Davos or Serre Chevalier: closer on the hill than you would think
The Ski Snug teamUpdated 12 October 20265 min read
On paper this looks like an odd pair: a big, busy Swiss town against a sunny French resort strung along a row of old villages. On our measurements they are closer than most people would guess. The tops of the skiing are 57 metres apart. The piste we measure around each is within 8 kilometres. The share of steep piste is within a few points. Both run December to April.
So the question is not which is bigger or higher. It is who is in your group, how hard they ski, and whether you want a town or something quieter. The numbers first, then what they mean.
The numbers, side by side
| Figure | Davos | Serre Chevalier |
|---|---|---|
| Village altitude | 1,560 m | 1,350 m |
| Top of the skiing, measured | 2,808 m | 2,751 m |
| Ski area | Davos Klosters pass: 300 km official, 224 km measured, across separate mountains | Quoted at 250 km, not measured by us |
| Piste we measure around the village | 145 km | 153 km |
| Green and blue | 62.5 km of blue and easier, 43% of the piste | 91 km, 60% of the piste, 41 km of it green |
| Black | 20.7 km | 16.7 km |
| Marked off piste itinerary | 13.3 km | 1.7 km |
| Piste steeper than one in four | 23% | 27% |
| Piste gentler than 15% | 31% | 38% |
| Piste at or above 1,800 m | 78% | 72% |
| Season | December to April | December to April |
| Nearest airport | Zurich | Turin or Grenoble |
Two rows do the work. The first is easy piste, where Serre Chevalier has about 29 kilometres more. The second is the itinerary, where Davos has 13.3 kilometres of marked off piste against 1.7. Almost everything else is close.
Size: level on the ruler we trust
Davos's pass is sold on 300 kilometres. Measured across the same lift areas, we make it 224, spread over six separate mountains, and only the Parsenn is shared with Klosters. Getting between the others means a train, a bus or a car. Serre Chevalier is quoted at 250 kilometres, a figure we have not checked, and our data does not tell us how much of it is one linked area.
So we compare on our own measurement of the piste around each village: 153 kilometres at Serre Chevalier and 145 at Davos. That is a draw for any group that skis a normal week. Neither will run out on you, and at Davos the variety comes from moving between mountains: the Parsenn from Davos Dorf, the Jakobshorn from Davos Platz, and smaller hills beyond.
Altitude: Davos is higher, but only just
Davos's village sits at 1,560 metres, 210 metres above Serre Chevalier's 1,350. At the top the gap all but closes: 2,808 metres against 2,751, both measured.
Both count as snow sure on our measure. At Davos, 78 percent of the piste we measure is at or above 1,800 metres, up to 2,808. At Serre Chevalier it is 72 percent, up to 2,751. Half of Davos's piste is above 2,106 metres and half of Serre Chevalier's above 2,020. Nobody can promise snow, and on these figures Davos has a small edge, not one that should decide the holiday.
The skiing: Serre Chevalier has the easy end, Davos the serious end
Serre Chevalier has far more for beginners and improvers. It has 91.4 kilometres of green and blue, the tenth most of the 55 resorts we cover, and 40.8 kilometres of that is green, real space for first timers. Davos has 62.5 kilometres of blue and easier. Serre Chevalier also has more of its piste gentler than 15 percent, 38 percent against 31.
63 km blue and easier 43%61 km red 42%21 km black 14%
91 km blue and easier 60%45 km red 29%17 km black 11%
Marked off piste itinerary, kept out of the piste totals: Davos 13 km, Serre Chevalier 1.7 km.
Davos is stronger at the top end. It has 20.7 kilometres of black, the most of the 15 Swiss resorts we cover, against 16.7, and its 13.3 kilometres of marked off piste itinerary is a different order from Serre Chevalier's 1.7. If the strongest skier in your group lives for ungroomed lines inside the resort boundary, that row settles it.
On the share of steep piste, the measure we trust most across countries, they are close: 27 percent of Serre Chevalier's piste is steeper than one in four, 23 percent of Davos's, and 26 at a typical resort we cover. France and Switzerland grade differently, so do not read much into the colours on the two maps.
Who each one actually suits
Davos suits groups who want everything on hand. It is a real town, with trams, big supermarkets, shops and a huge natural ice rink, so a non skier or a tired child has plenty to do. Strong skiers get the Parsenn's long runs, the black and the itinerary, and the freestyle crowd gets the Jakobshorn, where the liveliest bars are too. Families and grandparents can find a calmer evening in Davos Dorf or a hotel bar. What it does not offer is a cosy village: it is busy, practical and spread out.
Serre Chevalier is a different kind of week. We describe it as relaxed and sunny, with sun, trees and a string of old villages, and we tag it quiet. We list it for tree skiing, sunshine and value. It suits families and mixed groups where the less confident matter, couples who want a slower pace, and anyone who would rather ski in the sun than stay in a town. If your strongest skier needs off piste to be happy, look harder at Davos.
The bit nobody tells you
Davos is the one with the black and the itinerary, and on those it is clearly ahead. The reds tell the opposite story. Measured from the gradient, Serre Chevalier's reds average 24.9 percent, the tenth steepest of the 55 resorts we cover. Davos's reds average 20.7.
Part of that is how each country grades: the French average for a red is 24.3 percent, the Swiss 19.9. That is the point. A confident Swiss red skier will find a Serre Chevalier red a step up. These are averages per run segment, and a run's grade is set by its steepest pitch, so take them as how the week feels, not as a verdict on any one run.
The longest pistes we measure make the same case. Each resort's is a 3.3 kilometre black. Serre Chevalier's, Tabuc, drops 632 metres. Davos's drops 419.
So, which one
your group has strong skiers who want the itinerary and the black, someone will not ski every day, or you want a town with an evening to it. Also if a little more height matters to you.
your group is mixed, beginners or improvers are part of it, and you want the most easy piste for them, with proper reds for everyone else. Also if you would rather have sun and quiet villages than a town.
On our measure it has as much skiing as Davos, about 29 kilometres more of it green and blue, snow that sits nearly as high, and reds with some bite. Davos is the right answer when the off piste or the town is the reason you are going.