_International Property Digest: On-piste or Off-piste, Where is Best to Buy?
The number of skiers whizzing down the slopes of France and Switzerland last season rose significantly, up 5.3 and 10.6 per cent respectively year on year according to Knight Frank’s latest Ski Report. For the property market that meant strong rental demand and steady sales rates across most resorts.
Choosing the right location for your holiday home is not always straightforward though. France and Switzerland have close to 600 ski resorts between them, charming local villages with cosy family-run restaurants right up to iconic resorts with internationally-branded hotels and stellar nightlife. How do you find the one right for you?
A good place to begin is considering whether you want a home with immediate access to the slopes or one that’s a little more distant.
On-piste convenience
“The appeal of being directly on the slopes is all about convenience,” says Roddy Aris, Knight Frank’s Partner in charge of the French Alps. “The ease of opening your door, strapping on your skis and setting out for the day is unbeatable. If you have young children, juggling skis, boots and poles at the start and end of every day is difficult and in those circumstances you cannot beat the sheer joy of ski-in-and-out locations.”
France has a good selection of resorts designed to get skiers efficiently on and off the slopes each day. Courchevel 1850 is an excellent example where prime homes are rarely more than 50 metres from the piste.
Above: Chalet La Colombe, Courchevel.
Chalet La Colombe in Courchevel 1850 has both beautiful valley views and a winning location close to the piste. For sale at €7,900,000 it is a beautiful open-plan contemporary home with five bedrooms, a cinema room, a spa with hammam and large balconies.
Buyers in Switzerland who want immediate access to the slopes should focus on smaller resorts such as Grimentz, Arosa and Villars advises Alex Koch de Gooreynd, Partner and Head of Knight Frank’s Swiss Team:
“In Grimentz the piste comes down into the centre of the town providing opportunities on either side while Arosa is a high resort at the end of a wooded valley in Graubünden with some good on-piste options at the higher point of the village. In Villars buyers should look at Barboleuse on the other side of the mountain where there’s a wide selection of on-piste chalets priced between CHF 2,000,000 and CHF 5,000,000. This represents good value for ski-in-and-out homes in an area that offers easy access to Villars yet is quieter with more spacious plots and good views. For many buyers it represents the best of both worlds.”
Above: An apartment in Grimentz.
A new development of two to five-bedroom apartments in a traditionally-styled chalet building in Grimentz is just 150 metres from the ski lift offering residents immediate access to 120 kilometres of ski slopes up to 3,000 metres and over 300 kilometres of summer hiking paths. Prices start from CHF 750,000.
Off-piste: Peaceful perfection
Despite the clear convenience of a home on the slopes, being off the beaten path remains the preference for some. “People intending to stay for extended periods or full-time in their Alpine home rather than just the occasional week often don’t want to be in the thick of it,” says Mr Aris. “For them, in return for having 5 to 10 minutes bus or car ride into town they get a more traditional and quieter mountain location and often are paying a lot less for a similar size property.”
Chamonix, just one hour from Geneva airport, is one of the most popular French ski resorts despite having relatively few ski-in-and-out homes. “Chamonix is a year-round mountain town, just as popular in summer with climbers and hikers as in winter with wonderful restaurants and bars,” says Mr Aris. “Buyers there see the bigger picture and are not concerned about being on-piste.”
Above: An apartment in the White Pearl development, Chamonix.
White Pearl is a new development of 26 apartments due for completion by Christmas 2021. The main bus stop is 250 metres from the front door and the town centre is 600 metres with the Aiguille du Midi cable car within a ten-minute walk, offering a winning location for both skiing and après-ski.
It’s a similar story in Switzerland where in general, buyers focus more on the resort itself and the ability to walk from their chalet to the restaurants and bars in the village centre than on proximity to the slopes.
“Ever-popular Verbier, with the largest ski area in Switzerland, has very few on-piste homes yet buyers are not deterred,” says Mr Koch de Gooreynd. “The Les Esserts area gives immediate access to La Rouge slopes and anyone buying a home there will have ski-in-and-out as their main priority yet plots there are smaller so your neighbours will be closer. Most buyers are happy to forfeit the instant access for more privacy, space and better views, looking at chalets higher up on Le Sonalon hillside for example.”
For further information on Knight Frank’s portfolio of Alpine homes speak to our International Team on 020 7629 8171.