Emergencies in Courchevel

Good to Know

• In France the universal 112 works from any phone — even locked, out-of-credit, or without a SIM — and connects you to SAMU (15), police (17), or fire (18) as needed, so if in doubt, just dial 112.
• If you're skiing or hiking around Courchevel and need rescue outside the groomed ski area, call 112 and be ready to give your location (piste name, altitude, GPS coordinates if possible) — this speeds up the PGHM/helicopter response significantly.
• On-piste rescue by the resort's own ski patrol is a paid service in French resorts, unlike calling 112/PGHM for a genuine off-piste or backcountry emergency — check that your travel/ski insurance covers mountain rescue and evacuation costs before you need it.
• If you get a callback from '0 800 112 112' after contacting emergency services, answer it — it's the legitimate official callback number, not spam.
• US visitors: dialing 911 will not work in France — use 112 or the specific number (15/17/18) instead.
• Courchevel itself has no full hospital — only in-resort medical/traumatology clinics for ski injuries. For a genuine 24/7 hospital emergency room you need to go to Albertville, roughly 45-55 minutes away by road.
• The Moûtiers medical center closer to Courchevel (about 20-25 minutes away) only handles walk-in urgent care between 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM — it has not run an overnight emergency department since 2015, so nighttime emergencies are routed to Albertville or handled by SAMU-dispatched mobile teams.
• For any life-threatening emergency in France, call 15 (SAMU) or the EU-wide 112; mountain rescue (secours en montagne) and helicopter evacuation are well-developed in the Courchevel/Tarentaise area given the high volume of ski trauma.
• Make sure you have valid travel/health insurance before a trip — non-EU visitors in particular can face high bills for hospital treatment, and private clinic consultations in Courchevel are not free.