 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all,
we are off to Courchevel 1550 at Easter (2 adults, 2 kids). I was wondering if anyone had any good info you have found out from trips there? We will be staying near the Grangettes lift in self catering accommodation. We tend to eat in and even go back for lunch.
Any info and tips would be great. In particular:
Is there anywhere in 1550 that does take away pizza?
How does the toboggan run work that runs from 1850 - 1550? Is there an age limit? Do you hire their toboggans? How much does it cost?
Does the area have ok coverage for using our mobiles? What about 3g/4g? - we are all with different providers.
Is the aquamotion place worth a visit? How much does it cost? There seems to be so many different options on their website that its just got a bit confusing.
Does the main lift up to 1850 get very busy at any points through the day?
Thank you!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Grangettes main gondola up to 1850. Rarely a queue apart from very first thing in the morning and even then usually only a few minutes. Sometimes a little late in opening, so if you have lessons in 1850 its worth getting there for opening at 8.45 just in case it is late and queue builds. If you are closer to the Tovets chair that is another alternative route up and again rarely a person waiting for it, apart from opening. Grangettes usually runs after the pistes close (till like 7pm in main season) so is a route down from 1850 if you're tired or conditions get ropey, although late in the season it can stop earlier, ie just after piste closing. The bottom bit can get swept and chopped up at the end of the day and icy depending on season.
You can usually bus it back from 1850, 1650, Le Praz or La Tania. Late season/easter the buses get less frequent, so find out when they are, useful as a back up if the kids get tired or if you do apres somewhere. We've spent the afternoon at the La Tania fun day (usually around easter) before then bussed it back to 1550.
You can hire tobogans from the ski hire shops in 1550. We got ours from Sandrine, next to the Grangettes car park under the gondola at street level. 5 euros each for 1/2 day or 7 for the day, you can loop as many times as you like provided you have a lift pass. Min age is 7. Our youngest was 7 but no one actually asked. It's a bit chaotic. Our 7 year old, despite being a competent skier found it hard to control and kept wiping out. He didn't like it, not helped by another kid smashing into his back at full speed on the last steep bit at the end. After that he'd only go on doubled up with my wife, which he loved. My 10 year old also loved it. You cant wear ski boots, you will stack it, probably, and you get caked in snow, but its quite good fun.
Bakers is opposite the gondoloa station. The huit-a-huit supermarket is next door a few doors to that. If you come out of the lower level of huit a huit and turn left, down the road to leave 1550, there's a pizzeria on the left that does take out.
There's a pub a few doors along from under the gondola station, next door to the creperie, that shows six nations, if thats your bag. Otherwise 1550 is quiet and low key and centered around a small number of restaurants. I've had lunch a few times in the creperie and its usually pretty nice And we ate at the Le Caveux for lunch on this trip. The huit a huit is well stocked for a small shop but obviously you pay the premium. If you can do your bulk shop down in the valley en-route.
We had mobile and data coverage with plusnet and virgin. Loving roam like at home.
Aquamotion looks great but never done it as always maxxed the time on the snow. I expect like other French pools men/boys need budgie smugglers not shorts.
Car parking is limited unless you have a dedicated space. Both grangettes and dou du midi were full for Feb half term so was glad our apartment owner had rented a season space. Grangettes is tight in a big car. Spaces in dou du midi are waaaay bigger, so better if you have a 4x4 or similar. It's a 5 minute walk from dou du midi to grangettes. There's free parking in Le Praz and La Tania but obviously require you to shuttle via the bus or ski there/back.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Oh if you get to resort early on the Saturday and can pick your hire kit up on the afternoon, the Roys drag lift (between the grangettes gondola, and Tovets chair) is free and needs no lift pass. Its not long, but is a nice blue gradient and great for getting the kids to do an hour or so of laps to find their legs before the first full day. Alternatively you can get the bus to 1850 with your kit, walk up the 50m from Croisette to the long free drag that goes up Bellecote for a much longer, albeit gentle green run down Bellecote or Jardin Alpin, for a few runs, and then ski back down to 1550 at the end of the day, all for free 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Wow! @Gazzza, thank you. That is a lot of great info. Just what i was hoping for.
Interesting you say about the car parks. I tried to pre-book Grangettes but was told its first come first served and you just book when you get there. As we are aiming to arrive on the Saturday morning we hoped this would be fine. Now im not so sure? Do you know if it can be prebooked?
Excellent news on the tobogganing. That could be a fun (although slightly dangerous sounding) evening.
Also interesting that the gondola may close early. I thought i'd read it stays running late into the night somewhere. We will make sure we watch out for that. I will also find out about the buses.
If there is a no short rule in aquamotion i think that rules it out for us! To be honest, i dont really want to waste time swimming when we can do that at home.
Thank you!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| Gazzza wrote: |
| Oh if you get to resort early on the Saturday and can pick your hire kit up on the afternoon, the Roys drag lift (between the grangettes gondola, and Tovets chair) is free and needs no lift pass. Its not long, but is a nice blue gradient and great for getting the kids to do an hour or so of laps to find their legs before the first full day. Alternatively you can get the bus to 1850 with your kit, walk up the 50m from Croisette to the long free drag that goes up Bellecote for a much longer, albeit gentle green run down Bellecote or Jardin Alpin, for a few runs, and then ski back down to 1550 at the end of the day, all for free |
Oh thats fantastic! Thank you. We will look into that. We can get into our apartment from 12pm so a few hours out on the slopes after we've dumped our stuff sounds like a great plan. Can we use the buses for free without a lift pass then?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Quote: |
Grangettes usually runs after the pistes close (till like 7pm in main season) so is a route down from 1850 if you're tired or conditions get ropey, although late in the season it can stop earlier, ie just after piste closing
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We went Easter before last, the run down from 1850 was decidedly ropey so we usually used the Grangettes bubble at the end of the day. As far as we could see, it ran into the evening.
Check if you are going in an off-peak week - it certainly made a big impact on the frequency of shuttle buses, and I imagine the same would be true of closing time for the Grangette gondola.
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Otherwise 1550 is quiet and low key and centered around a small number of restaurants.
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That was certainly our experience, and none the worse for that. We had a nice meal in one of the restaurants - standard Savoyarde tourist specials of fondue, pierrade, raclette etc, which was just what we wanted.
Aquamotion was really good fun. When we were there (Easter 2016) they had a special deal on Saturday, and we all enjoyed it more than the extra morning's skiing that we had originally planned. There is a good pool for swimming lengths, a lot of fun pool and some great slides (the twisting one that mimicked a mountain torrent was our favourite), also a link to swim out to the outdoor pool. (We always pack swimming cozzies because it's France and we've encountered the 'no shorts' rule in a number of places)
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Wow! @Gazzza, thank you. That is a lot of great info. Just what i was hoping for.
Interesting you say about the car parks. I tried to pre-book Grangettes but was told its first come first served and you just book when you get there. As we are aiming to arrive on the Saturday morning we hoped this would be fine. Now im not so sure? Do you know if it can be prebooked?
Excellent news on the tobogganing. That could be a fun (although slightly dangerous sounding) evening.
Also interesting that the gondola may close early. I thought i'd read it stays running late into the night somewhere. We will make sure we watch out for that. I will also find out about the buses.
If there is a no short rule in aquamotion i think that rules it out for us! To be honest, i dont really want to waste time swimming when we can do that at home.
Thank you! |
Last Easter we stayed in La Tania. The Easter before we stayed in 1550 and got a space in Grangettes arriving Saturday am. You're suppposed to be able to pre-book but the website currently only seems to allow pre booking in the 1850 car parks. But with people coming and going on a Saturday I'd imagine you'd get in ok unless its a peak week or later on in the season and if you arrive late on Saturday. It can be an issue on peak weeks. n.b. On a Saturday you can a free 1 hour parking in grangettes if you just have a little time to kill before your accommodation is ready,
I've never had to show a pass on a bus. Hence we've bussed up to 1850 for the first afternoon, spent a few hours lapping the bellecote free drag with the kids, than skied back to 1550. If you come out the gondola/station turn right, past the Grangettes car park, then past Sandrine and Intersport on your right, keeping walking up the main road up the hill, you''ll see the bus stop just ahead on the right. This year we only had around an hour so we just did the Roys drag in 1550.
When i say close early, re. Grangettes, I mean very late in the season it might close at piste time, as opposide to its usual later opening. It's usually 7.30pm main season. I've just grabbed the piste map from our recent trip. It lists Grangettes as closing at either 17.10 or 19:30 "ouverture en fonction des conditions meteorologiques et d'enneigment". So the closing time seems to be effected by weather and snow conditions rather than date - unless they print a new map with new times for end season it should be good till 7.30.
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I think Grangettes opens 17:10-19:30 primarily to service the toboggan run, although it can be used by pedestrians as well. If the toboggan run is closed (lack of snow / poor weather) it probably doesn't operate.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Hi all,
I am due to stay in 1550 next March (self catered). I understand from previous posts on this thread the Grangettes opens until approximately 7:00 p.m during main season.
Other websites online suggest different/conflicting closing times...
https://thefreeriderepublic.com/courchevel-ski-resort/ - "The gondola stays open throughout the evening until 12:30 a.m. so it couldn’t be easier for visitors staying in Courchevel Village to explore the night life in Courchevel (1850)."
https://www.poma.net/en/work/grangettes-gondola-lift/ - "the gondola lift is operated every day until 11 pm."
https://www.courchevel.com/en/actualites/nouvelle-tc-grangettes - "Open daily from 8.35am to 7.20pm, it's journey time has been reduced by half…"
Does anyone know the situation for the upcoming season re actual operating times? I wanted to get an idea so that I could plan food shop and ease of visiting 1850 in the evenings etc.
Thanks in advance!
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@charlie1314, I don't think it's been decided for the coming season yet. Last year it was agreed at a meeting on October 27 that Grangettes would remain open until 23.30 in the winter but with Covid rules for this year, they may be delaying a decision until there's an agreed policy on checking/not checking Pass Sanitaire etc.
Obviously Grangettes is very quick and easy but in lieu of that, the free ski bus runs until around 1.30am. For food shopping, the Carrefour Montagne in 1650 might well be easier and cheaper as it's more or less opposite the ski bus stop, as is the excellent bakery. Both main supermarkets in 1850 are a bit more of a walk from the gondola. There's a smaller bakery (same brand - Au Pain d'Antan) opposite Grangettes in 1550 for daily supplies.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@raceplate, thank you for your detailed response - very useful to know. I had not realised how short the bus ride was from 1550 to 1650! Now I just need to find out where the nearest stop is from the accommodation 
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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I’m 99% certain you don’t need Speedo’s for aquamotion. It’s pricey but IMO worth it. I wasn’t paying for a family and suspect I’d cry if I had to.
The tabac (eterlou I think) in 1650 does decent food including pizza that’s affordable.
I loved all of Courchevel villages with the exception of 1850 which I’ve seen once and will probably never return to in the evening.
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You know it makes sense.
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you do not need speedo's for the aquamotion, been a couple of times and been fine in normal shorts. I think its great and had a fun time the times I've used it. Theres 2 'areas' to the pool- an adult only one, or the normal family side. basically the adult only area has its own seats/ lounging/ jacuzzi type stuff and its own outdoor pool section. the family section is much bigger and means kids can run around/ jump in/ dive etc..... the slides/ jumping platform are great fun (even for us big kids!) and swimming outside while its absolutely dumping down while snow can actually settle on your head is quite a weird experience. As mentioned- its not cheap, but its a good place to go to have an afternoon off skiing or if the weather is too bad to slide.
The busses are great between all the different villages. We've stayed in 1650 and we would usually just finish our day in whatever village we fancied, have a drink or 2 and just get the bus back to 1650 when we were done.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Can anyone recommend ski hire for Courchevel 1550 - skis and poles only? Closest would be Intersport Alpes Sport but I was wondering if there were any others worth considering. Thanks
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Poster: A snowHead
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@charlie1314, I've used Intersport Alpes Sports many times (although not in the last few years) and always had very good service. Used Intersport Residence Tovets a few times and no complaints. From most places in the village the latter shop is a bit more convenient, as the former means a walk uphill / up steps to get to the lifts. Booking online in advance via the Intersport webiste usually gets a good discount on the walk-up price, and I've never had any problems with it.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| ecureuil wrote: |
| @charlie1314, I've used Intersport Alpes Sports many times (although not in the last few years) and always had very good service. Used Intersport Residence Tovets a few times and no complaints. From most places in the village the latter shop is a bit more convenient, as the former means a walk uphill / up steps to get to the lifts. Booking online in advance via the Intersport webiste usually gets a good discount on the walk-up price, and I've never had any problems with it. |
Thank you, we are staying close to the Intersport Alpes Sports - I have looked at the website and can see mention of various discounts and early bird bookings etc.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| Quote: |
Can we use the buses for free without a lift pass then?
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Yes, the shuttle busses between the villages in 3v are all free
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White Storm could be worth a look. They delivered to our apartment on a previous trip. Price was very reasonable when compared with offer sites. It was only beginner skis but they were in a decent state and I think they do more advanced gear if you need it.
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FAQ
