Grand Serre Che Snow Conditions

One of France's largest ski areas, Grand Serre Che is also one of the least discovered by British skiers, and offers a friendly unpretentious base in the southern French Alps, next to the Italian border. Thanks to north and northeast facing slopes, the area boasts a great snow record, and also enjoys over 300 days of sunshine each year, due to its southerly location. Heavily wooded, the slopes are protected by the trees, meaning better conditions than other more open resorts. The ski season in Grand Serre Che runs from the end of November to the end of April. 

 

The villages are located throughout the valley, and range in height from 1,200m to 1,500m. Grand Serre Che has a vertical drop of 1,600m, and boasts a well-linked lift system and runs for all levels, with many different access points to get to the ski area. All the main villages have lifts to the slopes, and there are 9 cable-cars throughout the area. Beginner skiers slopes are conveniently located by the villages, and higher up the mountains too, whilst intermediate skiers have the most terrain to explore, with plenty of challenges for more advanced skiers around the slopes. The resort is known for its heavily wooded terrain, and although there are plenty of tree-lined descents, there are also wide open bowls and a thrilling choice of off-piste to explore with a guide. Most of the slopes are on the north side of the valley ridge, so they retain the snow very well, and many of the runs cut through the larch forest that covers the area, with the trees helping to shelter and protect the snow on the lower slopes.  

 

There is extensive snowmaking throughout the ski area, with 300 snow cannons covering over one-third of the total slopes, and in general the pistes are very well-groomed. Upper slope averages in Grand Serre Che reached 232cm in March during the 2009 - 2010 season, and 209cm during the previous year.