Chamrousse, Chamrousse

Sitting amongst 320 hectacres of wooded slopes, and only 32kms up the valley from Grenoble, is Chamrousse, a self-contained resort in the spectacular Dauphine region. The resort is actually two villages at different altitudes, Le Recoin 1650 and La Roche Beranger 1750, which are linked by a shuttle bus. Although popular as a ski resort in the Grenoble area since the 1950s, Chamrousse came to international attention in 1968 when Jean Claude Killy won two of his three Olympic gold medals there - in downhill and giant slalom. In the lead up to the Olympics, Chamrousse was developed with all of the style and sensitivity we have come to associate with purpose-built French ski resorts. Today the many apartment blocks of Roche Beranger combine to create a concrete monstrosity; Le Recoin, being an older community, and retaining some traditional buildings, is somewhat more attractive. However, if you don't care too much about the architecture, the resort offers a good range of pistes for skiers and snowboarders of all abliities and makes a fine ski destination for groups and families. Over the years the breadth of accommodation and facilities in the resort have attracted several national and international sporting events besides ski racing - every winter Chamrousse welcomes the national dog sled championships and other major events hosted include international motor rallying and world cup snowboarding.