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Courchevel offers the jet set luxury in a class of its own

The outing as a Courchevel newcomer takes place at the latest in the hotel's ski depot.

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Courchevel offers the jet set luxury in a class of its own

The outing as a Courchevel newcomer takes place at the latest in the hotel's ski depot. In search of the equipment they borrowed the day before, which is assumed to be in a locker, the guys at the information desk wave them off with a grin: "We've prepared everything." "Let's do it!"), snacks, water bottles and handkerchief packages are handed out for the day's skiing.

Then it goes through a sliding door directly towards the slope; freshly prepared skis are lined up here, precisely arranged according to the room numbers of the hotel guests. A hotel employee sprints to the right number, lays out the skis in the downhill direction and sticks the ski poles in the snow next to them. Just click in your ski boots and off you go.

This is how a day's skiing begins in "L'Apogée Courchevel", one of almost two dozen luxury hotels where the room prices are in the four-digit range - per night. Everything in France's finest Alpine resort is designed to ensure guests don't break a sweat before making their tracks in the snow.

Most come from Europe to this pretty snow-sure corner of the Savoy Alps, but also from India and Brazil and soon from China again, to enjoy top-class luxury in the self-proclaimed “Capitale mondial du Ski” – that doesn’t stand for immodest "World Ski Capital".

In fact, Courchevel doesn't think much of understatement: After all, the town is part of the world's largest ski area with 600 kilometers of slopes. Here there is the highest concentration of starred restaurants in the Alps. And most of the five-star palace hotels in an alpine holiday village, next to the "L'Apogée" for example "Le K2 Palace", the "Airelles" or the "Aman Le Melezin".

Plus, the place has had Olympic glamor since it hosted several competitions during the 1992 Albertville Winter Games. And the Alpendorf is regularly in the headlines as the host of the Alpine World Ski Championships – the best skiers in the world have just made guest appearances in Courchevel and neighboring Méribel, from February 6th to 19th.

After the Second World War, Courchevel was planned on the drawing board as a flagship project by the French state. The development of the associated Trois Vallées (Three Valleys) ski area was also financed with tax money in order to develop the barren mountainous region economically.

Fortunately, there were no concrete blocks or high-rise buildings, but the planned architecture in the uniform chalet style still seems strangely artificial and a little bit soulless. Courchevel is not a village that has grown over time, but this has the advantage that almost every holiday accommodation has an unobstructed view of the valley and the guests can practically fall from the hotel bed directly onto the slopes.

Courchevel was originally supposed to be raised to enable everyone to have winter holidays, but due to a lack of financial resources, this vision of democratic tourism was not pursued any further in the 1950s. At the latest with the construction of the Altiport in 1961, the strategic orientation was clear: Since then, Courchevel has offered the jet set a landing pad for private planes and helicopters at an altitude of 2007 meters.

And this is found here in abundance and regularly. The Beckhams, Victoria and David, have a chalet here. Prince William and his wife Kate like to whiz down the slopes of Courchevel, not least because Kate's sister Pippa married into the British hotel industry billionaire Matthews family, who own a house here. Former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard and stars such as Robbie Williams and Elton John also value Courchevel.

The place benefits from the glamor that the European celebrities radiate with their presence and prove to the world that Courchevel really is the hotspot in the Alps, at the top of the literal and figurative sense. The stars, in turn, benefit from Courchevel's social and geographical peripheral location.

On the one hand, average earners cannot afford a skiing holiday in the posh resort. On the other hand, the high alpine village, above which the white peaks rise to almost 3000 meters, is difficult to reach for curious day trippers; from Geneva it takes at least two and a half hours by car. In other words, in Courchevel one remains fairly unmolested by average life, enjoys the nonchalance of keeping to oneself and considers absolute luxury to be normal.

Even on this glorious day of skiing, one or the other private jet flies over the peaks, while down below winter holidaymakers carve through the perfectly groomed snow on autobahn-wide pistes or toast the first champagne on the sun terrace of the in-location "Bagatelle" before lunch.

Dozens of skiers in high-end winter outfits from Prada to Perfect Moment are queuing up at the Verdons middle station. The central gondola is sponsored by Moncler and is covered with the logo of the luxury sports brand from top to bottom. One slope further, a Gucci train whirrs up the mountain.

The best of the best is standard here, at least in Courchevel 1850, as the highest and noblest district is also called. If you are looking for cheaper accommodation or restaurants, you have to "descend" to the lower-lying districts; in Courchevel Village at 1500 meters there is even a public swimming pool. Of course, those guests who live at the top of Courchevel won't use this, because the five-star domiciles naturally have their own, much more glamorous pools.

For newcomers to Courchevel, everything is a bit overwhelming at first. But amazingly quickly, after just a few days, you get used to this glittering world and the omnipresent casual friendliness.

And it's no longer surprising that there are monumental, polished metal sculptures by Lorenzo Quinn, Anthony Quinn's eighth son and one of the best-paid sculptors in the world, on the edge of the slopes and in the village. That a lobster salad for lunch costs 68 euros. That many restaurants are not full in the evening because it is common practice to reserve a table in several places and then spontaneously decide whether you would like more sushi at "Koori" or three-star cuisine at "Le 1947 ' at the Hotel Cheval Blanc.

Conveniently, many of the kilometer-long descents end right in the center of Courchevel 1850, i.e. in the business center. In this way, guests can immerse themselves in the world of luxury consumption straight from the slopes. And, for example, trudging in to Hermès in ski boots to ask whether a delivery of Kelly Bags hadn't come in after all (no, but supplies are supposed to come from Paris next week, really!).

Others are drawn to the Louis Vuitton boutique, in front of which the Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama has installed a meter-high inflatable dot pumpkin (popular selfie motif). Around the corner, at Gucci, the complete last runway collection by designer Alessandro Michele, who left at the end of November, is still hanging (highly valued among collectors!). And the chauffeur is waiting in front of the door in the Hummer SUV to bring the shopping bags to the hotel.

There's also something refreshing about being out and about in Courchevel, where decadence meets slush, it's a different kind of broadening of horizons. Seen from here, there's even something reassuring that the "inflation creep" - the new, keeps on coming growing fear of rising everyday costs that suck the account empty - seems to be taking place in another galaxy. Crisis? Doesn't exist here, apart from the aforementioned designer bag supply crisis.

The way home from the slopes to the accommodation is treacherous. Because at first glance, all hotels in Courchevel look the same. The same peaked roofs, the same wooden balconies. Intoxicated by the thin mountain air (many runs are well over 2000 meters high), you have to be extremely careful to find the right turn.

The "L'Apogée" is, as befits France's noblest ski resort, not just a side slope. It's a kind of magic lift carpet that transports guests up through a glass tube to the ski depot, saving the hassle of scaling the small hill on skates.

The hotel has hot chocolate, biscuits and eager staff: “Did you have a nice day? Do you need anything - a massage appointment perhaps?' No thanks. At most a guide on how to cope with the German gray of everyday life after this trip. But this shock therapy will come soon enough.

Arrival: If you don't travel by private jet, the best way to reach Courchevel is via Geneva. Daily flights from Germany with Easyjet, Eurowings, Lufthansa, Swiss. Driving time to Courchevel about two and a half hours. Many accommodations offer transfers.

Accommodation: "Le Chabichou", family-run celebrity hotspot with a two-star restaurant, double rooms from 800 euros (chabichou-courchevel.com). "L'Apogée Courchevel", luxury chalet-style hotel with spa and two restaurants, double rooms from 1500 euros (oetkercollection.com). "Hôtel Courchevel Olympic", simple but modern furnishings, 100 meters from the piste, double room from 330 euros (courchevelolympic.com).

Ski area: The Trois Vallées ski area around Courchevel, Méribel and Val Thorens offers 600 km of slopes, ski pass: 72 euros per day, 360 euros for six days (les3vallees.com).

For more information: courthevel.com; atout-france.fr

Participation in the trip was supported by the "Hotel L'Apogée Courchevel"/Oetker Collection. You can find our standards of transparency and journalistic independence at axelspringer.com/de/Werte/downloads.

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