The one thing about the trip that caused the most problems was deciding which run to do next. It's traumatic having to choose between 3 or 4 runs off each of the lifts knowing that the next time you go back they could be all tracked out and you'll have missed out on another opportunity. I've never had such heated debates on chairlifts and we quite often ended up going our own separate ways and meeting up at the bottom of the lift. The locals were always eager to offer advice and point out the more out of the way routes, which we otherwise wouldn't have known about.

Best picture of the trip, no doubt about it

As with most of the resorts in the Alps it's only a short drive to several other resorts, both in Italy and France. The best of these has to be La Grave, which is essentially a mountain with lifts to the top and no marked pistes down. The place is a haven for off piste enthusiasts, but you'll need a guide to avoid dangerous areas and to asses avalanche risk for you. Several of the guiding companies in Serre Che organize trips to La Grave as well as heli trips and extensive local guiding trips for either full or half days. We had planned a trip to La Grave during our stay but were told that the snowfall in Serre Che was better than that of La Grave so we decided to save that particular pleasure for our next trip.

My World Snowboard Guide describes Serre Che as "the best place to ride in France". This was true for us the week that we went, but in my opinion there are 6 or 7 French resorts that could rival Serre Che on a good day. Lee went back a few weeks later and said that it was nowhere near as good. Proof, if proof be needed, that almost any resort has the potential to provide the best trip of your life given the right weather and a good group of people. Having said that I've never seen so many people with fat skis and swallow tailed boards in one place. This, combined with the hardcore off piste locals, suggests to me that they must get a serious amount of snow on a regular basis.

Lee removing one nights snowfall from our car. And to think you all laughed at me for taking a shovel.