Best Runs in Courchevel: By Level, Village and Time

By the PistePath team · Updated 11 November 2026 · 6 min read

The best runs in Courchevel are Combe de la Saulire for confident red skiers, Biollay, Creux and Folyères for intermediates on blues, and the Grand Couloir and Jean Blanc for genuine experts. Beginners should start on the free lifts at the Jardin Alpin in 1850, then work through the greens Bellecôte and Altiport before trying Biollay.

Most lists stop at naming famous runs. This guide sorts them by level, tells you which village they're near, and adds the bit that actually makes a day work: when to ski each one, how they link into full routes, and what to do when the cloud comes in.

One honest warning before you start. Grades and run names in Courchevel have changed over the years and online sources disagree, so check the official live map each morning before you commit to a plan.

How Courchevel's ski area fits together

Courchevel is a valley of several villages, including 1850, Moriond (1650), Village (1550), Le Praz and La Tania. It's one part of Les 3 Vallées, which has about 600 km of piste, 334 marked runs and around 160 lifts across 7 linked resorts.

The Courchevel valley alone has roughly 150 km of pistes and around 109 runs, split very approximately into 21 greens, around 40 blues, mid-30s reds and about 10 blacks. Counts vary slightly between sources, so treat those as a feel for the mix rather than gospel.

The key landmark is the Saulire, the top of the Courchevel lifts at about 2,740 m. Almost every headline run on this page starts from it or near it. The Saulire cable car is back in service after a refurbishment, and you can also reach the summit from the Méribel side via the Pas du Lac and Saulire Express.

The links to Méribel are the Saulire cable car, the Vizelle gondola and the Suisses and Marmottes chairs, with a second crossing at Col de la Loze.

Best runs for beginners in 1850

Courchevel 1850 is a genuinely good place to learn, because the first lifts cost nothing.

Free beginner lifts: the Jardin Alpin magic carpets, Etoiles, Bellecôte and Cospillot. Check whether these are still free when you arrive, as pass rules can change.
Next step up: the Ferme drag lift by the Altiport.
A natural progression: the greens Bellecôte, Jardin Alpin and Altiport, then the blue Biollay once you're linking turns comfortably.

The Pyramides drag lift has been described as steep. If you're new to drags, give it a miss until you're confident, or ask your instructor first.

Verdons is the big green down to 1850. It's wide but busy, and the top section feels more like an easy blue, so it's a good test rather than a first-day run.

If you're comparing resorts for a first-timer in your group, our Avoriaz beginner runs guide covers a very different, car-free setup.

Best blue runs for intermediates

This is where Courchevel shines. Pick by where you're staying.

From 1850

Biollay (blue): halfway down from the Saulire towards 1850, served by the Biollay and Pralong chairs. It's groomed nightly, sheltered in bad weather and the classic step before reds. The resort itself featured it as a piste du jour.
Creux (blue, formerly red): often called Courchevel's most popular run, a gentler descent from the Saulire towards Moriond. The catch: the steepest part is right at the top, and it gets busy and chopped up later in the day. Nervous blue skiers should ski it early or try Biollay first.

From Moriond (1650)

Grandes Bosses and Gentiane: quiet, wide, rolling blues above 1650. Ideal for a mixed-ability group.
Marquis: one of the main runs down to 1650, quiet first thing.
Indiens: an easy blue next to the family park.

From La Tania

Folyères (blue): a tree-lined run into La Tania and a favourite for families. Some sources grade or place it differently, so confirm on the map.
The Bouc Blanc chairlift gives access to quieter intermediate terrain, especially from mid-morning.

For lunch, Le Bouc Blanc restaurant at the top of the La Tania gondola has been recommended as good value.

Best red runs

Combe de la Saulire: the headline red. It starts at the Saulire summit and ends at the Vizelle gondola, long, wide and steep, superb for carving. It's groomed each morning but gets busy once the lifts fill up, so aim to be on it before 09:30.
Chapelets: a red above Moriond that's often quiet even in busy weeks. A good escape when 1850 is heaving.
Biche into Chamois: a long descent from the Saulire, starting on the blue Biche and finishing on the red Chamois. Best in the afternoon once the snow has softened.
Murettes: a quieter red down to Le Praz.
Brigues: a red through the forest to Le Praz, the last leg of the long route below.

If you're a red-run skier deciding between resorts, our Chamonix guide for intermediate skiers is a useful contrast.

Best black runs (experts only)

These are serious runs. Only ski them if you're already comfortable on steep, ungroomed blacks elsewhere, never alone, and never in poor visibility.

Grand Couloir: reached from the top of the Saulire, about 692 m long with around 340 m of vertical, and described as the steepest black in Les 3 Vallées with gradients reported up to 85%. It's ungroomed, with moguls or powder depending on conditions. It is a marked run, but treat it like expert terrain: look at it from the top, and if in doubt, ski Combe de la Saulire instead.
Jean Blanc: about 2.1 km down to Le Praz, with moguls and trees. A former World Cup run named after one of Courchevel's founders. It has been reached from the Plantrey chair.
Chanrossa: a quiet, scenic black.
Suisses: a technical black.
Dou des Lanches: a black above La Tania.

The resort's own black runs and couloirs page is worth reading before you go. If you want to go beyond the pistes, book a qualified guide rather than following tracks.

When to ski what: morning, afternoon and bad weather

Timing makes a bigger difference here than in most resorts, because the famous runs get busy fast.

First thing (before about 09:30):

Combe de la Saulire, freshly groomed and empty
Creux, before it gets chopped up
Marquis, quiet early

Mid-morning: head for the Bouc Blanc chair above La Tania, or Chapelets above Moriond, when the 1850 runs are crowded.

Afternoon: Biche into Chamois, once the snow has softened.

Low visibility: go low and into the trees. Jockeys into Le Praz is lower down and holds up well in flat light, Folyères into La Tania is tree-lined, and Biollay is sheltered. Leave the Saulire runs for another day: wide, open slopes are the hardest to read in cloud.

When the weather turns mid-route, having turn-by-turn piste directions on your phone that work offline can save a group from guessing at junctions.

PistePath is a sat-nav for the slopes: turn-by-turn piste directions at your level, your friends on the map, and it works offline. Get PistePath

Full routes and getting home

The long one: Saulire to Le Praz

From the Saulire summit, ski Combe de la Saulire, then Verdons to 1850, then the red Brigues through the forest to Le Praz. It's one of the longest descents in Courchevel and suits confident red skiers. Weaker skiers in the group can ride down and meet you at 1850.

Crossing to Méribel and back

It's tempting to spend the afternoon in Méribel. Before you cross, check the closing times of the Saulire, Vizelle and Col de la Loze lifts on the official live map. Miss the last lift back and you're looking at a long, expensive taxi. If you have beginners with you, our guide to green runs in Méribel shows where they'll be comfortable on the other side.

If your group gets split up

Agree a fallback meeting point (a lift base or restaurant) before you set off, and decide who waits where if someone misses a lift. PistePath shows your friends on the map and routes each person at their own level, which helps when one person is on the Combe and another is taking Biollay.

FAQ

What's the best run in Courchevel for intermediates?

Biollay is the best all-round blue: groomed nightly, sheltered and a natural step towards reds. Confident intermediates love Combe de la Saulire, a long, wide red, best skied before 09:30.

Is Creux a blue or a red, and is it OK for a nervous blue skier?

Creux was regraded from red to blue, but its steepest section is at the very top. Nervous blue skiers should try Biollay first, then ski Creux early before it gets busy and chopped up.

Is the Grand Couloir really a piste, and how hard is it?

It's a marked black run from the top of the Saulire, but it's ungroomed and described as the steepest black in Les 3 Vallées. It's for experts only, and never worth trying alone or in poor visibility.

Where can beginners ski in Courchevel 1850 without a lift pass?

The Jardin Alpin magic carpets, Etoiles, Bellecôte and Cospillot lifts have been free beginner lifts in 1850. Check on arrival, as arrangements can change.

Do we need a 3 Vallées pass or is the Courchevel valley pass enough?

The Courchevel valley pass covers about 150 km, plenty for beginners and many intermediates. A full 3 Vallées pass has been roughly £10 a day more on a 6-day pass, so check current prices if you plan to cross to Méribel.