Seven legendary winter sports resorts in the Alps, a ski area that claims to be
"the largest in the world"
and a carpet of fresh snow almost guaranteed.
After a last winter without skiing due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 3 Valleys are reopening their sliding season with fanfare on December 4, 2021 (December 11 for Brides-les-Bains and Saint-Martin-de-Belleville), for close it on April 22, 2022. For the impatient, Val Thorens welcomes its first skiers on November 20 and will extend the pleasures until May 8.
Ideal to take advantage of weekends, school holidays and other holidays.
Read alsoSki resorts open without health pass, at first
Composed of resorts with varied profiles - Courchevel, Val Thorens, Méribel, Brides-les-Bains, Saint-Martin-de-Belleville, Les Menuires and Orelle-, the Savoyard area has 650 km of descent and 339 tracks between forests and great white , at altitudes varying between 1100 (Les Allues) and 3230 meters (Val Thorens).
Read alsoOur selection of the best mountain hotels in the Alps
And this is where its strength lies:
"85% of the area is located over 1,800 meters and 25 summits are accessible by ski lifts, ten of which are over 2,500 meters,"
recalls Olivier Desaulty, general manager of the 3 Valleys.
This high altitude, combined with an ever-increasing capacity to produce snow - 53% of the area is covered by cannons - guarantees it a white coat all season long.
Especially since its inter-valley links are all located at more than 2,000 meters.
The ski slopes: between easy and expert courses
This vast white circus wants to remain accessible to the greatest number of sliders.
"The extent should not be scary, on the contrary it gives more latitude to everyone to choose their track"
, advocates Olivier Desaulty.
The 3 Valleys area has 339 ski runs, and claims almost perfect equality between expert routes (red and black runs), and easier (green and blue runs).
A “Les 3 Vallées Easy Rider” label, which you will recognize in pink on the piste map, has been designed to guide novice skiers on routes that are both wide and with gentle slopes.
Activities and entertainment: with family, for children, freeride ... our selection
Orelle's Funslope.
The 3 Valleys have around thirty play areas.
OT Orelle
About thirty play areas (snowparks, familypark ...) link the Savoyard area. In Courchevel, the FreerideLab, the secure and signposted area that makes off-piste enthusiasts happy, is expanding this season: a new avalanche-protected avalanche transceiver is emerging at the foot of two ungroomed slopes.
The children have about forty thematic tracks.
Among them, in Méribel, the famous Animal trail in the altiport sector has been given a facelift.
In the heart of a protected forest, skiers and pedestrians can, via a dedicated path, discover the fauna of the territory.
Nature is also the guiding principle of the new Friendly natural park in Les Menuires.
Designed in partnership with the Vanoise park, this new play area runs parallel slalom, banked turns ... and games around the fauna and flora of the mountains, with an educational focus at the end of the course.
The youngest and the novices will also appreciate this 2021/2022 season the brand new Courchevel-La Tania snow front which houses a beginners area, equipped with two mats.
Ski lifts: the news for 2021/2022
From Orelle, the connection with the Caron peak (3230 m) and Val Thorens is revolutionized by two cable cars for skiers and pedestrians. Here, the new 10-seater cabins. The lifts follow the “3 Vallées Express”. OT Orelle
This winter 2021/2022, the new connection between
Orelle
and the Cime Caron (3,230 meters) is the big novelty. From the village resort of Maurienne, the highest point of the 3 Valleys can now be reached in 20 one-way minutes, thanks to two new cable cars, Orelle and Orelle-Caron. Pedestrians who wish to do so can also connect to
Val Thorens
from the valley in 40 minutes "dry feet", via five lifts in total. The ten-seater cabins have interior spaces for luggage and the 450-space car park, located near the departure station in Orelle, is free, which is not negligible.
Les
Menuires
station is
also inaugurating a new ten-seater gondola, known as Pointe de la Masse, which covers some 3,000 meters connecting the eponymous plateau to the point of the same name (2,804 m) in less than eight minutes compared to 25 previously. .
The throughput is increased to 2,800 people per hour against 2,000 previously.
The Olympe gondola, the first valley lift put into service between
Brides-les-Bains
and
Méribel
in 1992, for the Albertville Olympic Games, has benefited from a serious facelift.
As the 2023 World Ski Championships approached, organized by the Méribel Courchevel duo, it is notably acquiring brand new cabins.
These new features complete the equipment put into service during the 2019/2020 season to optimize service.
And in particular the Praz gondola, equipped with ten-seater cabins, which connects Courchevel-Le Praz (1350m) to Courchevel 1850 in six minutes.
Or that of Saint-Martin-de-Belleville which has new cabins and whose flow has jumped from 1,800 to 2,700 people / hour.
»To read also - Sliding, walking, diving ... Ten novelties to make the most of a vacation at the top
Note that, in
Courchevel
, the Saulire cable car, which opens access to the eponymous summit at 2,738 meters and to the valley of the same name, is at a standstill this winter.
It was indeed seriously damaged at the end of September during a regulatory check.
2021/2022 ski passes for the 3 Valleys area: prices, news and tips
THE NEWS
There are several options to take advantage of the 3 Valleys area in its entirety: season, weekend ... people at least), or day.
From December 18: € 66 per day for an adult (13 to 64 years old);
seniors € 59.40 (65-75 years old);
free up to 4 years and for over 75 years.
Two main new features for ski passes in this 2021/2022 season.
The Pass 3 Vallées 2/7
is designed for skiers who want to take advantage of the entire 3 Valleys area two days a week.
Single price € 665.
The skiflex Pass
.
For those who already know that they will be coming to enjoy the 3 Valleys every week, but prefer to keep a little flexibility in their schedule, this pass gives access to 20 passages per week, weekends included, on the slopes of the domain for the single price of 665 euros.
THE
"
GOOD DEALS
"
For family skiing
: as of December 18, 2021, the family ski pass includes two adults and two children aged 5 to 17.
Advantage: everyone pays the child rate for the six-day family pass (€ 264 / person).
There are also resort packages, based on the same principle.
For Orelle-Val Thorens (89 slopes, 150 km of descent, 29 ski lifts), the Family Pass costs at least € 224 for six days per person, and for Les Menuires-Saint-Martin-de-Belleville (79 slopes, 34 ski lifts), count € 213.60.
Take advantage of the
seasonal
“
wings
”
in December and April:
from the first flakes (from December 4 to 17) to the last (from April 16 to 22, 2022), prices are slightly lower.
Online detail.
Skiing on Saturday
: if you book your solo pass online, you benefit from the Saturday promotion (€ 52.80).
Courchevel, Méribel or Les Menuires ... Our favorite slopes in the 3 Valleys resorts
WHERE TO SKI IN COURCHEVEL
Experienced skiers will be able to compete against a new black slope this winter, the Eclipse.
Courchevel
L'Éclipse, the new track for champions
With its 3.3 km descent, 970 meters of vertical drop and 30% average gradient, this new black slope guarantees its share of emotions from the Col de la Loze to the village of Praz.
And for good reason: it was cut for the Courchevel Méribel 2023 Worlds and, according to Perrine Pelen, the general manager of the event and triple Olympic medalist in alpine skiing, it is already well placed "
to become a myth. of the circuit by its difficulty and its grandiose environment
”.
Following the layout of the Jockeys slope, this vertiginous descent is already part of the legend of Courchevel.
Black track. Access by the Forêt chairlift or the Praz and Chenus TCs
The Grand Couloir, for committed skiing
In a high mountain atmosphere with the Croix des Verdons at the start, take a nice steep corridor (maximum slope, 80%).
As a bonus, from start to finish, an exceptional panorama of the Saulire valley and the resort.
The track is secure but not groomed.
Black track
.
Access by the Saulire Express cable car from Méribel or the Saulire cable car from Courchevel.
The Jean Blanc, the historic
Named in homage to Jean Blanc, former champion of the French alpine ski team and pioneer of the resort, this black slope of Praz, which links Courchevel 1850 to the village of Praz, is one of the oldest in "Courch '".
Its succession of walls and small ledges gives the sensation of diving into the valley.
It is an exceptional playground whatever the weather.
WHERE TO SKI IN MÉRIBEL
At the top of Roc de Fer, the starting point for a 2.5 km descent.
Sylvain Aymoz
Roc de Fer, the track of the champions
Theater of the finals of the Alpine Skiing World Cup in 2015 and especially of the World Championships in 2023, the Roc de Fer slope has definitely become a legend.
We can no longer count the French and international ski champions who have left their mark on this route of nearly 2.5 kilometers.
A slider's dream!
Note: a tunnel has been set up at the junction of the Roc de Fer and Gélinotte slopes, which also allows you to return to the heart of the resort.
Its creation will facilitate the passage of skiers during competitions or training.
Red track. Access via the Olympic chairlift.
Read alsoRoc de Fer, the track of the champions
La Face, an Olympic descent
Located next to the Roc de Fer track, this track is uncompromising with a very sustained start.
After the steep part, the flat parts that follow leave more freedom of expression.
It was on this track that the women's events at the Albertville Olympic Games were held in 1992.
Black track. Access via the Olympic chairlift.
Mauduit, the essential
Georges Mauduit, internationally renowned alpine skier in the 1960s - and who still lives in Méribel - gave his name to this track with a strong character, wide at the top, steep and narrower as soon as it entered the forest.
It offers a long descent, with a height difference of more than 1,000 meters, and it is perfectly suited for large winding curves.
Red track. Access via the Saulire Express 1 & 2 gondola.
La Combe du Vallon, a jewel of the 3 Valleys
Take a break on arrival to admire the sublime panorama with a glacial atmosphere, then embark on the legendary 3 km long Combe du Vallon track, relatively demanding and often bumpy ... From the summit, dive directly into the great skiing, technical, with a view of the beautiful Méribel Valley below.
The icing on the spatulas, the bird's eye view of Lake Tueda!
Red track. Access via the Mont du Vallon chairlift.
Roc de Tougne
A wild environment and snow that is always of good quality, thanks to a northern exposure, characterize two of the most demanding slopes in the Valley, often unknown to the general public.
Dive first on the black of Bartavelle, after a steep slope, admire the Arolles perched on the rocks in the small flat area of the valley that looks like the Dolomites.
Then switch back to a very hilly slope where you can draw beautiful curves.
Black slopes. Access via the Roc de Tougne chairlift.
Read alsoMéribel, the heart of the Three Valleys
WHERE TO SKI IN LES MENUIRES AND SAINT-MARTIN DE BELLEVILLE
In Les Menuires, the Masse sector, accessible via a new cable car this winter, offers superb skiing conditions.
Vincent lottenberg
● Léo Lacroix, for experienced skiers
It is in tribute to a great name in French skiing, Léo Lacroix, Olympic downhill medalist, that Les Menuires has chosen to rename this slope which has hosted many international competitions.
A must for experienced skiers, it starts from Mont de la Chambre to the center of the resort.
It presents a series of large curves and steep slopes.
Black track.
● Jerusalem, the scent of off-piste
The Jerusalem red trail starts at the top of Méribel (Tougnète and Cherferie) at an altitude of over 2,100 m and reaches the village of Saint-Martin-de-Belleville.
It is distinguished by its pleasant hilly layout and its traditionally high-quality snow.
Off-piste sensations await you!
Red track.
● The Mass
Pointe de la Masse is one of the highest points in Les Menuires at an altitude of 2,804 meters.
La Masse, the eccentric islet of Menuires offers a different ski from the southern slope, with its optimal snow conditions all season long, preserved by a northern exposure.
Wide choice of uncrowded slopes with a slight preference for the red Fred Covili slope followed by the blue Vallons slope which is linked naturally.
The new 10-seater gondola comes into operation this winter and swallows up the 1050 m of vertical drop in 8 minutes.
Red, blue slopes.
WHERE TO SKI IN VAL THORENS
At the top of the Cime Caron, follow on to the Combe Caron will satisfy experienced skiers.
umike_foto
● La Combe de Caron, a real black slope
First, take the time to admire, at the top of the Caron peak, the 360 ° panorama, at an altitude of 3,200 meters, over more than 1,000 summits of the French, Swiss and Italian Alps.
Then follow the Combe de Caron.
Sloping down on the first section, passing through a small bottleneck followed by large valleys, it requires endurance and technical mastery.
You benefit from the full north orientation and quality snow.
Then join the last beautiful curves of the red slope of the Col de l'Audzin.
Black track then red. Access by the Cime Caron cable car.
● La Christine, preserved atmosphere
Over 700 meters of vertical drop, the Christine gives the impression of being in a small remote valley, wide and pleasant with its changes of pace.
All along the descent, take the time to look up to observe the west face of the sumptuous Péclet glacier.
Red track. Péclet sector, Funitel access.
● The Goitschel, steep and sustained
It starts at the Col de la Chambre (3 Valleys link) facing south with a breathtaking view of the Val Thorens ski area and the Belleville Valley.
It bears the name of the Goitschel sisters (Marielle and Christine), multiple Olympic and World Ski medalists in the 1960s, and pioneers of “Val Tho '”.
Black track.
WHERE TO SKI IN ORELLE
● Coraïa and Peyron: more than 800 meters of skiing
After enjoying the panoramic alpine view at the arrival of the Bouchet chairlift at 3,230 meters, set off on the long Coraïa, often with excellent snow.
Continue with the Peyron, which winds its way up to Plan Bouchet at 2,350 meters, a course of more than 800 meters of vertical drop benefiting from ideal sunshine, thanks to a beautiful northern exposure.
Red slopes.
Read alsoSkiing: Val-Thorens, the madness of the heights
The 3 Valleys in practice
Go
By train.
Several stations including Albertville and Moûtiers are served by TGV from Paris Gare de Lyon (count between 4:30 am and 5:15 am for Moûtiers) and other French stations (Lille, Nantes, Rennes ...).
The ascent to the station is then ensured by coach shuttles (vente-bellesavoieexpress.fr) or by taxi.
Read alsoSkiing: these French resorts easily accessible by train
Practical: the piste map
The 3 Valleys application provides access to information on restaurants, the piste map, the ski lifts' closing times ... Good news: you will generally have a good connection throughout the ski area.
See also -
Skiing: "No sanitary pass" in ski resorts except in the event of an epidemic outbreak, announces Jean Castex
