Activity Reviews in Courchevel — 11 of Our Favourites

The activity is suitable for fit and able adults who are able to keep control of a fast-moving sledge. You can pick up some serious speed on this track so children under 1.40m have to be accompanied by an adult (children ride for free!) and share a sledge. Therefore, it makes an ideal family activity but it is also great for large groups to take part in. The race course actually divides into two tracks in places making it super competitive if you want to beat your friends. Do you take the tunnels or the bridges? Do you go full throttle of slam on the brakes? If you want to cross the line first, you’ve got to take the risks!

The Bozel lake is a beautiful area to while away the day with lots of grassed areas around on which to relax. The lake is free to enter and manned with lifeguards for your safety with some areas sectioned off for safer swimming. There is also a shallow area for small children or anyone just wanting a paddle. With the warm temperatures over the past few weeks the lake is currently at a nice temperature in which to cool off.

If you get bored lazing around there are pedaloes for hire, a beach volleyball area and a small climbing wall. There is a nice flat walking track around the lake with additional walks leading off if you fancy a hike.

With lots of picnic tables dotted around I witnessed some very professional picnic set-ups going on! If you don’t fancy carting your lunch around however there is a lovely restaurant next to the lake also serving drinks and ice creams if you need some refreshment.

The trees created some welcome shade today with most groups opting for the cooler bathing areas. There are no restrictions on the lake for taking inflatables if you want to take your rubber ring or inflatable crocodile!

Nearby there is also the opportunity to fly over the lake via parapente and without a cloud in the sky today, there would have been some stunning views.

In the village of Bozel there is a market every Thursday during the summer months and coming up on 14 July for Bastille Day you can also head to the lake for some fireworks. A pretty stunning location I would imagine to join in the celebrations.

If you are staying in a different valley to Courchevel, Bozel is just 10 minutes from Moutiers, and well worth the trip.

From the outside, the building looks like a huge fluid wave with a grass covered roof. It is breath-taking and fits in with the mountain scenery around Courchevel Moriond. As you enter the complex you can see how big it really is and you realise that it’s not going to be like any ordinary swimming centre.

The swimming areas are split into two zones. Aqualudique has a 25m swimming pool with lanes, a children’s water fun area, a heated indoor and outdoor leisure pool, diving boards, rapids, canyon water slide and racing slides. There are also areas where you can sit and relax to read your book and recharge your batteries.

The slides are great entertainment for all ages. The canyon slide looks like a rocky gorge and it really does take you on a fast and furious 110m ride. The ‘pentagliss’ racing slides allow three people to go at once.

The diving boards provided a great show as I was bobbing around in the indoor leisure pool. You can watch people who are superb at diving and others who are trying out their best ‘water bombing’ technique! Floating mats are available to enjoy the warm temperatures in the heated pool. The outdoor pool provides a lovely experience, especially when it is snowing. There are bubble jets to propel you around the rapids or if you want to relax there are individual jacuzzi areas with headrests.

The Aquawellness area is for over 18s only and is located upstairs. It also has a heated indoor and outdoor leisure pool, salt pool, steam rooms, three different saunas, a quiet room, jacuzzis and an ice-cold dipping pool. There are massage therapy and beauty treatment rooms where you can pamper your body at an additional cost.

As I left the fun and frolics of the Aqualudique area and entered the Aquawellness zone, the ambience changed and I instantly felt relaxed. My favourite pool is the salt bath which kind of feels like a cave. You enter down some steps and you can float around in the dark. Different coloured lights twinkle on and off which made me feel super relaxed. They often play ski and snowboarding films in there too. The various steam rooms and saunas are really good for your aching ski muscles. I especially liked a session in the Finnish sauna, finished off with a quick dip in the ice-cold plunge pool!

If you haven’t already had enough action then there is also an indoor surf wave experience and indoor rock climbing wall for you to try out at an additional cost. There is also a restaurant located on the second floor called ‘Stars’n’Bars’ where you can devour organically produced meals and healthy smoothies.

Aquamotion is nestled between Courchevel Village and Moriond. To get there, there is a free bus that runs from La Tania, Le Praz, Village, Moriond and Courchevel every hour and it drops you off right outside. There is also ample car parking. Both pool areas are open every day from 10 am to 8.30 pm throughout the winter season.

There are different pricing tariffs, but if you are only heading there once to break up your ski holiday then get a standard 3 hour pass. This is definitely long enough as your skin will start to wrinkle! The best value for an adult is 23 euros for Aqualudique or 35 euros for Aquawellness. I recommend paying the extra 13 euros for the upgrade to Aquawellness so you can experience the relaxation and well-being area.

If you go as a pair, it does make it slightly cheaper under the ‘duo’ deal which is 64 euros for both of you. If you are a non-skier and love swimming, then you can pay for a 6 day (18 hour) pass which is 65 euros for Aqualudique or 105 euros for Aquawellness. I do think it is very good value for what is available to do in there. Don’t forget your towel as it costs an additional 5 euros to rent one and there is a hairdryer station so you don’t catch a cold when you leave.

I loved Aquamotion and I will definitely be going back again. It is a fantastic place and there is something for everyone to enjoy.

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In the summertime, I run a yacht business on the South Coast of the UK, I’m a Yachtmaster Instructor. I have completed significant instructor training and understand how people, particularly adults, learn. Unfortunately, these skills make me a dreadful student; I have an inbuilt reaction to being told what to do and I will often do the opposite (ask my ex-wife!)

I also need to fully understand the “why” before carrying out the “do”. This week, a friend who was staying here booked a private lesson and invited me and another friend to join him. I was reluctant. I know how I react, but I have also been skiing with the same errors for years...

My friend managed to book a lesson with Andy Parker of Ski Marmalade. This company is based in Méribel, but regularly teach in La Tania and Courchevel - in fact quite a few of the instructors live around Le Praz.

The lesson was on the afternoon of a “bad weather” day, by that I mean windy, lots of snow, foggy at the top and really rather cold. Could this be my reprieve - would I be able to avoid it without a display of weakness?!

We met Andy Parker in Méribel and were quickly heading up to the Saulire mid station. The plan was to work on skiing in poor visibility (we had little choice) and maybe some shorter turns to ski through trees - very often this is the best place to be when the weather turns. Andy was impressive. He had sussed all 3 of us out very quickly. I felt at ease and his words gave me confidence. We covered some basic principles - the ones we always let slip - he was direct yet reassuring to each of us and ALWAYS gave positive affirmation.

I love this, and use it in my own teaching. Negative breeds negative! In a very short space of time I felt 2 feet taller and twice as strong. Incredible. My turns flowed and I had a few new tricks in my skiing toolbox. As we approached an off piste area underneath a chair, I glanced down with apprehension. Whether Andy was aware of this or not, I do not know. He directed his instruction to me and was clear, concise and gentle in his delivery explaining the “why” (essential for me). He gave a short demonstration, and I followed on. How incredible to ski an area I never thought would be achievable, without falling or catching an edge and on just 5 minutes of chat!

The afternoon continued and we covered the same areas to really see the improvement in our own skill level. By the end of the 3 hours we were all tired. Despite skiing here since November, it seems certain muscle groups hadn't ever been flexed - but our grins were evidence of a superb experience and money well spent. Andy’s manner, clear talent for instructing and communicating was one of the best I have experienced and everything we covered has rocketed my on piste skiing.

Andy Parker from Ski Marmalade comes with a 5 star recommendation (and that’s out of 5). If you treat yourself to anything on your holiday, give the new outfit a miss, and have a lesson. The improved technique and style will make your old outfit look like new!

Pausing briefly to ask us if we all had avalanche kits (we did) Mike shot off to the right in the opposite direction of the pistes. We traversed along the ridge for quite some time before stopping. Mike looked like he was making some important decisions.

“Follow me, spread out, and watch out for rocks.” He was off. And follow him we did, into fields of untouched, fluffy powder. An impressive discovery considering it had been almost a week since the last real dump.

We flew down the mountain, following Mike over bumps and pillows, landing softly each time in the miraculously preserved powder.

All of a sudden we stopped. There were still fresh tracks for the taking but for some reason Mike decided that we were to go no further. At this point we realised that we were having a backwards lesson. We’d already done the fun part, now it was time for the hard work.

The route we had taken was down towards a small town near St Martin de Belleville that has no chairlifts at all, which explains the abundance of fresh snow. From here the only option was to skin up and hike our way back over to our side of the valley.

Mike was naturally standing, skins on, ready to go checking how many metres we had descended on his special ‘mountain geek watch’ (I want one) before most of us had managed to get our skins out of our bags. Eventually we were off, climbing back the way we came.

It was our first time skinning through powder and the sensation took a little while to get used to. The kick turn was made even more difficult by the deep snow but before long we were crawling up the mountain, clawing back the metres we’d lost.

Thankfully we were far more appropriately dressed this time and with the sun beating down on our backs it felt quite tropical. It was perfectly silent with no one else around - we felt like we owned the mountain.

After a particularly steep climb we stopped to regain our breath. Mike informed us he had taken us the most difficult way deliberately as a training exercise (thanks a lot). From here it was up to us and we took turns leading the pack to the summit.

We were elated to finally reach the top and with only 10 minutes of our lesson left and work shifts starting soon for many of us, we had a quick and eventful off piste run down to Le Raffort to finish off.

It was bumpy, icy and tracked out as hell but it was a great adventure and all of us were just about ready to crash as we reached the bottom.

For our third and final lesson we are extending the two hours to five. Let’s see what Uncle Mikey has up his sleeve next time.

-

'Unkle Mikey' works for New Generation Ski School in Meribel.

As I hung the phone up it dawned on me that I had just agreed to do something that I was entirely unprepared for. Quickly I had the computer open and was sending a hurried plea to my friends over at the Sports 1600 shop (just down from the Petit Onion pub – lovely croque monsieur, try it) for touring equipment.

I was told to come into the shop where I was greeted by one of the owners, Romauld, who set me up with a beautiful set of touring skis with top of the range Marker Tour bindings and custom skins. I was given a quick demo of how the bindings worked and sent on my merry way.

Recently under new management, the new look shop at 1600 has an incredible range of great equipment for a multitude of disciplines both for rental and purchase. They have a nice clothing range also, and, being the official Meribel retailer for the Misguided Fools clothing range, they are well worth checking out!

The next morning, myself and 5 other intrepid, overdressed adventurers convened behind the Tougnete lift station and waited for Mike, our instructor from New Gen.

Mike arrived, told us we looked warm, and we all jumped onto the Saulire Express gondola and made our way down to the Loze chairlift. Here we gathered and began to set up our skis for the climb ahead. It took a few moments to get used to the equipment we were using and it felt quite odd slapping these giant furry sticky pads to the bottom of our skis. One member of the group put his skins on backwards, entirely useless, unless he was trying to start a new trend in switch ski touring. The very patient Mike quickly corrected him and we were on our way.

We began by getting used to the sensation of sliding forwards and resisting the urge to just lift our feet up and walk. As the terrain got a bit steeper Mike showed us each how to use a clever feature on the bindings that allows you to bring your heel higher, meaning your foot remains flat even on a steep slope.

Very quickly it became clear that we were dressed like idiots. With about 40 layers between us, we began to deteriorate into a group of sweaty messes, trawling up the mountain. Jackets opened and a few layers stuffed into bags and tied around waists, we persevered. Despite the fact that we looked like the most rag tag group of ski tourers ever assembled, we began to make some real progress.

Next we were taught how to do the highly entertaining ‘kick turn’ which involves doing an impression of Bambi as you change direction from zig to zag on your way up the mountain.

We continued to slog our way up the mountain and Mike gave us various pointers to help improve our technique. The end of our lesson arrived and Mike had to shoot off to deliver a park lesson elsewhere on the mountain (a true multi-alpinist) but the 6 of us were determined to reach the summit.

The team pressed forward and after 25 minutes the end was in sight. Just as we began to take our final steps it began to snow lightly, making the mountain look just that little bit more perfect and victory taste ever so slightly sweeter.

Mike will be meeting us again for part 2 of our touring transition in a couple of weeks time and I can guarantee you that we will all be wearing a lot less clothing!

To Be Continued…

Well most of that was true! The atmosphere was electric as some of the biggest names in mountain biking were riding around as we queued for the gondolas and chairlifts. And there were a LOT of bikes, plenty of biking gear and bike chat happening in every bar, cafe and shop. The trails however I have to say were a mixed bag...some were fantastic, some were hard to find, some didn't appear to exist and some were so spread out that your day was almost taken over by slogging it out on 4x4 tracks.

However, the 3 Valleys does have some of the most beautiful and varied scenery in the Alps and if you are looking to get out on your cross country bike and explore the region on 2 wheels then there are certainly plenty of trails and roads to choose from if you are willing to take on the uphills as well as the down. The biking (VTT) maps for each resort are based more around what they call downhill itineraries which, as far as we could tell, are very much cross country and endurance bike rides, with a lot of the trails on 4x4 tracks and fire roads.  The downhill specific trails that we did eventually manage to find were well made, well maintained and great fun!

Our first day began with an adventure from our base in Meribel over to the Belleville Valley and the hopes of getting to try out the downhill trails in Val Thorens. Thwarted from the start we spent the first part of our day cruising down fire roads on heavy downhill bikes trying to find a marked red downhill itinerary that was going to lead us into Les Menuires so that we could take the lift up to the head of the valley and Val Thorens...we never did find the trail! However once we arrived in Rebarty/Les Menuires we were told to our great disappointment that the gondola access to Val Thorens doesn't operate on a Thursday! We decided to take advantage at this point of the one Red DH trail we could find and enjoyed a few laps of the Roc n' Bike trail under the Roc des 3 Marches gondola. With spectacular views and some fun features on the trail we really started to enjoy our riding in this beautiful valley.

Our route home to Meribel however proved a little tricky again as we struggled again to find the trail that would take us back to the connecting St Martin lift. After another slog along some fire roads to traverse the valley we eventually happened upon a really sweet Blue DH trail, with some fun red level variations. It seems this is the run we should have been lapping all day! A long descent of 8.3km and 1034m made for some fun riding.

By this point we had worked out that the DH trails that we wanted to ride were very specifically marked with diamonds rather then triangles so despite the description on the VTT Trail map the 'downhill itineraries' were not what we were looking for. Luckily the Red DH trail down into Meribel did not disappoint - although again it was hard to know exactly which route it was on the map the trail went from the top of Tougnette lift and brought us all the way down into Meribel town. A great mixture of wide open burms, well made jumps and slick rooty sections in the forest. A great end to our first day biking in the 3 Valleys.

Armed with the previous days knowledge we headed off on the Friday to test out the trails in the Meribel valley, and we were not disappointed! We knew by this time what signs to look out for and what not to follow so we made our way on a fast and fun green run that lead us from the Tougnete mid-station into the village of Mottaret. We then went all the way to the top of the Saulire which connects the Courchevel and Meribel Valleys, for some fantastic views over the whole area. A short descent on the fire road to the Saulire mid-station - marked as a black downhill itinerary! - brought us to the head of one of the best descents of the weekend. a 6.3km long blue DH trail that was fast, flowy and full of features and beautiful views. We arrived back in town with grins on our faces and  just in time to catch the qualifying rounds for the Downhill World Cup...a great day all round!

So mountain biking in the 3 Valleys - a beautiful area with a lot of options, be prepared to cycle up as well as down hill and give yourself the freedom to explore (possibly with a good OS map in your pocket!). But if you are looking to do pure lift access DH trails then make sure you ask the locals where to go and get straight to the good stuff!

Top Tips

• Check the chairlift and gondola time table before planning your day out as they don't all run every day!
• If there is a map of trails at the top of the gondola or chairlift then this will be a better description of what is to come than the rather inaccurate paper trail maps. And in addition you can ask the lifties!
• Carry an OS map with you if you are planning to explore the area and don't rely on the VTT map that is on offer.
• Have a note of bus time tables in case you get stranded in one of the valleys.
  • Meribel and Mottaret
  • Courchevel and La Tania
  • Val Thorens and the Belleville Valley

More info on summer lift opening dates and prices can be found here.