The Courchevel Valley's lowest lift is at 1,300 meters (4,265 feet)
with the top of the highest lift barely short of 2,738 meters (9,000
feet). The vertical is 1,438 meters or 4,718 feet. When compared
to major resorts, Courchevel Valley lifts offer significantly shorter
waits, except during the peak Christmas and French School Holidays.
The key to Courchevel skiing is, as usual, understanding how the
lifts link with the best runs to minimum poling on the flat or uphill,
and how to find the shortest waiting periods to allow for maximum
vertical per day. Rental shops, instructors, and locals can offer
specifics here.
The total uphill capacity about 70,000 skiers per hour, (260,000
for the Three Valleys combined). Arrive early at the Hi Capacity
gondolas after checking with the information desk on the Croisette
on the prior night's grooming, and stay ahead of the crowds. Over
60 percent of the skiers in the valley are French who often see
lines as a challenge to individuality. The British, who make up
20 percent of the visitors, queue up nicely, if on the wrong side
for Americans. This can lead to some interesting go right-go left
confusion on the slopes, around lifts, and going and coming from
toilets. Brits do look at "queue jumpers" like pond scum
and never barge in. Aussies, Americans North and South, and others
require an eye for ethnicity to know which approach serves at any
particular lift and, at times, a creative combination of sharp elbows
and "excusez-moi" to survive lift mobs that bottom popular
pistes.
A number of improvements center around the old Marmottes three-seat
chair that's now a slow on, slow off, high speed six Pak that eliminates
an old bottleneck. The La Vizelle end of Marmottes now sports a
lower, wider, and slower access lane to avoid the "bumper cars"
problem. Even better, there's a new chair at the bottom of Marmottes
lift that's level with the Chanrossa lift's run out. Those who stay
or ski down to La Tania find extra cabins on the gondola improve
the uphill capacity by about 20 percent, and 38 new snow cannons
here let you ski all the way down into La Tania, even with minimal
snow coverage. More cannons have been installed recently.
The total uphill capacity about 70,000 skiers per hour, (260,000
for the Three Valleys combined). Arrive early at the Hi Capacity
gondolas after checking with the information desk on the Croisette
on the prior night's grooming, and stay ahead of the crowds. Over
60 percent of the skiers in the valley are French who often see
lines as a challenge to individuality. The British, who make up
20 percent of the visitors, queue up nicely, if on the wrong side
for Americans. This can lead to some interesting go right-go left
confusion on the slopes, around lifts, and going and coming from
toilets. Brits do look at "queue jumpers" like pond scum
and never barge in. Aussies, Americans North and South, and others
require an eye for ethnicity to know which approach serves at any
particular lift and, at times, a creative combination of sharp elbows
and "excusez-moi" to survive lift mobs that bottom popular
pistes.
