Visitor reviews for Chamrousse Ski Resort

Chamrousse Ratings

Overall: 3.7. Based on 23 votes and 14 reviews. Vote

Snowsure: 3.8

(1) Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing, (2) is often closed due to a lack of snow, (3) occasionally suffers from a lack of snow, (4) rarely suffers from a lack of snow, (5) Chamrousse is snowsure even in the poorest seasons.

Variety of pistes: 4.1

(1) The ski runs are featureless and unvaried, (3) the ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week, (5) Chamrousse has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain.

Off-piste: 3.4

(1) No off-piste worth mentioning, (2) off piste is out-of-bounds, (3) some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days, (5) a vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days.

Scenery: 4.4

(1) An ugly resort in a bland setting, (3) average mountain views and resort, (5) a spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town.

Access: 4.0

(1) At least one overnight stop, (2) requires a whole day, (3) requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns (4) arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon, (5) there is a main airport within an hour of Chamrousse.

Public Transport: 3.9

(1) There are no buses or taxis to Chamrousse, (3) there are slow or infrequent buses / trains available, (5) getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections.

Accommodation: 3.8

(1) No places to stay in/near Chamrousse, (3) a few places to stay in the resort, (5) a wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets.

Cheap Rooms: 3.8

(1) No budget accommodation available, (3) just one or two hostels so book ahead, (5) several cheap hostels and pensions available.

Luxury Hotels: 2.2

(1) No luxury accommodation available, (3) just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead, (5) several up-market hotels in Chamrousse.

Ski in/Ski out: 4.4

(1) The ski area is located far from any accommodation, (3) a free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip, (5) Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available.

Childcare: 3.6

(1) There are no child care facilities at Chamrousse, (5) the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche.

Snowmaking: 3.5

(1) Chamrousse relies entirely on natural snow, (3) there are just a few snow cannons, (5) there are snowmaking facilities on all pistes.

Snow Grooming: 4.0

(1) There are no snow groomers at Chamrousse, (3) occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state, (5) all the runs at Chamrousse are groomed daily.

Shelter: 3.5

(1) there is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut, (3) there are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close, (5) Chamrousse is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close.

Nearby options: 3.4

(1) If snow conditions are poor at Chamrousse, it will be poor everywhere nearby, (3) there are good alternatives within an hours drive, (5) other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions.

Regional rating: 3.9

(1) Chamrousse usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region, (3) has average conditions for the region, (5) usually has the best snow conditions in the region.

Lift Staff: 3.8

(1) The staff at Chamrousse are rude or unhelpful, (5) lift staff at Chamrousse are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help.

Crowds/Queues: 3.8

(1) the resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues, (3) it is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays, (5) it is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare.

Ski Schools: 3.8

(1) No ski schools available, (2) one or two ski schools but local language only, (3) a few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors, (4) plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available, (5) excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors.

Hire and Repairs: 4.0

(1) Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex. (3) there are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance, (5) good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible.

Beginners: 4.4

(1) Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard, (3) a few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week, (3) Vast areas of gentle terrain.

Intermediates: 4.3

(1) No intermediate terrain at Chamrousse, (3) intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days, (5) vast areas of cruising runs.

Advanced: 3.5

(1) Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders, (3) enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste, (5) Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week.

Snow Park: 3.8

(1) Not even a kicker at Chamrousse, (3) average sized park quite well looked after, (5) huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails.

Cross-country: 4.0

(1) There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Chamrousse, (3) there are some cross country trails available, (5) the area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails.

Luge/Toboggan: 2.8

(1) No designated luge or toboggan runs, (3) there are toboggan runs that open quite often, (5) Chamrousse has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages.

Mountain Dining: 3.2

(1) Nowhere to buy food by the pistes, (3) some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive, (5) there is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets.

Eating: 3.4

(1) Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop. (5) A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants.

Apres-Ski: 3.0

(1) Nothing to do, not even a bar, (3) there are a few bars in the resort but nothing special, (5) clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere.

Other Sports: 3.1

(1) No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts, (3) resort has just a small public swimming pool, (5) resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool.

Entertainment: 3.1

(1) Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here, (3) the non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week, (5) the resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports.

Winter Walks: 3.7

(1) Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails, (3) a couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails, (5) extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities.

Ski Pass Value: 4.1

(1) A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available, (3) the ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts, (5) ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area.

Value (National): 3.9

(1) Overall, Chamrousse is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money, (3) overall represents average value for money, (5) overall offers the best value resort in the country.

Value (Global): 3.9

(1) Overall, Chamrousse is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world, (3) overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries, (5) internationally the resort offers excellent value for money.

Show all 35 ratings

February 09, 2015
Barbora from Ski Czech Republic Czech Republic
We were here for a week (we returned yesterday). We are not going here again. Our apartment (Domaine de l'Arselle) was really small; for a family with two children we get 1 bedroom and a kitchen with convertible couch (usually we get a bedroom and bunk for two child). Rooms were really small and it didn't have a balcony. Skiing is great, but that's in all the places in France where we were (Alpa d'Houze, Puy St. Vincent). We were there for the second time and we had (again) problems with employees. We always clean the apartment after ourselves and we never had problems anywhere. In Chamrousse they had a problem three years ago; we lost a hanger. They wanted 10 Euros and when they came to take back their keys from the room they wanted stupid things to clean, like mop under cabinets (which no one did in at least 5 years). This year they said the room wasn't clean enough. Okay, they had to clean it. If we would have ordered them to clean it it would have cost us 32 Euros. We expected that they are going to want about 40 Euros. They wanted 80 Euros. We have never ever had this problem anywhere else. Read More
January 09, 2015
Paul Grezio from Ski Germany Germany
I have just been to Chamrousse again with my family. I have to say that it gets better and better every time we go. We stayed at the Domaine de l'Arselle which is ideal for families or groups travelling together. The place is very well kept and you can ski up to your apartment. The views from the balcony are just amazing. Highly recommend this place. Great for beginners as well as advanced skiers. Read More
December 07, 2012
Belinda from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Chamrousse is a great place to learn to ski or improve. Great for families. Really enjoyed myself there and looking forward to returning this month. There are enough slopes for all levels. Was never too crowded! Close to airport too so no long coach transfers.
January 18, 2011
Jo from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
We visited Chamrousse last Jan (10) and are set to go again on Saturday. We had an amazing time. We are advanced skiers with young children and after a week in the resort they are intermediate level and confident on blues and reds. Can't wait to get back this year to try the ski cross run on our new twin tip/all mountian skis! Highly recommended to families with young kids or general beginners. We had fun as advanced skiers on the olympic runs and blacks but plenty there for all. Read More
November 23, 2010
william from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Chamrousse is a brilliant resort! We've had an appartment there for 3 years and been skiing there every year of them and have never got bored of it. There is a good variety of slopes and amazing off-piste! It is only 40 minutes from Grenoble so easily reachable and the resorts of Alpe d'Uex and Les Deux Alpes are only 1 hour away. Altogether a beautiful resort with incredible scenery! Read More
November 18, 2010
Will from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
I visited last year and loved it. Chamrousse is a real family resort and is so much cheeper than say the 3 valleys. Ok, the skiing is not as extensive, but the overall atmosphere is great. Chamrousse is very "French" which is a breath of fresh air. I firmly believe that this is a hidden gem and I have noticed more UK operators have Chamrousse on its books. Its always a good sign when you see new investment being ploughed into the resort, and new tasteful developments appearing. Visit Chamrousse and enjoy it. You won't feel like you're walking down the Kings Road! Read More
January 31, 2010
Boltie from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Just back from a week's skiing. Our first French experience & we were pleasantly surprised. Lots of snow & sun, was a joy to be able to sit out on the terraces eating lunch & not freeze. Having previously skied in Lapland, Italy & Canada, all extremely cold in January, Chamrousse was like heaven! Access to the slopes from our apartments (Chamrousse apts-1700) was the best we've ever had-virtually ski to the door & hardly any lift queues-although extremely busy at the w'end. We did find some of the piste grading a little out though as several of the green & blue runs had very steep sections on them with little or no grooming going on which made for a bumpy ride after two decent snowfalls-beginners beware!! There is a great little mountain restaurant called La Mamamute which is on the lower slopes nr to 1750 & isn't on the piste map-they do excellent gluwein & good coffee. The only downside is they don't really seem to do much piste-bashing at Chamrousse, but there's plenty of powder about if that's your thing. We would return here as the views & acessability to the slopes are second to none, however, if you're a good intermediate & above you may well do all the runs in a day or two-but it's well worth a look at-try it!! Read More
December 11, 2009
Helen from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
I have purchased an apartment in Chamrousse and use it for 13 weeks of the year and would highly recommend it! Great for families, little waiting time for lifts and gorgeous views! Staff very helpful and great skiing!
August 28, 2009
Adrian Hamilton from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
I visited Chamrousse over the New Year period '08 to '09. It was just one of a number of ski areas I visited over a 2 week period. I am a regular visitor to the French Alps and generally love everything about France and French skiing. Chamrousse proved a major disappointment. Despite a mild spell, conditions across this part of the Alps were generally very good. Other areas we'd visited in the days leading up to our visit, including the resorts of the Grand Massif and the tiny resort of Lans en Vercors had maintained very good piste conditions. Chamrousse, however, was in a very poor state of piste maintenance. There was plenty of snow around but it appeared that little had been done to prepare the pistes and as a result they were in a condition more in keeping with an early season where little snow had fallen. Some of the easy pistes used as links by real novice skiers had been left unpisted from the previous days and as a result, chopped snow had frozen and created very treacherous conditions for all but experienced skiers. This atmosphere that suggested a lack of preparation was supported by the apathy of lift staff. On one occasion a child fell off a drag lift within 50 metres of the start and was desperately struggling to get out of the way. It took a good 3 - 4 minutes for her to clear the area aided by her father, who despite being a novice himself had to climb the icy track to assist. There were 3 lift operators watching while an increasingly irritated large queue looked on. In many places the lift tracks had been left bare when a shovel and a couple of pisters could have remedied the problem in minutes. I watched 2 of them sitting by the side of one bare area for a good 10 minutes with shovel in hand while they smoked a cigarette. This was around the middle of the day and the track had been bare since the lift opened. The lack of care in the resort apart, this is a congested area with many awkward piste intersections, creating numerous danger spots when the resort is busy. The impression is given that they have tried to cram as many pistes as possible into a relatively small area. The resort stations themselves are extremely ugly and typify all that was worst about 1960's purpose built with high rise apartment blocks more in keeping with a city centre than a beautiful mountain environment. I was so disappointed in the area that I wrote to the tourist office to voice my concerns, something I have never even thought of doing before in over 30 years skiing. There are several much nicer areas close to the city of Grenoble; Les Sept Laux, Alpe du Grand Serre, Lans en Vercors, Villard de Lans to name a few. These would be much better choices. The whole area is, in my opinion, in need of a major overhaul. Read More
February 03, 2008
David Groves from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Great resort for all abilities! Quick transfer from Grenoble. Amazing views. Great skiing and plenty for the advanced skier. The resort has a a good ski park and ski-cross course as well; great fun! We stayed at Ecrin Les Neiges appartments. Good value and highly recommended! Plenty of bars and restaurants for apres-ski. What more could you want? Read More