With one of the largest ski areas in Europe, four communes living to the rhythm of the mountain and UNESCO-listed fortifications, Serre Chevalier Briançon promises an «XXL version» winter for 2026/2027. Between festivals, shows and unusual competitions, The valley is rolling out a busy season. An overview of the unmissable events.
December: first winter sports and Christmas magic
The opening whistle will be blown on 5 December with the «Premières Glisses» weekend, punctuated by free entertainment to celebrate the opening of the slopes. The ski lifts will then run continuously until 18 April 2027.
Then the valley puts on its festive attire: illuminated villages, Christmas market in Briançon, Christmas village in La Salle-les-Alpes and a parade through the streets of the Vauban citadel. On the sports side, Briançon is hosting the French Elite Figure Skating and Ice Dancing Championships for the second consecutive year, from 17th to 20th December.
January: the mountain in the raw
It is the month of thrills and the most off-the-wall events. An absolute highlight, the Altitude Jazz Festival is blowing out its 20 candles from 16 to 30 January: twenty years of «wild jazz», more than 40 concerts in 27 venues, from large halls to bars, via the Collegiate Church of Briançon, the Grands Bains du Monêtier and even the ski slopes. Half of the concerts are free.
The same weekend, make way for the unusual with Snow Rugby, a snow rugby tournament at an altitude of 2,000 metres at the summit of the Lautaret pass, facing the Meije glacier, and the Serre Che Snow Trail, which is holding its 10th edition. The resort claims the title of the birthplace of winter trail running, as the first «trail blanc» was organised there in 2001.
Snow sports enthusiasts will meet at the end of January for the Snowkite Masters, still at the legendary Lautaret spot, while double Olympic champion Pierre Vaultier will orchestrate his Pumptrack Battle in Le Monêtier-les-Bains.
February: family celebrations
In February, the valley embraces the holiday season and family reunions. The Demo Ski Show, an unmissable spectacle put on by the 300 instructors of the ESF Villeneuve, features a series of acrobatic jumps and fireworks across several dates.
In Briançon, the Grandes Parades will bring the town centre to life on the 19th and 26th of February with a rhythm of fantastic shows, before the Aravet snow front transforms on the 25th into a giant dancefloor for a major open-air concert at the foot of the slopes.
March-April: relaxed skiing and a major new attraction
When the sun gains ground, Serre Chevalier Switching to chill mode. On 20 March, the Grand Prix de Serre Chevalier, billed as the world's biggest gathering of amateur skiers, brings together «the gentle and the mad» for fifteen wacky events spread right across the ski area.
The resort will also host, for the first time, the Masters Ski Mountaineering World Championships from 26 to 28 March, with 300 participants expected. A major first to close the season: the Outdoormix Winter Festival, from 2 to 4 April in La Salle-les-Alpes.
In the tradition of the great board-sports gatherings of the 2000s, this new event will combine high-altitude snow sports by day and concerts at the foot of the slopes in the evening. Throughout the winter, the Sound of Altitude event will also bring mountain restaurants and valley bars to life with a series of gigs and DJ sets.
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