Serre Chevalier advice

A snowHead

Hello Snowheads Smile

A long time ago since my previous message, but I've been reading you often. As English is not my mother language, I have some reluctance being more active in the forum.

We (the family; me, wife and two teens) are going to Serre Chevalier next month. We’ll fly from Lisbon to Milan Malpensa and the we’ll drive a hired car to Chantemerle. I would like to ask some help to the experts of the area.

First question is regard to food and beverage shopping. We’ll stay in a self-catered residence, so we need to buy for the week. When coming from Turin motorway, do you know a good supermarket on the way, before arriving to the resort ?

Second question: I understood that with a 6-day SC pass, it’s possible to ski Montegenevre (or other nearby resorts) one day without extra-charge. Can you confirm ? What’s the applicable procedure ? Is the SC pass automatically validated in Montegenevre ?

Last question is regard to the SC piste map. My wife had a serious injury skiing and after that gets nervous when facing red slopes, so we try to cruise mostly blues. I had a look ion the SC map and it seems to get out from Monetier to the other sectors there’s only one slope (cucumelle) which is red. Is this right ? is this slope a regular red ? as a connection slope, does it get very busy and with moguls ?

Best regards,

A snowHead

The Cucumelle red is a big, cruisy red. It's wide, very wide. There's a little section at the end that gets a little chewed u, but she should be fine. She could just go down on the chair and meet you lower down. Sadly, it is the only piste connecting Monetier to the rest.

Other that that, loads of ace cruising blue and green lists! She'll love it!

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

Carlos_L,
There is a large Geant in Briancon, at the turn to the rest of the valley turn right insted of left and it is on the right. Slitghtly less crowded about 5 minutes along the Gap road from Geant is another shopping complex with a big Hypermarket (Carrefour I think used to be Champion).

I believe it does now automatically validate, you used ot have to take along your receipt to the lift office(If the weather is bad westerlies you may be better going to PSV which is less exposed to the weather than Montgenevre .

Cucumelle as above for the most part straight forward gentle by red standards and very pleasant skiing, a little steeper lower down, and narrows slightly but unless the snow is bad usually not too difficult.

You need to Login to know who's really who.

Carlos_L, I don't think you can take the chair down, but it would be easy enough to get on the ski bus, and meet later. It is a nice wide red though, and shouldn't cause too much difficulty. No moguls.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Hells Bells, I saw a few people downloading on it last year, I'm sure.

You'll need to Register first of course.

Thank you very much for your replies Little Angel

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

Just to confirm I bought a 6-day ski pass in Serre Chevalier and requested it to be the Galaxy pass (it is possible that all 6-day pass in any resort is automatically Galaxy).

I skied Montgenevre, Cesana, Les Deux Alps and L'Alp D'Huez with it free for each day. The receipt of the Serre Chevalier has two printed sections, one for exchange with Montengevre and another one with any of the Italian Milky Way. L2A and LDH does not need exchange because the same pass will work.

I also visited Puu St Vincent which I did not ski because the hassle of parking.

Cesana is a convenient point for accessing Sestriere, Sauze D'Olux and Claviere.

I believe the galaxy pass entitles the holder to ski any number of days on the resort where the pass is purchased but only one day for every other participating resort.

L2A and LDH are a bit far for a day trip from Serre Chevalier. We stayed L2A to ski these two resorts on our way out of the valley.

Montgenevre, Cesana and Sestriere are recommended. The last two formed the venue of the Turin Winter Olympic and have modern and nice facilities.

After all it is free

saikee, thanks a lot Little Angel

We were in Villeneuve over Christmas and stayed in Monetier a couple of years ago - it's a great ski area - you will love it.

I am a nervous skier, don't like the unexpected, particularly unexpected steeps - I was fine with the cucumelle - most of it is lovely, wide and open and it didn't cause me any problems, there is a little narrow steeper bit towards the end which got a little icy whilst we were there a couple of years ago, but it is easily sideslipped if you are of a nervous disposition.

Big supermarkets in Briancon, but each of the villages has a little supermarket if you forget anything.

It is also very easy to take the ski bus up and down the valley between villages, which is useful as in high winds at Christmas the Vallon chair back to Monetier was closed.

If you fancy some lessons then talk to Gavin at New Gen - our kids had great lessons with him this year and in the past and he works out of Monetier

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

Would add that Carrefour is a better supermarket both for price and choice, worth an extra couple of minutes to find. Just head towards Gap as said above.

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