Planning a ski trip to Chatel? Browse our collection of visitor-generated reviews that rank the mountain and ski town on a scale of one to five stars in the following categories: Overall Rating, All-Mountain Terrain, Nightlife, Terrain Park and Family Friendly. See how Chatel stacks up to others in terms of skiing and après, and read up on pros, cons and comments from fellow skiers and snowboarders. Don't forget to submit your own Chatel review! Scroll to the bottom of this page to let other travelers know about your ski area experience.
Skier & Snowboarder-Submitted Reviews for Chatel
Total (3.8)
A ski resort's overall star rating displayed here is not calculated based on a simple average but takes several factors, including the age of a review, into account.
Loads to do, but huge moguls on every run prevent it being an “easy” day and make it almost impossible for learners!
Darren Parker
Chatel is an economical place to stay, although skiing is not cheap, Chatel provides great value for catered chalet accommodation etc.
It is a beautiful alpine village with charm and character larger than you think. It has a good selection of bars with DJ's and music but if you are looking for the big party life, Chatel is not your place. Chatel has a different vibe, more about the skiing with its great runs for all levels.
The excellent ski lift system linking the Portes du Soleil 650kms of pistes, will ensure you find something that suits you. Super Chatel area has a few button lifts but is an excellent area for beginner and low intermediate level. Following the new lifts connecting Super Chatel to Linga, there are plans to upgrade the lift system on the Super Chatel side. The Linga to Pre le Joux ski area is excellent and has a great lift infrastructure.
Due to its snow making facilities, its Topography and micro climates, Chatel is always open from the beginning of December through to late April. Do not be fooled by altitude statements and having to be super high. After 1800m you lose the treeline which exposes you to wind and white outs!!!
We love Chatel and cannot rate it high enough in comparison with many other major resorts.
Richard Singer
Having stayed in Les Gets, Morzine and Châtel itself, our favourite village is La Chapelle D’abondance which is about a 3 minute drive from Châtel. Although La Chapelle has its own dedicated ski area at one end of the village and connected to Portes du Soleil at the other end via the Panthiaz gondola, we tend to drive to Pre La Joux or Linga. Easy parking in both- even at half term.
La Chapelle has all the best restaurants in the area and its very own micro brewery- Fer Rouge. It also has three Spa Hotels. It is a beautiful little village, cheaper to stay and less congested than a Châtel. In essence you’ll get a bigger property, for less money, enjoy the best dining- Latelier de Jacky, Cornettes, etc, and have the best pub in the region! There are also all the other things you would need- chemist, doctor,
Lisa Taylor
Need to stay in chatel itself we stayed in abundance and too far out had to use car and parking was a nightmare.
Nightlife very limited and expensive to eat out. Resort itself extremely pretty and compensated for this has old worldly charm and ambience.
Runs busy
Ref our stay at : www.aplaceinthesnow.co.uk
My girlfriend and I stayed in Petit Chatel for new years eve. We had a great time in Chatel - new years eve was a real buzz. My girlfriend is a professional skier and is skiing for the England Team. She too enjoyed the good snow at Chatel this year and the views from the apartment we stayed in were fantastic. We strongly recommend staying in Chatel area as it is very French and a very cosy atmosphere... We spent our evenings having great fun sledging down the slopes up behind the apartment - just the two of us!!! If you haven't been there, make sure to visit!
Châtel has managed to maintain a good proportion of its development in chalet style buildings in keeping with the natural ambience of the resort, although some feel things have gone too far and it’s got a bit messy and over crowded. Be that as it may there’s a high number of relatively inexpensive small family hotels and chalets rather than having the usual 99% apartment accommodation that is on offer in most French resorts. So this means Châtel is a good choice for escaping British domination and plunging yourself in to French culture with the added benefits of a huge ski area on your doorstep.
Châtel is well placed on the Portes du Soleil circuit, arguably the world's biggest lift-linked ski area offering 650km (406 miles) of piste. The local skiing effectively breaks in to two huge sectors of the Portes du Soleil, with the Linga gondola at one end of town heading off towards Avoriaz, and on the other from Super Châtel side gondola going towards the Swiss resort of Torgon. In addition, there are no less than ten individual and unlinked drag lifts dotted around the valley floor, serving very easy or easy runs and used for beginners. Experts tend to head for Linga sector and on towards The Wall, perhaps the most famous run on the Circuit. It’s a vast steep straight black mogul field unofficially characterised as “A brown run”. Another good but less infamous mogul field is on Plaine Dranse. Intermediates may well enjoy the ‘Discovery Routes’ available around the whole Portes du Soleil – pre-selected trail itineraries marked on the trail map, taking in some of the best skiing and the best views.
There are excellent steep off-piste trails in the Pre-la-Joux and Linga sectors – so much of it indeed that if you’re planning to do much oof the beaten track, then hiring a guide is highly recommended by the area’s fans, not just an over cautious tourist office or a ski school keen to get your cash. Recommended routes include a descent of the Leiche Valley from the Tete de Linga and excursions through the woods beneath the Linga gondola.
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