3 Valleys Ski Area

Meribel

Meribel is situated in the centre of Les Trois Vallees – the Three Valleys, incorporating Courchevel, MeribelMottaret, Val Thorens, Les Menuires, as well as villages such as La Tania and Saint Martin de Belleville, describes itself as ‘the biggest ski ares in the world’, and some would say the it is the best. Ranging from sophisticated Courchevel to the, by direct comparison, more functional, cheaper and cheerful Les Menuires or the picturesque Brides les Bains and St Martin there are 615 km of prepared pistes, skiing to an elevation 3200m, a coplement of over 200 lifts, well groomed and attended conditions, inspiring scenery, and basically an unrivalled choice of well set out lifts to satisfy just even the most discerning piste basher. Meribel is British designed, purpose built but embraces the traditional Alpine styling throughout, to remain one of the more attractive resorts of reasonable size in Europe, with wood faced, generally low rise chalets of many differing sizes set in a mainly woodland setting. Meribel itself comprises several smaller, lively nucleii clustered each revealing bars, shops and restaurants,along the main road which rises through the town to the Altiport – a snow landing strip at 1700m. Up here there is a secluded woodland enclave of hotels and apartments that are well placed for the slopes. Positioned on a west facing aspect it is central for all of the 3 Valleys circuit, with Les Menuires and Val Thorens on one side and Courchevel on the other.With a greater area of local terrain and something for everyone – from good, long gently lolling greens to chutes and couloirs, Courchevel is many skiers preferred choice, if money is not too much of an object.Some prefer Meribel (1450m) for its greater choice of slightly more challenging runs. It is more a traditional, more compact, ensemble though linked to Meribel Mottaret (1700m) above, while purpose built Val Thorens (2300m) is the highest resort in Europe with two glaciers, and as such promises the best snow around. Les Menuires (1850m) wins few plaudits for its architecture, but it is cheaper, high and has plenty of ski in accommodation and good slopes. The La Masse ski area is superb and generally quiet.

Accommodation & Après Ski

Après ski is excellent, with many different bars and places of entertainment. Try Rond-Point (‘Ronnie’) at apres for live bands between 5-7pm or enjoy cabaret entertainment and groovy beats at La Folie Douce which you can get to by the Saulire Express gondola.
There is a lovely variety of restaurants here, ranging from casual pizza and pasta places, to ful French and Savoyard cuisine.
For non-skiers, a pedestrian pass offers the chance to admire the scenery on foot and is convenient when meeting up for lunch at a mountain restaurant with friends and family as the pass also allows gondola access.

Other activities in resort include:

• Ice skating
• Indoor climbing
• Cinema
• Bowling
• Spas
• Gym / Fitness centre
• Aquaugym
• Swimming pool
• Show shoeing
• Horse sleigh
• Snowmobiling

Meribel Mottaret is also pretty lively and venues include Rastro Bar & Restaurant, Le Zig Zag and L’Annexe. Le Rastro is the most well-known of the bunch with a Tuesday rock party which attracts happy snow-goers from around the valley! It is also possin=ble to travel between Meribel and Mottaeret in the evenings.

Mottaret

Mottaret is at the top of the Meribel Valley situated at 1750 metres (300m higher than Meribel) Most of the properties are ski in ski out and some are situated higher on each side of the valley. This is one of the best spots in the 3 Valleys as being the central valley, you can get to both Courchevel and Belleville Valleys by taking one lift. There is a good selection of bars and restaurants and the resorts benefits from more snow than Meribel (300m lower down) later in the season. If you want to get to Meribel quickly there is a run directly down the valley (runs alongside the river) called la Truite (trout)

There is a regaular bus service running between Meribel and Mottaret that also runs in the evening if required.

Accommmodation & Après Ski

We offer a good selection of Chalets, Hotels and Chalet hotels as well as self catering apartments in Mottar

Mottaret is a bit more quiet than Meribel itself however they have some great bars and you can always get to and from Meribel quite easily. The Rastro Bar and Restaurant is always a good choice and gets pretty lively. The Table de Ruitor is a rustic wine bar with terrace and log ire serving afternoon tea. The Cafe del Mott is a great hotel bar with sunny terrace and chilled apres ski and is an absolute must try.

Courchevel

Les Trois Vallees – the Three Valleys, incorporating Courchevel, MeribelMottaret, Val Thorens, Les Menuires, as well as villages such as La Tania and Saint Martin de Belleville, describes itself as ‘the biggest ski ares in the world’, and some would say the it is the best. Ranging from sophisticated Courchevel to the, by direct comparison, more functional, cheaper and cheerful Les Menuires or the picturesque Brides les Bains and St Martin there are 615 km of prepared pistes, skiing to an elevation of 3200m, a complement of over 200 lifts, well groomed and attended conditions, inspiring scenery, and basically an unrivalled choice of well set out lifts to satisfy just even the most discerning piste basher. With a greater area of local terrain and something for everyone – from good, long gently lolling greens to chutes and couloirs, Courchevel is many skiers preferred choice, if money is not too much of an object, some prefer Meribel (1450m) for its greater choice of slightly more challenging runs. It is more a traditional, more compact, ensemble though linked to Meribel Mottaret (1700m) above, while purpose built Val Thorens (2300m) is the highest resort in Europe with two glaciers, and as such promises the best snow around. Les Menuires (1850m) wins few plaudits for its architecture, but it is cheaper, high and has plenty of ski in accommodation and good slopes. Courchevel is the more glamorous, with four main villages prefixing that name to their altitude. Courchevel 1850 is the oldest, dating back to 1946 originally, and biggest and offers most by way of skiing – apres ski and shopping amenities. Snowrafting and ice climbing are just two of the alternative wintersports available here. The quieter Courchevel 1550 nestles a ski run or gondola ride below and is better suited to those for whom the budget needs regular scrutiny. Le Praz, or Courchevel 1350, is more of the authentic Savoyard village and links directly into the 1850 lifts. While Courchevel 1850 boasts a good complement of better, more expensive hotels and it has immediate access to a wide range of uplift and slopes on the doorstep, Courchevel 1650 is much more in the purpose built mould and offers a wide choice of mid market chalets and apartments, but is less well linked to 1850 in terms of skiing on the upper runs, and has good cruising rgreens and blues almost all the way up its immediate lift service. Courchevel 1550 is quieter and though just 300m lower can feel quite isolated, with fewer facilities, but better prices. Of the two Meribel is sunnier, so Courchevel often enjoys the better snow conditions. Overall there’s such a wide range of options, that it need not necessarily be the expensive destination so frequently quoted, nor does a sensible budget have to mean life in a homogenous apartment, especially if the snow is good right down to lower levels where the villages can offer more 3 valleys skiing miles, more character, for less spending.

Accommodation & Après Ski

Après ski is lively and sophisticated in Courchevel. There are lots of bars on the main street and around the Croisette . After dinner the 2 clubs that attract the crowds are Ku de ta and Les Caves de Courchevel.

If you are walking past any of the glamorous Hotels it’s well worth the time to pop in and check out their bars that are worked by really knowledgeable staff and offer top quality cocktails and wines in beautiful lounges among the beautiful people of the fabulous Courchevel. Try the Mangeoire Piano bar. The Tremplin is a fantastic piste side bar to have a ding at lunchtime or after skiing.

We highly recommend Pub Le Ski Lodge in La Tania for breakfast, lunches, dinner and apres ski. They also have regular live music. It is relatively easy to ski down to La Tania in the daytime and there is a regular bus service in the evenings linking the Courchevel Valley villages. The funky Fox in Courchevel 1650 is popular with saisonnieres.

Activities to do in Courchevel include:

• Bowling
• Ice skating
• Cinema
• Indoor climbing
• Sledging
• Sleigh rides
• There is also a weekly evening ski tour event (headtorches and suitable equipment available to rent)

Les Menuires

Les Menuires represents the best value in the 3 valleys in our opinion.

Les Trois Vallees – the Three Valleys, incorporating Courchevel, Meribel/Mottaret, Val Thorens, Les Menuires, as well as villages such as La Tania and Saint Martin de Belleville, describes itself as ‘the biggest ski ares in the world’, and some would say the it is the best. Ranging from sophisticated Courchevel to the, by direct comparison, more functional, cheaper and cheerful Les Menuires or the picturesque Brides les Bains and St Martin there are 615 km of prepared pistes, skiing to an elevation3200m, a coplement of over 200 lifts, well groomed and attended conditions, inspiring scenery, and basically an unrivalled choice of well set out lifts to satisfy just even the most discerning piste basher. With a greater area of local terrain and something for everyone – from good, long gently lolling greens to chutes and couloirs, Courchevel is many skiers preferred choice, if money is not too much of an object.Some prefer Meribel (1450m) for its greater choice of slightly more challenging runs. It is more a traditional, more compact, ensemble though linked to Meribel Mottaret (1700m) above, while purpose built Val Thorens (2300m) is the highest resort in Europe with two glaciers, and as such promises the best snow around. Les Menuires (1850m) wins few plaudits for its architecture, but it is cheaper, high and has plenty of ski in accommodation and good slopes. Les Menuires is almost universally slated for its appearance, heavy on the use of concrete high rise apartment complexes, but this provides plenty of good comfortable accommodation, and the payback is in great access to the slopes, and most accommodation centres are by the lifts, and are really ski to the door. The adjacent, smaller Les Bruyereres development is more low rise, provides most services and is quieter than the main centre, but still provides a good range of amenities. It has two main ski areas – the La Masse circuit to the west of the village, which has some of the more advanced skiing in the area, but also has a network of blues to progress down, and the runs here are often quiet since most follow the eastward magnetism of Meribel and the other valleys, while on the east face of the valley there is a dense sprawl of reds and blues to be skied until it integrates with the Val Thorens lifts above. Snow quality is not the best in the 3 valleys, but there is extensive snowmaking on the east flank, between the Combes, Stade and the Reberty lifts. The La Masse ski area on the other side of Les menuires is excellent for Intermediate and advance skiers and is often overlooked and relatively quiet.

Accommodation & Après Ski

The amazing Le Chalet du Cairn offers some of the best food in resort. This incredible eatery is full of dishes from across the world and offers spectacular views out into the amazing La Masse valley.

Les Roches Blanches is another fantastic option, serving up delicious portions of pizza and spaghetti close to the La Masse region. If you want to relax after a long day on your skis, the Les Menuires health centre could be a fantastic place to recover, boasting a large swimming pool, saunas, steam rooms and jacuzzis.

As well as this, if you’re feeling especially daring, there is a 4km toboggan run, featuring 22 bends and a vertical drop of 450m.

In Les Bruyères, seasonnaires’ favourite Plan B keeps things lively, with daily happy hours and the odd fancy-dress party – there’s nowhere better in town to parade your hideous 1980s neon skiwear, and it might even earn you a free drink. The seasonnaire crowd is also keen on Le Challenge for its regular live gigs.

Lounge Bar Le Kube serves large low sofas and an extensive cocktail menu, with DJs or live music from around 10pm. And if you still have itchy feet later, you’ve two choices for a boogie – Le New Pop, shameless purveyor of bouncy Eurocheese ‘classics’, and Le Leeberty in Les Bruyères, which boasts a surprisingly good sound system.

Saint Martin is a must for lunch with a couple of top restauarants, favourite run down there is Jerusalem!

Activities to do in Les Menuires include

• Dog sledging
• Cross country skiing
• DVA park avalanche practice
• Off piste guiding
• Fat biking
• Tobogganing
• Skidooing
• Biathlon courses with ESF
• Speed mountain tobogganing
• Boardercross
• Paragliding