The town of Monetier..
Monetier is small and appealingly rural town within the area of Serre Chevalier. It's main appeal lies in the very sportive holidays it offers with a mixture of skiing, snowboarding, countryside walks, and even aero sports! With some nice restaurants, Monêtier les Bains is slightly calmer than the rest of the ski area, but an ideal ski holiday destination for winter sports fanatics and certainly a great place to go out and relax.
Skiing
Monetier is home to a great range of different skiing and snowboarding possibilities within the Serre Chevalier area. With about 250km of pleasurable pistes it is a wonderful place for a traditional skiing holiday.
New Generation ski and snowboard school offers a range of various classes within the Serre Chevalier area. For adults they host everything from level 1 beginner classes to Advanced All Mountain Skills session runs. They do of course also offer children's lessons. The youngest age is 4 in the adorable Whippersnappers group and the oldest is 14 in the competent all mountain teenage skiers group. As recommended by the British Associasion of Snowport Instructors (BASI), at the end of each course they award badges and certificates following the Snowlife Award System.
'Guibertes' is a real experience for skiing or snowboarding fanatics. The long off-piste runs around the tree lines for both experts and beginners offer a week full of challenging skiing!*
Hot baths
In recent years the town was extended to give acces to the network of Serre Chevalier skiing and snowboarding pistes. This led to skiing being the prominent reason for visitors arrival, but the ancient pride and joy of Monetier is still in use and appreciated daily.
Since 1715 Monêtier has been renowned for its thermal pools and facilities, but during the 19th century the ancient bathing traditions decreased in popularity. However, in 1999 the thermal bath of Les grands Bains was opened and now the rejuvenating water is greatly enjoyed by both residents and tourists alike once again. These days, Les Bains offers a breathtaking view of the Monetier glacier. For the ultimate in relaxation the spectacular view can be coupled with the use of the establishment's hydro-massage cabins.
Other activities and services
For the ambitious holiday makers or the naturally adventurous, Ranch du Grand Aigle offers the ride of your life with skiing behind horses or ponies by the Pré Chabert lift area. This is called "skijoring" and it looks a lot like water skiing but with a horse on snow instead of a boat.
Though the natural ice-rink is also very popular some of the calmer pastimes available include the cinema L. et A. Lumiere that has two screens if you fancy catching the latest films, or the village library. Sometimes a nice, long walk is just what you need. This can be enjoyed in the beautiful local countryside, and it's obviously free!