Châtel

Châtel is located right on the Swiss border in Haute-Savoie and is one of the villages in Portes du Soleil. The village has a distinct alpine-village feel and works as a great base if you want both your own skiing close to town and the option to head out into the huge interconnected system.

Skiing around Châtel is divided into several sectors, where Super Châtel often feels like the more beginner-friendly side, while Linga and Pré la Joux usually offer longer runs and more speed. In total, Châtel is said to have about 52 miles of pistes within its local area, while via lifts and links you can access the entire Portes du Soleil with 373 miles of skiing whenever you want to take longer tours between the villages.

For snow and overall vibe, the forest terrain is a big part of what makes this place special. A lot of the skiing is in and near the trees, which gives you better visibility when the weather moves in and often means there are nice edges and side terrain to work with after fresh snow. It isn’t a high-altitude resort, so snowmaking matters during milder stretches.