The dream ski chalet for sale: Have your cake and eat it in the Three Valleys
Each week, James Fisher fantasises about a dream ski chalet he'd like to buy, but can't — from architecturally striking marvels, to cosy mountain retreats, and everything in between. This week, we return to the Three Valleys, and to one of France's most picturesque villages
Those of a certain algorithm will be aware that the snow has begun to fall, and fall heavily. Resorts across Europe can scarcely contain their glee as the early season snow blankets their mountains, which means that the snowsports season is well and truly on its way (and for some intrepid adventurers, has already begun).
It is at times like this that I like to daydream about the kind of chalet I would buy, should I ever win the lottery or if it turns out that one of the plentiful scammers in my inbox is telling the truth about untold riches to be found in Nigeria or elsewhere.
There would be certain essentials. Anyone who has ever skied or snowboarded anywhere, at any level, knows that carrying skis or snowboards is the most annoying thing in the world, so direct access to the slopes (otherwise known as ‘ski-in, ski-out’) is essential. I would also like a sauna, so I can get rid of the aches and pains from my joints and muscles, as well as sweat out the many vices I will have undoubtedly indulged in at lunch and/or apres. The last thing would be enough bedrooms for all my friends to come and stay. I find hot-tubs to be quite unsettling objects, so I can take or leave one of those.
But Country Life is a broad church, so in this round up of ‘Ski Chalets That I Would Like To Own One Day If I Suddenly Had Lots Of Spare Cash’, I will not only pick things that I want, but also things I think you might want. I am kind and generous like that, and should be celebrated for being so (ideally by you, the reader, inviting me skiing). Let’s begin.
Saint-Martin-de-Belleville
There is much to love about Saint-Martin-de-Belleville. It is one of the smaller and more forgotten villages that is tacked on to the Three Valleys ski area (Europe’s largest). It is achingly traditional (and legally must remain that way), drenched in Savoyard charm and boasting an old church and traditional square. It is home to La Bouitte, a three Michelin star restaurant that might be the best in the Alps.
It would be perfectly reasonable to want a slice of the action, and a better slice you will struggle to find than this glorious piste-side residence with Free Spirit Alpine. If you’ve ever flown down the Biolley run, you will have seen it on your way down to the centre of town. Now you can live there.
Available for €7 million, this property is a rarity, combining traditional features with luxury in a ski village notorious for its planning restrictions. You can rest easy in this six-suite home in the knowledge that it will be a very long time indeed before the tourists and the hotel chains can find you and ruin the place.
So what does 7€ million get you? Plenty, as it turns out. The aforementioned six suites, including the master bedroom, which has one of the coolest four-posted beds I’ve seen, looking like it was carved directly out of a giant tree.
Also included is a sauna, Hammam, a wine cave, large balconies and terraces, garage and car lift, and a 110sq metre open-plan living area, which you will need because your friends will always want to come and visit. All arranged over five floors.
It’s the best of both worlds this place — access to some of the best skiing that Europe has to offer, but with none of the corporate baggage and crowds that usually come with it. Superbe.
179 South Fairway Drive
If you go down to the woods today, you’re sure of a big surprise. And that surprise is not a picnic of bears (although there probably are some bears in Colorado, which are best to avoid), but rather the glorious wooden walls of 179 South Fairway Drive in Beaver Creek.
This week’s installment in ‘Good Gracious I would certainly like to live there’ takes us to the United States, specifically Colorado, specifically specifically the Beaver Creek Resort in the Rocky Mountains west of Vail. What we are being offered from our good friends at LIV Sotheby’s International Realty is seven bedrooms and 7,400sq ft of sensational living. Or, as they would say, ‘a rare offering where alpine elegance meets timeless prestige’. Yours for $14.7 million. Awesome dude.
This is a home for all seasons. Ski in the winter at the fabulous resort on your doorstep (or nearby Vail), and enjoy the greens of the Beaver Creek golf course, which is also on your doorstep. Sit on the many balconies and listen to the sound of running water, watch the meandering deer, and bask with the marmots.
Much like its surrounds, the property is achingly traditional, with a log and stone construction and influence both inside and out. Double height entertaining spaces, seven bedrooms, seven bathrooms, wine cellar, tennis court, three fireplaces, cinema room — you name it, this place has it. It’s always been a family home too, and has never been rented out.
What I wouldn’t give for just a day at this woodland paradise.
Chalet Genepi
Ahhh Meribel, the birthplace of the hangover. It was here that Monsieurs Hang and Over first joined forces to invent ‘après-ski’, thus creating the dry mouth and stinging headaches that can only be cured by a day on the mountains. Who can forget misspent youths dancing in RondPoint, Sullys, or Le Pub. Depends how hard you party, I suppose.
The good news is that Meribel and Les Trois Vallées as a whole is still a pretty sensational space to ski, even if your best partying days are behind you. And a sensational place to ski needs a sensational place to stay. Where better than within the sublime stone walls of Chalet Genepi on the snowy banks of the Georges Maduit piste? Seven bedrooms, premium ski-in, ski-out access and only minutes away from the town centre. Tres bien.
For sale with the chalet specialists Free Spirit Alpine for a more than reasonable €11.95 million, this is a rare chance to own one of the best chalets in not just Meribel, but the entire ski area. If you’ve been to Meribel before, you might ask: ‘Is this that chalet?’. The answer is 'oui, c'est ça'. Let’s look inside.
With more than 4,300sq ft of living space, the property offers a minimum of seven en-suite bedrooms (with a spectacular master with a private balcony), garage and staff accommodation, more south-facing terraces with insane views, a private cinema, gym, spa with hammam and jacuzzi — in short, the works. Traditional local materials and styles are combined throughout to create a modern space that is very much in keeping with the local vernacular, which is a big plus for me, as the arbiter of taste on all alpine related activities.
I, personally, would live here year round because just look at it. However, I understand that might not be possible for the more jet-set or business oriented types. The good news is that this chalet has lived a life as a rental in the past, meaning all the infrastructure is already in place for it to make money in the winter months.
And just look at those bedrooms. Where better for younger (or indeed older) heads to sleep off an afternoon or night on the genepi…
Chalet Piccolino
Because I am kind, I will let you in on a secret that isn't really a secret, but rather something that more people should know about. Skiing in Italy is the absolute best. The Dolomites are criminally underrated, and you should absolutely go.
The reasons are simple but compelling. The food is better than France, Switzerland or Austria. The scenery is more dramatic. It's less busy. The cost of it all is extremely reasonable. The wines are sensational.
I would begin my Dolomitian (if that is a word) conquest at Chalet Piccolino in the aforementioned village of Piccolino. It is a three bedroom, three bathroom home with frankly outrageous views and it is for sale with Savills for €1.45 million. You will not find something bigger for that price anywhere else in Europe. Multo bene.
Currently used as a family home, the property is essentially a blank canvas for its new owner (who is sadly not me). Turn it into the house of your dreams. Make friends with your neighbours, (there are only six families living on this hillside of Pic Ju). Ski the Sellaronda in the winter with a lift just 650 metres away, and hike from your front door in the summer. Be free, be happy, drink lots of Tyrolean wines and eat glorious pasta. Live my dream.
Available from August 2026, the property also features a north-facing garden, plenty of outdoor terraces, car parking and a Tyrolean Stube in the living room.
NOT A HOTEL: Rusutsu
To the island of Hokkaido and the Rusutsu resort, where Mount Yotei towers over the snow-capped hills of one of Japan’s largest ski areas. It would take something quite special to stand out from this already pristine scene, but this villa by NOT A HOTEL is rather special indeed.
This obsidian curve could be mistaken for a spaceship that has briefly stopped on its trans-galactic voyage to observe the winter habits of the human race. It is giving ‘lair of world domination’. It is serving ‘neo noir chalet of the future’. Basically, I like it, and I think it is cool.
Imagine a few drinks after a hard day's shredding in here.
The details: four bedrooms, four bathrooms, ski-in, ski-out, a sauna, swimming pool, meditation pool, gorgeous living spaces with high ceilings, modernist fireplaces and, crucially, a conversation pit. There are not enough conversation pits in the world, so I am glad to see they are coming back.
But perhaps better than all of that is the location and the view. Situated on the very top of its own hill/mountain, and served by a lift, the landscape can be enjoyed in 360º. And best of all, that view of Mt Yotei will never get old. The design comes from Snøhetta, the firm behind the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, The 9/11 Memorial Pavilion in New York, and the Shibuya Upper West Project. In a word: pedigree.
The project is expected to be completed in spring 2029, but sales are open, so start digging around the back of the sofa. Prices for partial ownership begin at about $7.5 million.
