France’s Courchevel airport is stunning. Nestled in the mountains near a ski resort, it’s nearly as close as you can get to a ski-in/ski-out airport experience and the views surrounding are remarkable. But with its location comes danger.
The airstrip sits at ~6585 feet and is just 1,762 feet long. For comparison, Denver International Airport has five runways that are 12,000 feet long and one runway that’s 16,000 feet long (the longest commercial runway in North America). Obviously the French airport isn’t designed for large commercial airplanes, but 1,762 feet puts it among the shortest runways in the world.
If that wasn’t enough, the Courchevel runway also features a 18.66% maximum slope, the highest in the world. Because of this, the aerodrome is restricted to just small airplanes and helicopters. Plus, because the strip ends in a mountain, aborting landings is a very difficult process. But the Courchevel airport still sees around 6,000 flight turnarounds every winter.
