LES 3 VALLEES, FRANCE
Ski & Snowboard Resort Review
Les 3 Vallees, located in the French Alpes has some of the most outstanding terrain of any resort in the world. It is the largest interlinked ski and snowboard area in the world with marked trails covering over 600 kilometres of vast terrain serviced by 200 lifts with endless off piste options.
Skiing and Snowboarding Terrain at Les 3 Vallees
Les 3 Vallees skiing & snowboarding area is made up of three linking valleys. Courchevel is on one side, Meribel in the middle and Les Menuires and Val Thorens further up the valley on the other side.
Expect to find wide open powder filled bowls, cliff drops and tight challenging chutes leading into deep off piste steep powder areas, sheer mogul runs, challenging tree skiing and snowboarding, seemingly endless wide groomed linking trails and gentle beginner areas.
One ski pass allows access to the entire Les 3 Vallees area with it possible to cover all the skiing and snowboarding terrain without having to remove your skis or snowboard once except for gondola and cable car access. In the winter of 2006/2007 a new 'Hands Free' ski pass was introduced to Les 3 Vallees. The hands free ski pass automatically enables lift access without staff manually checking passes ensuring less crowd congestion.
Officially all the resorts covered by the one pass are;
1. Courchevel
2. La Tania
3. Meribel
4. Meribel Mottaret
5. Brides Les Bains
6. Les Menuires
7. St Martin de Belleville
8. Val Thorens
9. Orelle
All the separate resort villages can be accessed by road from the base town of Moutiers which is around half an hours drive from each resort.
Ensure you are back in your valley by days end or an expensive taxi back into your valley will be encountered.
Skiing and Snowboarding at Courchevel in Les 3 Vallees
Courchevel is the most exclusive valley in Les 3 Vallees with four ski in ski out villages all named after their altitudes; Courchevel 1850, Courchevel 1650 Courchevel 1550 and Courchevel 1300.
The Courchevel Valley is a large wide basin of mainly intermediate terrain surrounded on all sides by steep challenging advanced slopes with chutes and gullies leading down into the main basin towards the villages.
Skiing and Snowboarding at Meribel and Meribel Mottaret in Les 3 Vallees
Meribel and Meribel Mottaret share the same central valley in Les 3 Vallees. The Meribel Valley has four separate villages all located at different altitude levels; the small village of Meribel Mottaret is located at 1,800 meters, the main central town of Meribel located at 1,600 meters, the quiet Meribel Village located at 1,400 meters and the old original village of Les Allues located at 1,100 meters which has a gondola connection to Meribel Mottaret.
The Meribel Valley is a sheltered valley with excellent open powder terrain and endless linking groomed trails. The valley is a good central base point to explore the rest of Les 3 Vallees terrain.
Read more about Meribel and Meribel Mottaret
Skiing and Snowboarding at Val Thorens in Les 3 Vallees
Val Thorens is the highest ski and snowboard resort in Europe; the small resort style ski in ski out village of Val Thorens is nestled within a bowl in the Val Thorens valley above the resort of Les Ménuires.
The Val Thorens valley has fun intermediate naturally rolling and long linking groomed trails and very challenging off piste skiing and snowboarding on the upper slopes and the Peclet glacier.
The neighbouring resort of Orelle is lift linked to Val Thorens and Les 3 Vallees via the long Orelle Gondola.
Skiing and Snowboarding at Les Menuires in The 3 Vallees
Les Ménuires shares the same valley as Val Thorens. The Les Menuires family orientated village is located lower down the valley below the Val Thorens skiing and snowboarding area.
The valley has lots of fast long open cruising terrain mainly of an intermediate nature and wide open powder areas. Les Menuires has easy access to the rest of Les 3 Vallees terrain.
Spending only one week in Les 3 Vallees will only enable the strongest of skiers and snowboarders to just scratch the surface of the magnificent terrain and all its possibilities.
The area is so vast that a full season would still only allow you to cover the area in a broad fashion. Many winter seasons would be required to know it like the back of your hand.
Other Activites at Les 3 Vallees
Other activities available at Les 3 Vallees include snow shoeing, hiking tours, winter walking tracks, ice skating, dog sleigh rides, snowmobiling, tobogganing, paragliding and scenic flights.
Indoor activities available at the villages include climbing walls, ten pin bowling, cinemas and massage and beauty treatments.
More About Les 3 Vallees
Get directions to Les 3 Vallees
Your Les 3 Vallees ski & snowboard Resort Reviews
Richard Barlow, UK. Feb 2006 Totally radical...the endless terrain is mind blowing. You might be looking for beginner areas - there here; intermediate cruisers - there here; advanced seep black pistes - there here; lips, cliffs, off piste - all here!!! A mix of people from all over the world - there here; 7 resorts with different altitude villages spread across the vallees - there here; radical night life and great restaurants - there here. Basically everything every level of skier or boarder wants is found at the 3 Vallees!
Alison Liddell, Australia Jan 2006 The three valleys area in France is fantastic - the biggest skiable area in the world. Stay at Courchevel 1850 (very pretty and up-market), Meribel (more student style) or Mottaret (very quiet and not for young people looking for night life!). You can cruise around all day or find some challenging skiing so it suits everyone. Great French food too.
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