Picture the scene: it’s a crisp cold day, the sun is shining, and Chanel clad women are tucking into caviar at a plush slope-side restaurant. Amongst the Fendi and Chanel jackets, there’s a Russian woman who is puffing on a cigar. She is – despite being in full ski gear – wearing gargantuan diamond earrings, a glittering diamond necklace and an even bigger diamond ring. Where else would we be? Courchevel, of course.
The ornate exterior of Les Airelles Courchevel
The last time I had visited Courchevel in the French Alps was ten years ago – it felt like a small-town resort, very family orientated with a relaxed vibe. There certainly wasn’t any apres ski to speak of. Now, the previously quiet slopes are punctuated by the sound of techno (mostly from the table-dancing restaurant La Folie Douce) and the rich and the glamorous are everywhere: you can’t swing a ski pole without crashing into a Balenciaga helmet – even the ski lifts are branded with Gucci and Prada.
