PlanetSKI Sets Out to Ski Les3Vallees in a Day

29th February 2024 | James Cove, Les3Vallees.

Last modified on March 3rd, 2024

The huge French ski area is the largest linked ski area in the world. PlanetSKI set out to ski every area and discover a little bit about each area as we passed through.

First some statistics about Les3Vallees:

There is 600kms of skiing on 330 marked pistes.
The Vanoise piste is the longest at 12km.
The area has 183 lifts that can move 260,000 skiers per hour.
The runs are located between 1,100m and 3,230m.
85% of the ski area is above 1,800m.
25 summits are accessible including 10 above 2,500m.

To tackle those sort of numbers it needs a good French breakfast ahead of the lifts opening.

A steaming hot double espresso and a pain au chocolate from our start location at Meribel Village as the first lifts started turning.

L3V in a day. Image © PlanetSKI

Meribel sits in the centre of Les3Vallees and is perhaps the best place to start and finish a full area tour.

Les3Vallees piste map

We were skiing it anti-clockwise: Meribel, St Martin, Les Menuires, Val Thorens, Orelle and then Courchevel – taking in 1850, 1650, Le Praz and La Tania.

Well, that was the plan and, like all plans, a few, er, ‘adjustments’ had to be made as circumstances changed.

I was being guided by Zac Brown from Ski France, a company that has numerous chalets and hotels across the area and has been operating here since 1988.

There are further details about their properties at the end of this article.

L3V in a day. Image © PlanetSKI

He knows the area like the back of his hand and likes it so much he and his fiance have chosen Meribel as the venue for their marriage in the spring.

MERIBEL

L3V in a day. Image © PlanetSKI

We were on the first lift and, at the top, the scale of the challenge presented itself as we gazed across Meribel and beyond.

L3V in a day. Image © PlanetSKI

Meribel was founded by a Brit, Peter Lindsay, in 1938 and has a strong British presence.

Make that very strong – every other person seemed to speak English.

There were huge queues in the centre of Meribel, but we assumed it was just as it was 09.15 and that things would clear as the day progressed.

L3V in a day. Image © PlanetSKI

Sadly it was a foretaste of what was to come.

Long queues and a tight ski timetable don’t quite go hand-in-hand.

Heading up the Legend lift, the slopes looked deserted and the excitement of the challenge ahead inspired us.

L3V in a day. Image © PlanetSKI

“Meribel is the best place to be situated for the skiing as it gives the best access to the whole area,” said Zac as we chatted on the chairlift leaving the resort.

L3V in a day. Image © PlanetSKI

“Meribel Mottaret has a great ski in/ski out location and the town itself is full of life with plenty of eating, drinking and shopping on offer.”

We then took the Olympic lift to drop into St Martin in the next valley.

So far, so good and it wasn’t even 10 o’clock.

ST MARTIN-de-BELLEVILLE

L3V in a day. Image © PlanetSKI

Heading from one valley to another it was worth pausing to savour the views.

The pistes were deserted and we shot off like greyhounds out of their traps.

St Martin is situated at the entrance of the Vallée des Belleville at 1,450m.

It has long and easy intermediate slopes, with Jerusalem, which we didn’t do on this route, one of my favourite cruisey blues in the whole of L3V.

The village itself is old-fashioned with the main feature being a pretty 16th century church.

It has one of the more attractive locations in L3V among lightly wooded slopes.

In recent years modern, wood-clad apartment blocks have been built but the village retains its charm.

Again deserted slopes above it as we head above it towards Les Menuires.

L3V in a day. Image © PlanetSKI

We were well on track and it was barely mid-morning.

LES MENUIRES

L3V in a day. Image © PlanetSKI

As we headed down the slopes it became busier and busier.

L3V in a day. Image © PlanetSKI

Then downright crowded.

The queue at our planned lift looked fairly horrific.

L3V in a day. Image © PlanetSKI

So, we dropped into nearby Reberty and took a magic carpet to try to avoid the busy lifts.

Not the traditional lift to use to be skiing L3V in a day.

L3V in a day. Image © PlanetSKI

The Doron lift then took us over Les Menuires itself and to the top of the valley where one can drop into the third valley.

L3V in a day. Image © PlanetSKI

Les Menuires is a modern purpose built affair with some huge apartment blocks.

100% of accommodation is ski in/ski out, and the resort offers some of the best value holidays in Les3Vallees.

It is situated at 1,800m with over half of its ski area covered by snow cannons.

I have stayed there on many locations and enjoy the setting of the resort with good access to the whole of L3V.

This season Les Menuires is celebrating it’s 60th birthday.

Sadly Zac was only my guide for the morning as he had to get back to the office.

At midday above Val Thorens he had to depart and left me to my own devices.

Here is his Strava of the first part of the day – almost 20kms done.

Next up is Val Thorens.

VAL THORENS

L3V in a day. Image © PlanetSKI

It sits at 2,300m and is the highest resort in the Alps with skiing going up to 3,200m.

It is one of the first resorts in France to open, usually at the end of November and closes on the first weekend in May.

PlanetSKI is often in the resort for its opening and closing.

This season Simon Wilson was there for PlanetSKI for the opening:

PlanetSKI is in Val Thorens for its official opening

And then I discovered an even worse lift queue than the ones in Les Menuires.

To get to Orelle at the extreme end of the ski area I had to take the Cime de Caron cable car.

It took me 25-minutes in the queue to get to this point.

L3V in a day. Image © PlanetSKI

15 minutes still to go and I wondered if going to Orelle was such a good idea.

L3V in a day. Image © PlanetSKI

At the top cloud was closing in.

I could drop down to Orelle and maybe face a similar queue to come back – if so the rest of the day would be scuppered.

L3V in a day. Image © PlanetSKI

I pondered it as I admired the views back where I had come from and, more importantly, where I would have to get back to.

The choice was a simple one – Orelle could wait for another day.

I was pleased with my decision.

L3V in a day. Image © PlanetSKI

And so I turned my back on Orelle and headed down to Val Thorens.

At over 3,000m the snow on piste was superb and grippy off piste too, though there was no powder to be had.

L3V in a day. Image © PlanetSKI

I had some time on my hands so could relax and ease off.

In Val Thorens the slopes were busy rather than crowded – it was lunchtime after all.

A couple of lifts later I had reached the Meribel Valley with superb conditions and empty slopes.

I had the best runs of the day on grippy, empty slopes knowing that there was no chance of getting stuck in huge queues or missing connecting lifts.

And I could also hit the different ski areas in Courchevel.

COURCHEVEL

Courchevel is perhaps the most famous of the resorts in Les3Vallees and is made up of series of separate areas – Courchevel 1850, Courchevel Moriond (1650), Le Praz and La Tania.

Courchevel 1850 is the most well-known one as it attracts the international jet-set with prices to match.

Some even arrive by plane, or helicopter as it has its own altiport.

1850 is littered with Michelin starred restaurants and designer shops.

It even has posh lifts.

I first hit Courchevel 1650 on this tour of Les3Vallees, now re-named Moriond.

Then into the ski area above La Praz and La Tania.

It was shortly after 3 O’clock so I was in no great rush, and I probably could have made Orelle but I had no regrets about my earlier decision.

I had had a fabulous afternoon’s skiing with no pressure to make connecting lifts.

Zac’s earlier words about La Tania echoed in my ears.

“It’s a family-friendly resort and quieter than Courchevel and Meribel but gives good access to both. We have four chalets in the village that sleep 44 people.

“They are 200m from the pistes so in a great location.

“The resort is set among the trees and is very picturesque.”

From Courchevel 1850 it was easy to the finish off my day back in Meribel Village.

There was even time to stop and record the PlanetSKI daily snow report.

And shortly before 4pm I was back where I started – Meribel Village.

I had missed skiing in Orelle, but no matter and the day had gone like clockwork.