ABOVE: Secret Ski

Secret Ski

For ski resorts full of charm away from the crowds, look no further than the beautiful southern Alps. Anna McKittrick heads out to the slopes of Serre-Chevalier, Vars-Risoul and Les Orres Skiing doesn’t normally spring to mind as an activity to try in the region of Provence-Alps-Côte-d’Azur. But leave the lavender fields and beaches behind and travel north to discover a range of fantastic skiing options in the Haute-Alpes, the highest département in the Alps. With 1,400 kilometres of downhill skiing and 31 ski areas including seven at high altitude – three of which I visited on my whistle-stop tour – there really is plenty to discover on a winter break to the region. The southern Alps are also easily accessible from the UK by rail and air, with both Turin and Marseille offering low-cost flight options and minimal transfer time to the ski domaines. My first destination was the resort of Serre-Chevalier, known as ‘Serre-Che’ to its regulars, one of the largest ski areas in France.

Serre-Chevalier
Situated in the Guisane Valley and sheltered by surrounding mountains, Serre-Chevalier benefits from its own microclimate with 300 days of sunshine a year. The resort is a vast ski area that covers some 250 kilometres of slopes ranging from 1,200 to 2,800 metres in altitude and it lies at the foot of the spectacular peaks of the Parc National des Écrins. Serre-Chevalier is not just one resort – in fact it consists of 13 villages spread over four areas: Briançon, Chantemerle, Villeneuve-la-Salle and Monêtier-les-Bains, each of which has access to the entire ski domaine. It was in 1941 that the first ski lift, the Chantemerle cable car or téléphérique, opened in Serre- Chevalier, putting the resort firmly on the ski map. Since then, it has grown to become one of the largest ski resorts in Europe, offering an extensive range of skiing for all levels with numerous nursery slopes nestling alongside excellent treeskiing for the more adventurous skiers. As such it was the ideal place to test my ski legs. I grew up in Canada where skiing was a habitual winter activity, but I hung up my skis at the age of eight when I moved to the UK. So I was intrigued to see how I would fare nearly 20 years later on the slopes in France. As soon as I clipped my skis on and our instructor Philippe asked if we felt confident doing black runs, a grain of fear was planted. It was clear that, while I was not a novice, the others in my group were leagues ahead, so I decided to take a one-to-one lesson with a ski instructor for the morning.


Read the full article on pages 44-48 of this month's issue.

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