Chalet Cannelle
Winter 
Châtel village lies at an altitude of 1200m with the ski area going up to 2200m. The terrain is suitable to skiers and boarders of all abilities and holds a fantastic snow record. Whether you enjoy hair raising black runs, tree lined long runs, taking on the pipe, easy blues or off piste powder, Châtel and the Portes du Soleil has it covered
The big drawcard for skiing in Châtel is the scenery – open snow fields and tree lined runs with the famous rocky pinnacles above. Have a look for yourself with the Châtel Panorama. Huge investment has been made in recent years to improve the lifts and snow making facilities with respect to local architecture and surroundings being a number one priority
Châtel is one of the longest opening resorts in the Portes du Soleil, opening mid-December and closing at the end of April
The estimated opening dates for the 2012/2013 season are 22nd December 2012 – 21st April 2013, with Pre-La-Joux also open on the the first two weekends in December and the link with Avoriaz open every day from the 15th December.
Where to Ski
Châtel is one of 12 linked resorts that make up the impressive Portes du Soleil ski region spanning both France and Switzerland. The area enjoys exceptional snowfall, averaging 8m per year
Portes du Soleil at a glance:
- 283 slopes: 27 black, 104 red, 119 blue, 33 green
- 197 ski lifts
- 650 km of groomed slopes
- 10 snowparks
- 90 slopeside restaurants
Skiing in Châtel is suited to both skiiers and snowboarders and all abilities are catered for. Châtel has 4 ski lift areas, making it easy to start somewhere new each day and experience different pistes - all are served by the free shuttle service and also have car parking. Châtel has direct access to the resorts of Avoriaz, Torgon and Morgins which have onward links to other resorts such as Morzine and Les Gets.
Châtel at a glance:
- Altitude of 1100 - 2200m
- 49 slopes: 5 black, 16 red, 17 blue, 11 green
- 45 ski lifts
- 90km of groomed slopes
- 40km of cross country tracks
- 2 snowparks
Super Châtel
- Natural bowl area perfect for beginners
- Long tree lined blue and red runs for intermediates
- Linked to La Chappelle and the Swiss resorts of Torgon and Morgins
- Smooth park for the snowboarders
Pre La Joux & Le Linga
- Highest point in the Châtel ski area
- Vast number of pistes
- Skiing for all abillities
- Plenty of off piste
- Express lifts to Avoriaz
- Night skiing once a week
Piste Maps
There are 3 options for getting to the slopes, by bus, by car or via the cross country ski route
By bus
The Châtel bus provides an excellent free shuttle service. Chalet Cannelle is located close to the La Corne Noir bus stop (300m walk, near to the Intermarche supermarket). The free shuttle for route E stops here and will take you to the village centre and then to the Linga ski-lift. From the village you can get other free shuttles, such as route A to Pré-la-Joux. If you ask the driver on route D nicely, they will drop you off at the top of the road into Suvay
Chatel shuttle bus routes and map
There is also a valley bus service serving all the villages in the Abondance valley and free for Portes du Soleil ski pass holders (otherwise, 1€). This bus also stops at La Corne Noir and will take you directly to Linga without passing through the village, or to La Chappelle d'Abondance, another Portes du Soleil Ski resort and a lovely village for lunch
By car
For those wishing to drive, car parking is available in the village centre, and at the Pré-la-Joux, Linga, Petit-Châtel and La Panthiaz ski lifts. The village and Petit-Châtel car parks are covered and all charge by the hour. 6 hours parking is appromimately 7€
All the ski lifts can be viewed on this map
An alternative route to the slopes is to take the cross country ski trail to the La Panthiaz, a nice way to warm up the legs before hitting the slopes. Access to the nordic trail is 300m from Chalet Cannelle, near the supermarket
Snowboarding
The Smoothpark in Châtel has a great selection of kickers and rails, including an S-rail and a see-saw rail. Alternatively, head to the famous snowboarding centre of Avoriaz home of The Stash and the Snowzone
Cross Country / Nordic Skiing
The Abondance valley is home to an extensive 40km of Nordic ski trails that cross through Châtel, La Chapelle d'Abondance and Abondance, following the River Dranse through the valley. The trails are located between 900m and 1500m and cater for all levels and both techniques (classic and skating).
Chalet Cannelle is located only 300m from the Nordic area with the Grand Circuit (trail 7) being the closest, and the Boucle du Moulin (trail 6) a little further.
We can arrange your ski passes for you with a 10% discount. Two ski pass options are available:
Châtel
Includes Super Châtel, Linga / Pre-la-Joux, Torgon, the Corbeau sector at Morgins and the La Braitaz sector at La Chapelle d’Abondance
2012 price for 7 day pass:
Adult €181, Child €136
Portes du Soleil
14 ski areas, including Châtel, Avoriaz, Morgins, Morzine, Les Gets
2012 price for 7 day pass:
Adult €243, Child €182
Ski School
We can arrange ski lessons for you with our partner, Chatel Sensations
(based in Linga) with a 5% discount
Alternatively, Chatel has other ski schools for you to choose from:
Ecole du Ski Francais (ESF)
British Alpine Ski & Snowboard School (BASS)
Ecole de Ski Pro Skiing (ESI)
Ecole Ski Acdemy
Stages Henri Gonon
Children
Châtel is a superb ski resort for kids of all ages with specialist ski schools and snow areas, as well as plenty of non-snow activities
The Kids’ Garden “les Pitchounes” introduces children aged 3-5 to skiing with fun games on the snow and is run by the Chatel Sensations ski school in Linga. The Ecole du Ski Francais runs Club Piou-Piou, a ski school for 3-6 year olds. ESI also offer ski school in small groups for children ages 4 and up
There are two sledging areas at Pre-la-Joux, one for 2-6 year olds and the other for 6 years and over. There is also a sledging area in Super-Châtel
Non-snow activities
- Merry go round in the centre of Châtel
- Children’s shows
- Wood carving- 4 years and up
- Wooden decoration workshops – 3 years and up
Après Ski
Châtel has a very welcoming après ski atmosphere with a good selection of bars and restaurants. L'Escalier, Le Tunnel and the Avalanche are all good spots for a drink with live music. The avalanche is the closest you will get to an English pub in the mountain and shows live sports. Le Sloopys is the village nightclub.
The micro-brewery, Le Fer Rouge is towards La Chapelle d'Abondance and La Godille is a buzzy bar near the Super Châtel gondola. L'Isba is perfect if you are looking for a quieter spot with a great view.
The village restaurants serve affordable Savoyard specialities such as raclettes, fondues and Tartiflette. We highly recommended the Fiacre or Pierrier. There are numerous choices for non French fare too. The Hors Piste and La Flambee both serve pizzas and L'Escalier has a range of European and international cuisine.
The village also has a bowling alley and a cinema
Phone numbers and address details for bars and restaurants in Châtel
Activities
There are plenty of activities in Châtel to keep non-skiers occupied:
- Tobogganing
- Ice Skating
- Walking / snow-shoeing - the Super-Châtel, Linga cable-car and Pierre Long chair-lift are open to walkers to access over 60km of walking trails
- Cross country Skiing
- Paragliding
- Ice Diving
- Cheese making – See the local Abondance cheese being made and have a taste
- Spa or massage treatment at Hotel Macchi
Getting Here
Chalet Cannelle is situated in the beautiful hamlet of Suvay on the outskirts of Châtel. Suvay is located on the D22 road from Thonon.
By air
Two airports are within easy reach of Chalet Cannelle; Geneva and Sion. Flight time from the UK is approximately 90 minutes
Geneva
The advantage of Geneva airport is the choice of airlines that fly there, including British Airways, Swiss Air, Easy Jet, BMI Baby, Jet2 & Flybe. Try Sky Scanner to compare all flights. The airport is situated 76km from Chalet Cannelle.
Sion
Sion airport in Switzerland is 70km from Chalet Cannelle, 45km of which is on the Auto Route and takes approximately 1 hour. Snowjet run an exclusive service from London Stanstead to Sion airport and they provide a winter timetable. Flights start at £79 one way.
Car Hire
Avis, Hertz & Europcar operate from both Geneva and Sion airports. When booking your flights, look out for special deals for car hire through the airline. If hiring a car from Geneva, we recommend booking to collect and drop off on the Swiss side of the terminal for convenience.
Transfers
Transfers can be arranged for you, just ask for a quote when booking
By Car
Châtel is located 850km from Calais and the drive takes approximately 9 hours
Useful Links
Delicious Liaison offer a bespoke catering service in Chatel and the surrounding villages
For Additional links click here