Ski Holidays in Chatel, France

• Snow Conditions in Chatel France +

  Snow report issued:	30th Apr 09
  Last snowed:	-
  Fresh snow depth:	-
  Depth at resort:	-
  Mountain depth:	-
  Piste state:
  (Resort is closed for the season)
  Weather report:
  Temperature:	2°C
  Open lifts:	0 of 47

  View Chatel snow history

• Chatel Resort Statistics+

  Slope Direction	N S E W
  Very Easy Runs	17
  Easy Runs	22
  Medium Runs	28
  Difficult Runs	6
  Toughest Run Name
  Skiable Vertical	1100m
  Number Of Lifts	58
  Top Lift Height	2200m
  Night Skiing	Y
  Snowboarding Parks	1
  Half Pipes	1
  Swimming Pools	2
  Night Clubs	2
  Mountain Restaurants	12

• Chatel Piste Map+

  

• Chatel Transfer Times+

  Geneva:	0 minutes
  :	0 minutes

Chatel is a blend of ancient and modern ski resort right on the Swiss border. The resort is part of the giant Portes du Soleil region which covers 650km (407 miles) of piste shared between more than a dozen ski centres on each side of the border.

There are no large buildings, only small houses and chalets that fit perfectly into the scenery. So as not to spoil this idyllic view the resort has even buried their telephone and electricity supply cables.

The first ski-lift in Chatel opened just after the war in 1946, when many French mountain villages were first being developed as ski resorts. However, visitors had been coming for the best party of a century before then because of two health�giving hot springs, and several hotels had been built to accommodate them.

One spa in particular, with sulphurous "black water," was said to have a miraculous, curative effect on numerous skin diseases! A few hundred yards away, in Plagnons, was another ferruginous spring with "red water", delicious as aperitif and excellent for the health. The Resort hotel built at the time is still in existence today (as are the springs) in Tré-les-Pierres where it has been transformed into a family home.

The best thing about Chatel today though is the way that the resort's planners have succeeded in modernising the village while retaining its finest traditional qualities. There are still a number of farmers here (40 families) and over 800 cows (the Abondance breed) producing the famous Abondance cheese - it was awarded its Guaranteed Origin and Quality Certificate (AOC) in 1990 and goes from strength to strength.

• Skiing for Beginners+

  There are small beginner areas dotted around the resort but the main beginner area is at the top of the gondola above Super Chatel where a snowy open bowl contains a dozen or so short drags radiating out in all directions and serving mostly very easy terrain.

• Intermediate Skiing+

  Chatel's local ski area covers two mountains: Super- Chatel/Barbossine, and La Linga/Pré-la-Joux/Plaine-Dranse. These are located at the heart of the Portes du Soleil international domain with direct links to the Swiss resorts of Torgon and Morgins, and to Avoriaz on the French side.
  
  You can leave Chatel in the morning, and come back in the evening having visited five French and Swiss resorts on the way. If you don't wish to purchase the full Portes dui Soleil regional ticket Chatel's local pass includes both the local slopes and also those of Swiss neighbours Torgon and Morgins, Domain in Switzerland, the descent to Morgins, together with the Braitaz domain in la Chapelle d'Abondance prociding 130km (80 miles) of piste served by 60 lifts.

• Advanced+

  The most challenging terrain locally is located in the Linga sector, but the resort's six blacks increase dramatically to 34 choices once you take in the full Portes du Solil opportunities. There's also a number of specialist ski schools in resort happy to take you off-piste touring.

• Snowboarding at Chatel+

  The Smooth Park in the Super-Chatel sector is the main meeting place for beginner and improving boarders. It is accessed via Les Coqs and les Bossons ski tows.
  
  For more advance boarders the snowpark of Pré-la-Joux is ideal for intermediate to advanced level adrenaline junkies. There's night riding on Thursday evenings throughout the season on the fully lit Linga slalom slope, with sound entertainment, from 7.30 to 9.30pm.

• Other Activities And Facilities at Chatel+

  Snowshoeing is big in Chatel which has 40 km of marked trails, with another 20km over the border in Torgon, directly linked to the resort. Different trails have been designed to satisfy various needs from a one-hour walk to a hike of 4 or 5 hours.
  
  Other outdoor facilities include two sledging runs (located at Pré-la-Joux, one for the 2 to 6 years old and the other one for children above 6 years old ) and ice diving in or ice fishing on the local Vonnes Lake.
  
  There is a recently opened spa in the Macchi hotel which is open to all. It provides Indian massages, a humid room (hammam, Jacuzzi…), a dry room (rooms for body and face treatment sessions, sculpting massages…) and a resting room (herb tea room, rest place, changing room…).
  
  The resort also offers various courses in handicrafts or painting and there are special lift passes (valid for half days through the week or 5 days out of seven) that allow you to take time off from the piste to enjoy them.

• Apres Ski And Dining Out+

  Chatel is famous for its long established reputation for the provision of delicious mountain cuisine, a tradition very much alive today in the many restaurants here which from small country inns to three star hotels.
  
  Today as in the past, owners are proud to extend traditional hospitality to their new guests, and introduce them to the fine art of life in the mountains. There are several dozen bars and restaurants, the latter ranging from traditional Savoyard establishments to creperies and pizzerias.
  
  One way to experience this first hand is to share a meal with a mountain farmer, sitting around a large family table in the middle of a typical Savoy kitchen. Before serving you, the farmers will show you something of their way of life, handed down over the generations.
  
  They will explain how the famous Abondance cheese is made before serving up a sandwich made with fresh mountain butter spread with a goodly layer of bilberry jam. You can also try mountain ham and smoked sausage down from their hooks in the chimney and cuts in to slices with a traditional Opinel knife.

• Ski Holidays in Chatel suitable for Families+

  Chatel has won the French government's highest official standard for making families feel welcome and has a range of facilities on offer.
  
  The resort offers a huge range of activities for children as well as a range of organised care and ski school facilities. For the youngest children care is available in Les Mouflets Crèche and Kindergarten or Le Club des Piou Piou/Le Village des Marmottons; both for children from 3 to 6 years old.
  
  The French Ski School's Jardin des Pitchounes accepts children between 3 and 5 years old. Older children from age five can take lessons in one of the ski schools.
  
  On the slopes the themed trail "L'Eterlou" is a fun and educational trail based on the environment and the animal and plant life in the local mountains. A dozen panels guide everybody around, helping the family and the others to answer a variety of questions. In the same place families can find a snow games site where everybody can play together.