Ski Resort Guide: The Three Valleys
Getting There
Les Trois Vallées or The Three Valleys is made up of three major valleys and a smaller fourth valley. With Courchevel on one side, Meribel in the middle and Les Menuires and Val Thorens on the other side and Orelle over the hill from Val Thorens.
The stats are massive - nearly 200 lifts with a capacity to carry 260,000 skiers per hour, 2500 hectares of groomed pistes some 600km in length with 293 marked runs and 130km of cross country tracks. There's also 1500 snow cannons, 70 piste bashers, 320 ski patrollers and over 1500 instructors to keep everyone happy.
Courchevel is the most exclusive of The Three Valleys with four ski in ski out villages all named after their altitudes;
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.
More about Courchevel Ski Resort.
Val Thorens is the highest ski 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.
More about Val Thorens Ski Resort.
Meribel is located in the middle of the Three Valleys and has four separate villages all located at different altitude levels. The main central town of Meribel located at 1,600 meters has the bulk of the accommodation, shops, restaurants and nightlife.
More about Meribel ski Resort.
The Ski resort of Orelle is lift linked to Val Thorens and The Three Valleys via the long Orelle Gondola.
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.
More about Orelle Ski Resort.
The skiing from La Tania links in to the massive Three Valleys system - you're only 2 lifts away from either Méribel or Courchevel 1850 . For intermediate skiers, a day's skiing to Val Thorens is a must
More about La Tania Ski Resort.
The ski resort of Mottaret is situated four kilometres up the valley from Meribel. At 1,800m Mottaret is one of the highest ski resorts in Europe and and if you want to make the most of your skiing time while in the Three Valleys it is the place to stay.
More about Meribel Mottaret Ski Resort.
Les Ménuires shares the same valley as Val Thorens. Les Ménuires is a family orientated village, 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 Ménuires has easy access to the rest of The Three Valleys.
More about Les Ménuires Ski Resort.
St. Martin de Belleville is largely French run, family orientated and charming Savoyard village at the bottom of the Vallee de Belleville, below the resorts of Val Thorens and Les Ménuires.
More about St Martin de Belleville Ski Resort.
A spa town located in the valley below The Three Valleys, a 30mins cable car journey from the snow.
More about Brides Les Bains.