Review of Châtel

22nd July 2013 by mmmmm-something 

Chatel is a fantastic resort. Well placed in the middle of the PDS circuit it offers a much more French feel than neighbouring resorts in the PDS. The village lays between 1100 - 1300 meters with skiing up to 2400m! 650km’s of Piste mean there is something for everyone, and even beginners can get around the whole PDS on Blue runs (that’s what I did when I started) The off-Piste is practically unlimited and guides are easily available for those who want to go further - a powdery white haven for everyone from beginners to expert.

There is a wide range of accommodation available, from budget apartments to high quality catered Chalets, we’ve stayed in several of the Chalets in Chatel over several years and haven’t been disappointed by the high quality.

The resort can get busy a peak times, but that’s the same with every resort, this is why it is called ‘peak’. We’ve never had a problem with lift queues as 90% of the lifts are express or fast chairs, few gondolas mean minimum waiting times. I’ve never waited more than 5 mins for a lift (unless it’s conked out, which can happen anywhere) The restaurants on the Mountain are great, and are plentiful. Plane Dranse in Chatel has a different restaurant for evey day of the week, serving everything from salad & Pastas, Burgers & Steaks to local Savoyard specialities. Prices normally range from 9 euros for a huge burger and chips to 17 euros for a good quality ‘Plat du Jour’

There is a great free bus running around the Village all day so it’s really easy to get around, although having mostly stayed in Catered chalets we do benefit from the free drop down service which has always been offered by our hosts (great!)

Chatel is a stones throw from Lake Geneva which means the snow gets dumped in Chatel first, and hardest. An average snowfall of 7 - 8 meters is not to be sniffed at, and just goes to prove that there are more factors to consider than just altitude. At approx. 1200meters Chatel doesn’t suffer from the same wind exposure that other ‘high altitude’ resorts get, and being mostly smooth pasture land any rocks are easily covered by the regular dumps of snow all the way through the season.

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