Courchevel 1650 in April

A snowHead

Hey,

I'm planning a week in Courchevel 1650 on the 1st April.

My concern is will the snow conditions be ok for the complete beginners in our group?

I can't decide wether I should suggest going to Val Thorens instead as it's higher and like Courchevel also offers a good selection of blue runs?

Your help would be much appreciated.

A snowHead

Well it can be different every year of course and there's never guarantees but generally its mostly all open and in good condition. It's been great the last three Easters. We've stayed in 1550 each time and sking down to La Praz was still possible and full cover down to 1650 and 1550. Last Easter was getting really warm, and by the end of the week the snow was starting to retreat up from 1550, but generally it was great. Had fresh snow a couple of times. Slushy in the afternoons at the lower ends.

However, the trade off for it getting a bit soft and slushy lower down later in the day was almost empty pistes.

This is last 5 April on Cospillot on the road bridge, looking up the Pralong lift, so a tad above 1850. This was toward the end of the day I think. You can see the snow is soft and sugary, but still great cover all round. But look how empty the Pralong piste is! Your beginners will apreciatte that. The days we toured over to VT, obviously everyone else was up there as the snow was indeed colder and better (as you'd expect), but the pistes were busy and main lifts had queues (albeit mostly shortish - 5 mins, and a bit of scrum at the Funitels and the caron). My wife hated VT when she was a beginner, too many people tanking past, it hampered her progression as she was constanly distracted.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

I'm going w/c 8 April. Ive been trying to drag myself somewhere else. Thinking about smaller resorts maybe like La Clusaz or Flaine for a change, the former giving me worries about its altitude for that late. Then alternatively thinking of going higher to VT or Tignes, or maybe stay in Mottaret to alternate between VT and Courchevel. Having just looked at my pics again I'm wondering really why is there any need to drag away from Courchevel when its so quiet, immaculate grooming, tons of snow making and almost enitrely fast detach chairs and gondola's. Talking myself into heading back!

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Thanks guys. You have been really helpful.

I reckon I will stick with Courchvevel 1650. Cool

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

April sun delivers soft "hero snow" at 1650m.

May be icy until about 10am, soft until 12pm, and then slushy until 5pm, followed by an overnight refreeze.

Enjoy.

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Thanks Whitegold.

Do you think I should go to VT instead? The advanced of our group will be fine. I'm just thinking of the beginners.

The beginners can access blues at 1850 via the free ski bus right? So they should be fine if they find the snow is a bit slushy on the lower runs into 1650 come afternoon?

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Getting from VT to 1850 on the bus will be a right faff. Go to Courchevel it will be fine/. We were there 2 years ago at Easter and it was great. Really quiet great snow, lovely warm temperatures.

After all it is free

Awesome.. Thanks.

Ps.. I meant from 1650 to 1850.

Yes - the standard Courchevel Valley pass covers La Praz-1550-1650-1850 and La Tania.

1650 to 1850 is an easy hop on the bus. Its also an easy ski on mostly gentle gradient blues once they are capable on a normal gradient blue and can turn and control speed on narrow cat tracks.

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Cheers Gazzza

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@alex1980 we've stayed in meribel village each Easter for past 5 years...and we're back again this year Happy

It's a great time of year to ski, especially with young kids. Warm, long days and (usually) quiet pistes.

We always head over to C1650 2 or 3 times in the week - usually pistes are well groomed and quiet over there as shown in the pics above

Book and enjoy is my advice!

snow reports

@alex1980, apologies, mis-read your post. The bus from 1650 to 1850 is regular and only a 5 min ride. First week skiers will have loads of fun going up and down the Jardin Alpin lift. Rinse and repeat making your way down differently each time.

Courchevel 1650 is mostly lovely at the beginning of April for all the reasons mentioned above. Perhaps we're due some late season snow this year which would make it epic. Bit early to tell but there could quite a. Lot of fresh snow next week for the start of March. Fingers crossed!

You know it makes sense.

I've skied first week of April in Courchevel for the last three years. Conditions have been great and slopes pretty quiet. Even had a powder day last year. You'll love it - Val Thorens will be much busier.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Yes, Courchevel 1650 is part of the world's biggest and most varied ski area (3 Valleys).

It is high enough for April, with good snowmaking as backup.

There will always be somewhere or something good to ride for new or old skiers.

A snowHead

I am also struggling with the choice between Courchevel and Val Thorens for that first week in April. Very tempted for the quieter pistes and lifts in Courchevel....having been a regular to VT, I know how busy it can get...it's also French Zone C holidays for the first 2 weeks in April.

A snowHead

Just to provide an alternative view, here are my impressions from a week in C1650 from 4 April (in 2009).

My family found that the C1650 area was a little quieter than the rest of Courchevel and Meribel/VT, but that's in the same way that the M1 is not quite as busy at 5pm on a Friday as the M25! The rest of Courchevel had long queues and the pistes were so full of people they were very dangerous. Plus, there was warm weather and by lunch time many of the pistes were like skiing in deep mashed potato, which was also dangerous.

Whilst not as bad as the rest of the resort, C1650 was unpleasantly busy and snow conditions poor. There was snow cover, but there was a very short sweet spot between morning ice and afternoon slush. I seem to remember ending up skiing the majority of the week off just one Tbar or poma, which seemed to be quieter than anywhere else and had good snow. I hate drag lifts, but this was the least worst option.

Whether that is representative of a normal early April in Courchevel, I have no way to know. Perhaps I picked the busiest and slushiest week ever. But quiet lifts/slopes and good snow are not guaranteed at that time.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

If Paris schools are on holiday that week, perhaps Austria or Italy or Switz would be a better bet?

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I went to VT as a beginner, and in all honesty, wouldn't recommend it!

There was basically 1 green run, and most of the blues are the red end of blue. Also, the reds and blacks higher up fed down into the blues which meant lots of much better skiers whizzing past you, which I found very unnerving as a complete novice. Even as a complete beginner it gets boring skiing the same run again and again and again.

Never been to Courchevel, so I can't comment on that, but there are definitely plenty of places that are far more beginner friendly than VT.

Help!!

Courchevel 1650 in April

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