You will have the most luxurious skiing experience here
Expensive, more expensive, most expensive. Skiing is never a budget trip, but to Courchevel 1850 you don't just go to ski down, but to be seen while doing it. When I had ski lessons as a child in Val Thorens, there was a boy who always had a security guard skiing behind him. I was too busy practicing turns and braking to think anything of it, but now I would like to know his last name. At 1850 meters high, in the heart of the French Alps, lies the village where the Gucci gondolas are and the Goldbergh ski suits.
Endless slopes
Courchevel 1850 is located in Les Trois Vallées and, together with Val Thorens and Méribel, is responsible for the largest contiguous ski area in the world. Translation: endless slopes. Here you can ski effortlessly for an entire afternoon without seeing the same descent twice. And thanks to the high altitude, you don't have to hope for snow. You have it. All season long.
See and be seen
Yet you and I know that no one comes here just for the kilometers of slopes. It starts with the hotels where five stars are the standard and ‘everything included’ is an understatement. In culinary terms, the French are also not modest. In the middle of the mountains, you will find Le 1947, awarded three Michelin stars. As if that weren't enough, the village has several other star-rated establishments where you can lunch like royalty. Those restaurants where you know everyone is watching. And not just at you, but also at which bag you are currently carrying over your shoulder.
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Over the top activities
Around four o'clock (okay, often two), the focus shifts from carving to cava. Après-ski in Courchevel is certainly not a sticky polonaise. It's so stylish that you look out over the snow-covered peaks and think: this is either absurd or brilliant. And maybe both?
And then that moment when you feel the imprint of your ski boots burning in your shins. Because millionaire or not: gravity makes no distinction. Then it's time to kick them off and dive into the village. Shopping here is a sport in itself, as all the designers can be found in the village. If you manage the impossible and are still bored? Book an extensive spa day or float in a hot air balloon over the white landscape. For those who have FOMO towards the high north: you can also be pulled by huskies, or rev up on a snowmobile. Courchevel 1850 Credit: Dennis Zhang.
is not subtle and it doesn't pretend to be anywhere. But maybe that's exactly the point: not escaping reality, but upgrading it for a week. Over the top? Absolutely. But that's why you're in the mountains after all. Courchevel 1850 kelseymerritt.
Image: Instagram | Expensive, more expensive, most expensive. Skiing is never a budget trip, but to Courchevel 1850 you don't just go to ski down, but to be seen while doing it.
