The Serre Chevalier Summer 2009 season starts this weekend. Unlikethe ski season it starts fairly, slowly. Still, it’s midsummers day on Sunday, so I think that is an ideal opportunity to go up to the Cafe Soleil and have a few beers.

Lifts operating in the summer are:

1. The Chantemerle Cable Car (Serre Chevalier 1350)
2. The Prorel Gondala  (Serre Chevalier 1200)
3. The Casse de Boeuf Chairlift (Serre Chevalier 1400)
4. The Bachas Chairlift (Serre Chevalier 1500)

All of these lifts (even the chairlifts) are designed to take mountain bikes as well as walkers. So see you on Sunday if you are around.

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Well, I have to admit the weather in Serre Chevalier has been rubbish this weekend. True enough over about 1800m it has been snowing, but down in the valley where I live it has just been raining non-stop all weekend. So I thought I would try and cheer myself up by heading over to Animoto Download and getting some photos of the summer 2007 and making a video.

Fancy making a few yourself? Just go to www.AnimotoDownload.com and get started. The basic service is free, but if you want the ‘all area pass’ it’s only $30/year. A very cool way to bring your photos to life.

Special Offers for the end of the winter season 2009

Until 4th April 2009 any children under 10 years of a age sharing a room with 2 adults GO FREE (this offer cannot be used with any other offer)

15th – 21st March 2009

Double north facing room without balcony

• 7 days B&B 1245€ -15% now only 1050€ for 2 people

• 7 days half board 1585€ -15% now only 1345€ for 2 people

• 4 days B&B 800€ -15% now only 680€ for 2 people

• 4 days half board 1024€ -15% now only 870€ for 2 people

• 3 days B&B 600€ -15% now only 510€ for 2 people

• 3 days half board 768€ -15% now only 652€ for 2 people

• 10% reduction on 2 to 8 day lift passes purchased 48 hours in advance.

For more details see the Hotel Plein Sud site or call +33 (0)4 92 24 17 01

Meet at La Grotte: Wednesday 25th March 2009 8:00

Clive 06 30 64 54 01
Rod 06 32 71 62 20
Once again it’s Pub Crawl time. For those of you who have been before you’ll know what a great day out it is. For those of you new to the valley let me explain:
The Pub Crawl involves one alcoholic drink in each mountain bar (15 in all) on skis, boards or whatever form of transport you desire.
No fancy dress, posers or charity effort; this is a straight forward piss up. Last year was the first time we have ever completed the crawl so it will be good to continue the trend.

The crawl starts at La Grotte, open from 8:00 for a departure at 9:00 (No later or we won’t finish). First bar is the Bercail then Aravet 2000. So meet up is at La Grotte (8:00-9:00) or Bercail (9:15-9:30) or Aravet 2000 (9:30-10:00). Any other time or if you can only join us for part of the day, then call the numbers above anytime to find out where we are.
It’s a great day out so see you there, it’s blue runs and easier so everyone can do it, we only boast 2 broken bones in the last 8 years, so it is quite safe.
See Ya there
Clive

Maison Larré is a unique kind of ski residence. It’s a British run home that combines the best of a ski chalet with a relaxed, homely environment.

Situated in the big league resort of Serre Chevalier – a resort that boasts 300 days of sun a year – it has all the skiing you’ll need plus the attraction and ambience of local towns and villages described as ‘Provence in the snow’.

Each of the five villages and towns that make up the Serre Chevalier resort has its own character and has plenty to offer from aprés ski to activities for non skiers alike.

Maison Larré is built around a hospitality ethos of ‘organized informality’. The house itself is well equipped with six spacious bedrooms (all en-suite), comfortable lounge with log fire, dining room with table seating up to 16 people, well equipped kitchen and all the usual home from home comforts you’d expect.

At any one time the house could be full of guests from one group, or consist of eight couples.

Maison Larré is situated on the outskirts of Briançon, the highest town in Europe, just 13km from the French-Italian border. Briançon is an ancient fortress town, walled and fortified and with exceptional architectural heritage. The town has many sights to see, with drawbridged entrances, cobbled streets (some of them with a ‘gargoulle’ – a small stream running down them) and a host of traditional French restaurants hidden away among the side streets. The lower town is an active commercial centre with shops, weekly market, cafes and restaurants and all the leisure amenities you would expect of a modern French town.

SnowMonkees have been providing ski and snowboarding holidays and accommodation for several years. They offer self catered apartments and chalets in Serre Chevalier.

Our apartments are located in the centre of the village of Chantemerle right in the heart of Serre Chevalier and are situated on the slope side of the mountain making their ski access superb! Their location is one of the paramount reasons we acquired them, being less than 100 metres walk to the 3 central ski lifts (2 mins in ski boots). With good conditions you can also ski back to within 15 metres of the front door.

The 3 central ski lifts form the hub of the village which is very close in locale to all the other amenities including ski school meeting area, tourist information, a host of commerce, restaurants and bars.

• For more information see the SnowMonkees website

Happy New Year,

If you are still looking for ski accommodation then our recently refurnished apartment still has some availability left as we only offered it for rental just before Christmas.

It sleeps 4 to 8 persons and is in an excellent location next to the fast Prorel Gondola in the UNESCO World Heritage town of Briancon.

Details and photos here

Availability -
24/1 – 31/1 – £350 (370€)
31/1/ – 7/2 – £450 (475€)
7/2 – 14/2 – £550 (580€)
21/2 – 28/2 – £600 (630€)
28/2 – 7/3 – £550 (580€)
14/3 – 21/3 – £450 (475€)
21/3 – 28/3 – £450 (475€)
28/3 – 4/4 – £350 (370€)

Bedding and cleaning included.

The snow in Serre Chevalier is excellent at the moment – make sure you don’t miss it !!

Best Regards,
Mick & Anne

The Alpine Transfer Company are based in Serre Chevalier and as a consequence regularly travel between Turin Airport and Serre Chevalier. The route goes past Claviere and Montgenevre and can also include Sauze d’Oulx if required. So if for some reason you don’t want to come to Serre Chevalier (and I really can’t think why that would be!) and are looking for Montgenevre Ski Transfers then of course The Alpine Transfer Company will be very happy to help.

As well as Turin Caselle airport, the company also serves all the Milan Airports, Linate, Malpensa and Bergamo. The most popular transfers are Turin-Montgenevre, Turin-Serre Chevalier and Turin-Sauze d’Oulx. Use the form below to get a quote.

Studio in Chantemerle, Serre Chevalier 1350. Close to the ski lifts!

If you are still looking for last minute ski accommodation in the French Alps, then look no further.  Le Bois des Coqs is situated in Chantemerle very close to the slopes, restaurants and shops.  The studio sleeps up to 4 and is best suited to couples or families with one or two children.  The following weeks are still available.

10th to 17th January – £200
Mon 19th to Sat 24th January (5 nights) – £140
24th to 31st January – £200
21st to 28th February – £300
14th to 21st March – £250
21st to 28th March – £250
28th March to 4th April – £250
4th to 11th April – £150
11th to 18th April – £150

Bedding is extra at £8 per double and £5 per single set.

For more details contact Carole the owner by email or call her on 07976 874185 (UK)

See also Les Bois des Coqs, Studio in Chantemerle

Here’s a message from Ellie Newton who has a great little apartment, right by the Mickey Piste, Villeneuve, Serre Chevalier 1400. This apartment is exceptional value for money and is going to get snapped up quickly, so act fast!

More details and photos of this apartment are here.

Here’s Ellie….

Hi,

It’s that time of year again, when you are probably starting to think about Christmas and of course … your annual ski holiday!!

For those of you that have not been before, our studio apartment in Villeneuve is located in the heart of Serre Chevalier and its extensive and beautiful ski area. It is situated in the centre of Villeneuve at 1400m surrounded by shops, pubs and restaurants and you can ski right to the door! With a ski lift just 300ft from the studio.

The self-catering studio offers a fully equipped kitchenette, balcony, front and rear parking, ski locker, modern walk in shower, DVD & CD Player and fabulous views of the mountains!

The studio can accommodate up to four people, with bunk beds in the hall and two double sofa beds in the lounge, it is ideally suited to couples or families with one or two children.

We rent the studio from Saturday to Saturday and charge £350 per week. The price can be negotiated for longer lets. Bookings have been coming in fast so please call now to avoid disappointment!

For further details contact Ellie here when we will be happy to assist you with your enquiries or to view photos of the studio visit:

Apartment Isobel Description and Photos

Kind Regards,

Tim and Ellie Newton