en en fi en oc en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en it en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en ca en en en en en fa en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en de en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en es en en en en
It's been like this for decades – but that doesn't mean it won't welcome you with open, perma-tanned arms and encourage you to share in its many delights, whether you turn up in designer gear worth a fortune or a borderline-grunge, moth-eaten Barbour jacket.
Courchevel 1850 has always had that certain something, including more Michelin-starred restaurants than London, but the real delights of this poshest of all the posh French resorts are the ones that you don't need a Posh and Becks bank account to enjoy, so why not go along for the ride?
The glorious skiing is the reason for being there with travel experts Flexiski and you don't need to be stinking rich or annoyingly young to enjoy some of the countless miles of wonderful pistes.
It is fun, though, to find out that all the clichés turn out to be true and certain shops don't put price tags on things because their customers don't need to ask – if they want what they see, they just buy it, often in euros changed from roubles.
It's also handy if you're not too far away at lunchtime, for you can ski down the quite wonderful 'motorway' Bellecôte run and just walk across the road for a gourmet burger or plat du jour in the sun on the hotel's La Terrasse, before popping back on the snow for the afternoon.
That way, you get to show off by skiing to the lifts past fur-clad glitterati sipping cocktails as they sit on huge leather chesterfields on piste-side decking, having been delivered there by their 5* hotel's monogrammed, mirror-black Rolls Royce or  monstrous, matt black Hummer, perhaps brought from the Altiport airstrip, like a tilted ski jump surrounded by rolling snow dunes, which was featured in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies.
You don't have to be a seasoned expert, fearless young go-getter or  an avid black-run collector to share it from end to end, either,  because there are runs to suit all abilities and reassure the most nervous or fragile that skiing and boarding are the greatest recreations on earth whatever your age and fitness level.
There's no need to worry about any lack of snow, as cover stays good thanks to  constant hard work, for the piste-bashers aren't so much bashing every night as massaging, helped by the network of snow-guns to make the slopes better groomed than Gok Wan.
Lunch over and then a gentle journey back to the Saint Louis for a hot soak and some cold fizz before dinner. The hotel can sleep up to 85 people and if you do have the wherewithal, you too can sample the even-higher life in its  separate top-floor apartment, Le Chapteau, where up to 17 guests can relax in luxury and have their own chef prepare dinner. Must remember to buy the Lottery tickets!
Flexiski have been organising corporate ski trips for high-profile clients (unlike me!) for 20 years to top resorts like St Anton, St Moritz, Val d'Isère, Courmayeur and Madonna di Campiglio, and pride themselves on being flexible, so travelling to and from Manchester, or any other airport for that matter, is no problem: tel 020 8939 0864; www.flexiski.com
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