Essential Studio

Serre Chevalier was the first ski area in the world to generate its own electricity from all three renewable sources at once: hydro power drawn from its snowmaking pipes, solar panels and micro wind turbines. Running since autumn 2019, the scheme now covers thirty-four percent of the area's annual consumption. The skiing itself amounts to 250 kilometres over 82 pistes and 58 lifts, between 1,200 and 2,800 metres, spread across four bases: Briançon, Chantemerle, Villeneuve and Le Monêtier-les-Bains. Briançon is the highest town in France and its Vauban fortifications are UNESCO-listed, which makes this the rare large French area attached to a working town rather than a purpose-built resort. The Écrins National Park begins at its edge.