Courchevel 1850 Is Where Old Money and New Money Ski Side by Side

Named for its altitude in metres, Courchevel 1850 sits at the top of a cluster of five villages that together make up Courchevel, itself part of Les Trois Vallées, the largest linked ski area in the world. Of the five, 1850 has been the exclusive one since the resort's postwar development, and that reputation has only compounded over the decades as European aristocracy, Gulf royalty and a rotating cast of wealthy skiers have kept returning each winter.

An airport built for the clientele

Courchevel Altiport, a short, steeply angled runway cut into the mountainside above the village, was built in the 1960s and remains one of the more demanding commercial airstrips in Europe, used mainly by private aircraft and helicopters ferrying guests in directly rather than routing them through Geneva or Chambéry. The runway's slope and short length mean only specially certified pilots are permitted to land there, a detail that has become part of the resort's own mythology as much as a practical constraint.

What the money actually buys

Courchevel 1850's reputation rests less on any single event than on a sustained concentration of ultra-high-end chalets, several Michelin-starred restaurants and boutiques from the same luxury houses found on Paris's Avenue Montaigne, all within a village small enough to walk between them. Peak weeks, particularly around New Year, are when the resort's private-jet traffic and chalet rates both reach their annual high, drawing the heaviest concentration of well-known guests.

Skiing that justifies the address

Whatever the resort's reputation for spending, the skiing itself is genuine: the Trois Vallées links Courchevel with Méribel, Val Thorens and several smaller resorts across more than 600 kilometres of marked runs, giving 1850's guests access to terrain that has nothing to do with the village's prices.

Traveller tips

• Geneva and Chambéry are the practical commercial airports for Courchevel; the Altiport itself handles mainly private and charter traffic.
• The Trois Vallées lift pass covers Courchevel, Méribel, Val Thorens and the connected resorts on a single ticket.
• New Year and February half-term are Courchevel 1850's busiest and most expensive weeks; December before the holidays and April offer quieter, cheaper skiing on largely the same terrain.
• Courchevel's five villages, 1850, 1650, 1550, 1300 and Le Praz, share lifts but differ sharply in price, so check which one a booking actually refers to.