subject: Courchevel Ski Resort - the planning of a ski resort [print this page] Courchevel Ski Resort - the planning of a ski resort
In 1946 Chappis arrived in Courchevel to start the planning of the ski resort on the ground. He explored the whole area making observations as to the sunny areas, where large rocks were and trees. He calculated that on a slope of 100 metres by 100 metres there could be 10 to 15 skiers, thus giving around 5000 skiers for the whole area and a requirement for 5000 beds. He separated the area into three parts - hotel accommodation at Plantrey, cheaper accommodation at Bellecote and luxury hotels and chalets at Nogentil.
He was struck by the natural beauty of the area and set about to ensure that the resort would be built according to three rules - skiing was to be the priority, the ski area should be untouchable and all accommodation should be ski in and ski out - a novel idea in those days. He wanted the centre of the resort to be where the higher pistes came down to meet the lower pistes and the car parks to be situated at the entrance to the resort. Buildings were to be no higher than the trees around them.
By the spring of 1947 it was time to employ an architect and Denys Pradelle, who had spent time in the area recuperating from illness took up the post. He lived in a small chalet with no electricity and running water only from a nearby stream in Courchevel 1550. In the meantime money was needed to build the chalets and hotels so Michaud persuaded hotel owners from north France, who had had their properties bombed to invest their war damages in places in Courchevel.
Michaud and Chappis started to butt heads over the way the resort was developing. Chappis realised that certain areas were being put aside for the rich and elite and that town planning was not being kept to, with hotels being expanded over ski pistes, bars being built at the top of lift stations without a permit, trees felled without permission. Pradelle shared Chappis vision and did not want to simply build a town in the mountains and so left in 1959.
Meanwhile the residents of St Bon were not impressed at only receiving menial jobs such as ski lift attendants and hotel cleaners but very few of the original families who had given up their land had benefited from the building of Courchevel resort (1850 as it is now known). So the residents looked to get a new mayor and started to develop a separate resort called Moriond (today's 1650). However, it was built purely for profit and without any real planning. Beds made moodier money than a ski lift and so there was far more accommodation than the pistes and lift systems could cope with and with one access road leading up to 1850, there were constant traffic jams. In 1964 the problem had got so bad that there was a 2 year freeze on any new developments. Eventually agreement was reached and Courchevel was given back to the commune of St Bon and slowly 1650 was transformed to a more Swiss style of building (mainly because it was much cheaper to use wood than stone for building) and links between the resorts recommenced.
In 1951 the La Saulire gondola was built connecting the Allues valley and Courchevel and plans were put in for the development of Meribel. In 1963 Les Menuires was developed and connected to the Courchevel and Allues area and in 1973 Val Thorens and Meribel and Mottaret were built, making the Three Valleys area the largest in the world.
Courchevel 1850 was the first purpose built ski resort to be constructed in France.
