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Courchevel Skiing Revealed
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The Courchevel Valley offers a vast choice of skiing in a relatively compact area. Expert skiers will find a wealth of challenging blacks running from the Saulire and Vizelle peaks, including the infamous couloirs. The skiing above Courchevel 1650 is gentler and less busy, with appealing wide blues and reds. Around smart Courchevel 1850 you’ll find lots of gourmet restaurants and easy, well-groomed runs (1850 knows how to flatter its wealthy clients). The tree-lined runs to La Tania and Courchevel 1300 are quiet and lovely, but fairly low, and thus best skied when there’s good snow. |
| Three Valleys Ski Area |
The Three Valleys is the home of eight ski resorts that are linked together by a unique network of ski lifts and ski runs. As implied by its name, the area originally consisted of three valleys: Saint-Bon (Courchevel & La Tania), Allues (Meribel & Brides-les- Bains), and Belleville (Val Thoren, Les Menuires & St Martin de Belleville). The skiing area has since been extended into a 'fourth' valley, the Maurienne valley that is adjacent to Val Thorens. The Maurienne valley can also be accessed using a long gondola lift from Orelle. The Three Valleys is the largest ski area in the world with 600km ski slopes which equates to 2,500 hectares of groomed runs. The snow cannon count currently lies at 1500! The area boasts 200 ski lifts that can transport 260,000 skiers hourly. Phew!
Everyone but a beginner should buy a Three Valley pass. It’s easy to get carried away and ski into the next valley without realizing it. Take note though, and make sure you don’t miss the last lifts back to your own valley at the end of the afternoon as a taxi home is expensive (lift closing times are printed on the lift map). |
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last updated 31-Jan-2008 |
| Meribel Ski Area Description |
The Méribel Valley is in the middle of the three roughly parallel, North/South valleys, making it the idea base for exploring the whole ski area. Around the Altiport you’ll find gentle, tree-lined runs ideal for beginners. Higher up on the Saulire are steeper blues and reds which allow mixed-ability groups to ski in the same area. Over on the western (Tougnète) side of the valley is another good mixture of blues, reds and blacks, and also the two snowparks (open to boarders and skiers). The head of the valley is dominated by the Mont du Vallon, and in the Vallon / Mont de la Chambre / 3 Marches area you’ll find long, steep reds served by high speed chairs and gondola lifts, and the most dramatic scenery.
TOP TIP: ski in the sun on the Tougnète side in the morning, and cross over to the Saulire in the afternoon. |
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last updated 27-Feb-2008 |
| Val Thorens & Belleville Valley Ski Area Description |
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Val Thorens is as good as it gets when it comes to skiing or snowboarding. Because of its altitude, the snow is as perfect as it can be, and the terrain is suitable for almost any level of ability. The Val Thorens & Belleville Valley is vast and wide open, with almost all the skiing above the tree line. Starting from the bottom of the valley we come first to the village of St Martin de Belleville (a great lunch stop). The runs are wonderful; easy, rolling blues and reds. Les Menuires’ best-known ski area is La Masse with its long, challenging reds and blacks. On the opposite, eastern side of the valley is a massive network of blues, reds and blacks, which alone would keep most intermediates happy for a week and gives access to Val Thorens, St Martin and the Meribel Valley. Val Thorens offers the highest skiing, often with the best snow, but is the most affected by high winds. The 3200m high Cime de Caron is a magnet for good skiers because of its long, difficult runs, but queues for the lift can be long. The nearby Funitel Grand Fond is less crowded. At the head of the valley you can ski on glaciers from the top of Glacier or Col chairlifts. Finally the Orelle (‘fourth’) valley is a must – a beautiful, sunny, unspoiled gem. |
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last updated 27-Feb-2008 |
| Beginner Ski Areas in Courchevel |
Courchevel is, for beginners, quite simply the best. The pistes in Courchevel are wide and shallow as they approach the resort so there’s no need to lose your confidence by having to suffer runs that are above your ability just to get home.
Hundreds of man-hours of preparation go on every night to ensure the pistes are absolutely perfect at 9am every morning.
The whole area above 1650 and 1850 from the Verdon bubble towards the resort are paradise for beginners. In 1650 there is a fenced off area exclusively for beginners serviced by a free drag lift (called Mickey) where you can get your confidence without having to deal with a lot of other skiers. There’s a similar area just below the Altiport in 1850. |
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last updated 28-Jan-2008 |
| Snowparks in Courchevel |
Courchevel boasts the only railpark in the Three Valleys, complete with various rails and box modules for both skiers and boarders to try their hands at. All standards are welcome to come and get stuck in, with two Railpark Rangers on hand to offer advise and top tips.
The Snowcross trail on the Loze piste will try and catch you out with whoops, banked curves and other sneaky pitfalls as you race your mates to the bottom.
The Parc Plantery is also worth checking out for its baby and half-pipes, tables, hips and more. Even if you're not ready to try out any death-defying manouvres yourself it is still great just to go and watch!
There are also further snowparks in the Meribel and Val Thorens areas, access to all the snowparks is included in your lift pass. |
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last updated 1-Feb-2008 |
| Insider's Guide to... |
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With such a big ski area to explore, it's sometimes good to have a little bit of inside information… For your pleasure, we’ve compiled a list of our favourite runs throughout the Three Valleys and suggested some itineries for you to try. There's also sections on how to get around the whole three valleys area using only blue runs, where you're most likely to find the quietest pistes, and where to find the nicest mountain restaurants for lunch. Happy exploring! ... more |
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last updated 31-Jan-2008 |
| Cross Country Skiing (Ski de Fond) |
There are 67km of prepared cross country trails in the valley which are all regularly groomed and marked.
From 1300 there are 3 loops: Green (2km) starting opposite the ski jumps; Red (7km) and Black (8.5km), starting from the Tourist Office.
From 1550 the Les Brigues / Chantery (5km, red) track runs through the forest.
From 1650 the Boucle Bleue du Belvedere (5km) starts next to the Granges draglift, providing an easy itinerary passing farmhouses along the way.
From 1850 there are several options including the Col de la Loze loop (2.5km, blue), the Bouc Blanc itinerary (5km, blue), the Courchevel / Meribel Altiport run (17km, red), and the Courchevel / La Tania run (15km, red).
The tracks are groomed regularly and offer parallel tracks for classic cross country skiing and a prepared surface for skating technique. The trails are free to use, and you can pick up a guide booklet and map from the Tourist Offices.
You can hire all the gear at most ski shops. |
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last updated 8-May-2008 |
| Lift & Piste Maps for Courchevel |
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Here are some handy piste maps to get you out and about on the snowy slopes of Courchevel and the Three Valleys. Either print a copy to take up the mountain with you or pick up a paper piste map from the lift-stations, Tourist Office, hotel receptions and the like...
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last updated 4-Feb-2008 |
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