchevel
La Tania
We love La Tania as a resort and think it has something for everyone. That in mind we have some excellent news for all our guests in La Tania, a brand new Green run linking the top of the La Tania bubble with the village. This will be a great addition and relieve some of the congestion on the existing green run. The new piste will snake gently down the mountain on the opposite side of Folyeres from the current green run. Those of you who have skied with us will have used sections of the new run. Our instructor’s local knowledge means we have been using these lesser-known forest tracks for many years. Currently, no work has formally begun on this; however, when they start, things progress very quickly. We will keep you posted.
For those stronger skiers amongst you thinking a green run won’t help you, don’t worry; we know the off-piste options through the trees will also be improved!!! In the future, La Tania village will also receive a makeover to its snow front, making it even more of a family-friendly resort.
The Creux Noirs Freeride Laboratory
For many years the Creux Noirs Chairlift was the only access into this exciting off-piste bowl, it was old, slow and somewhat special. It didn’t open last season meaning that access to some of the great skiing on offer was only available to those willing to hike up. Although “earn your turns” is no bad thing, it can be a little restrictive, especially if you are in the early stages of your off-piste skiing journey. This season there is a planned drag lift that will run along/up the ridgeline to where the old chairlift finished, allowing groups access to some great terrain. The area will remain wild with no avalanche security or blasting. It will mean only those with the required avalanche equipment and preferably with an experienced instructor should access this area.
The Courchevel World Cup Stade
Courchevel World Cup
The Ladies World Cup will again grace the Stade in Courchevel this December. A festival of skiing spread over several days this event is a great way to kick off the season. During the summer months, there has been extensive remodelling of the slope and finish area, to improve this event. It means that Courchevel has arguably one of the best Alpine race training pistes in Europe. There will also be new buildings for the finish area. During the winter, our instructors use the Stade for race training groups, and we are very excited about the changes. There are also plans to build a new finish area over the course of summer 2020. The new finish area will also double as a base for the local ski clubs and has been sponsored by INEOS.
Indians
Parents grab your feathers and hold onto your bows the Indian camp is moving. For many years it’s been based at the top of the Ariondaz Gondola in Courchevel 1650. After much divination and a few chats with the local witch doctor, it has been decided that the old hunting ground on the Indians piste is a better place to stay.
If you have children and have never been, it’s well worth visiting don’t expect to come away from it without face paint and savage children. Our instructors will be there with their kids groups this season!