Courchevel turns 80

Founded in 1946, Courchevel opens its 2026-2027 season with a big immersive evening at the Forum ice rink to celebrate 80 years of history, on the theme "Pioneer yesterday, benchmark today, Olympic tomorrow".

4 December 2026 marks both the official opening of the ski season in Courchevel and the launch of a year of celebrations for the resort's 80th anniversary, one of the very first purpose-built ski resorts in France. The opening evening, held at the Forum ice rink, offers an immersive show in the spirit of the great international ceremonies.

Throughout the 2026-2027 season, the anniversary continues with several highlights, including a photography book published with Éditions de La Martinière bringing together 250 rare or previously unseen photographs from the resort's history, and a season focused on the 2030 Winter Olympics, awarded to the French Alps.

Founded in 1946 on mountain pastures that were still completely undeveloped, Courchevel was designed from the outset as a mountain town in its own right rather than a simple enlarged village, an approach that still explains today its organisation into several distinct altitudes (1850, 1650, 1550, Le Praz) linked by the same ski area.

This double meaning, a look back at eight decades and an ambition turned towards the 2030 Winter Olympics, gives the evening of 4 December a special significance: beyond a simple start to the season, it brings long-standing regulars, mountain professionals and a new generation of visitors together around the same story.

This launch evening attracts large numbers of visitors from the first weekend of the season, with demand for accommodation in Courchevel 1850 higher than for a usual season opening.

The other highlights of the anniversary year, a photography exhibition and occasional events, will be announced during the season: we will update this page as soon as the resort announces the exact dates.

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