Serre Chevalier Vallée Briançon, where is it ?
Serre Chevalier Valley Briançon,
which way is it?
A touch of geography
North of the Southern Alps, a stone's throw from Italy, at the very top of the Hautes-Alpes département, just below the Col du Lautaret, the 27.7 km Serre Chevalier valley stretches all the way to Briançon.
We may be perched in chamois country between 2642 m (Col du Galibier) and 1200 m (Briançon), we may be topped by the towering glaciers of the Parc National des Ecrins, but we still have the lilting, sun-drenched accent of the Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur region.
The nascent Durance, which flows through the heart of beautiful Briançon, a city of art and history, links the Briançonnais to Provence. There's no doubt about it, this is the South!
Starting from the Col du Lautaret, a pristine paradise for snowkiting and ski touring, the valley, dominated by its highest point, Les Agneaux (3,664 m), tumbles down following the course of the Guisane.
The insolent beauty of this open valley astounds the visitor.
White or verdant, wild and unspoilt, the valley, capped by a singular azure sky, unfurls a string of 11 hamlets built around three flagship villages:
- le Monêtier les Bains (1,500m) and its Pré Chabert snow front
- la Salle les Alpes (1,420m) and its Villeneuve resort center
- Saint-Chaffrey (1,350m) and its historic center at the foot of the Chantemerle slopes.
The river that flows through the Serre Chevalier valley, the Guisane, takes its name from the Latin phrase "aque sanae", meaning healthy waters.
A pinch of history
While many traces of Roman occupation are preserved in the Gap museum, including two white marble bas-reliefs, the presence of Rome's emissaries can be seen above all in Monêtier-les-Bains.
The village, named in Latin Stabatio "place of healing", is generously endowed with four resurgences of naturally warm water gushing from the bowels of the Alps at 44°. These healing waters fed the thermal baths of the ancient village, and today continue to fill the thousand-virtue pools of the Grands Bains du Monêtier, where immersion after a day's skiing is simply divine!
In terms of heritage, the valley sparkles with light and sacred and secular treasures, vestiges of the Middle Ages through to modern times.
Churches, chapels, sundials, fortifications, frescoes, fountains, farms of yesteryear, as well as forges, mines, spinning mills and tanneries, are all opportunities to fortify your culture and knowledge during your ski holiday!
It was 80 years ago. On December 21, 1941, the Serre Chevalier cable car, then one of the longest in Europe, was inaugurated, providing access to the resort's first slopes. Since then, Serre Chevalier Vallée Briançon has maintained its pioneering status in many respects. Without a single wrinkle, at 80 years of age, Serre Che is still in pole position.
Did you know?
It was with the eagle on the coat of arms of the Borel family from the hamlet of Le Bez that Serre Chevalier united its villages behind a common banner. "Serre" is patois for a small mountain. And "chevalier", a ravine carved out by a torrent.
A good dose of singularity!
Briançon, the highest commune in France and even in Europe, is one of a select group of resort towns where you can ski back down to the center of town via the Prorel.
A single resort with slope departures from Briançon and each of the villages, and 250 kilometers of linked trails covering 410 hectares of marked terrain. From Monêtier-les-Bains to Briançon without taking your shoes off!
Committed to the environmental transition for many years, Serre Che has become the first resort to produce its own electricity thanks to its photovoltaic panels, wind turbines and hydroelectric turbine.
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