PISTE MAP
SKI Area
- Incredibly easy access to one of the world’s largest, if not THE largest ski resort with over 650km of varied terrain.
- Easy to get to and from both Val Thorens and Meribel with Courchevel being just slightly further away but still well within range of confident intermediates.
- Superb modern lifts that help reduce time spent in the queues for more ski time.
- Phenomenal off-piste and parks for both skiers and snowboarders to tackle including DC’s infamous Area 43 park.
- Beautiful long, wide slopes perfect for carving or cruising your way down the mountain on great snow, and well-maintained pistes.
- Great variety of runs to suit beginners all the way through to the experts in the group.
Ski Area Overview
The skiing in Les Menuires is generally rated quite highly in many resort guides. This is mainly due to Les Menuires highly privileged position at the centre of the 3 Valleys, providing unlimited access to other fantastic neighbouring ski resorts such as Val Thorens, Meribel and Mottaret. The access to such extensive terrain means that skiing in Les Menuires tends to be extremely diverse. Also, as this area is at just one extreme of the 3 Valleys, it does tend to be one of the quieter areas to ski contributing to the smaller lift lines.
Getting around is also straightforward, to get to the Méribel Valley there is a gondola and fast chair from La Croisette and the same from Bruyères. This will give you access to almost unlimited skiing and within an hour and a half, you can be on the slopes in Courchevel. Access to Val Thorens is either by a blue from the top of the Montaulever drag lift or from the top of the Bruyères gondola, however we would recommend that you take a guide as navigating your way across can sometimes be a little tricky.
Further down the valley, a must is to ski down to the charming village on St Martin de Belleville. Here you will find the world-renowned rolling red run, Jerusalem. Arguably one of the most addictive run in the Thee Valleys with great bar restaurants waiting for you at the end.
Take a look below at our breakdown to find out more information relevant to your ability:
Advanced
Experts should certainly head to La Masse for some steeper terrain and high-quality snow. There is also a fair amount of off piste available including the wide open sweeping Vallon du Lou which is normally very quiet and leads down toward Val Thorens. In addition to a few black runs and some challenging off piste, La Masse also has a park area for those wanting to hit some jumps and a Gliss slalom and boarder cross area that includes a huge airbag jump at the bottom.
Intermediates
On one side of the valley is La Masse which can be reached by a gondola from just below the village. The views from La Masse are excellent and given its height and northerly orientation the snow here is also amongst the best in the 3 valleys. The runs from the top are mostly reds or fairly easy blacks but the skiing here is best-suited to intermediates and more advanced skiers. Once again, easy access to the 600 km of pistes that the 3 Valleys has to offer means that an extensive amount of intermediate terrain is at your fingertips. The team here at Ski Weekends also highly recommend the world famous Jerusalem ski run – a long sweeping red suitable for higher end intermediates and offering unparalleled picture postcard scenery.
Beginners
Les Menuires is well suited for beginners and has newly improved wide open nursery areas with plenty of snowmaking present and includes six moving carpets and a drag lift. Surrounding terrain also tends to be progressive and there are plenty of ‘lighter blues’ for beginners to progress onto.
Snowboarders
The 3 Valley’s offers plenty of terrain for all levels of snowboarders with few drag lifts and flat spots. If you team this with the great number of terrain parks and off piste trails, then you will start to understand how good it really is for riding. The snowboarding around Les Menuires is varied with some great spots for beginners to get up and sliding, whilst also offering more difficult challenges up towards the ‘Pointe De La Masse’.
Off Piste*
The 3 Valley’s has off-piste aplenty to offer its guests, with a great mix suited for those taking their first ventures into the powder or the experienced ski tourers who aren’t all that fussed about groomers! Les Menuires has some great off piste close by as well with some great runs down towards Saint Martin as well as runs over towards Val Thorens. One thing is certain though, you wouldn’t possibly have the time to ski it all!
*Ski Weekends strongly advise that off piste skiing should only be undertaken when in the company of a professional ski instructor or guide.
To find out more about skiing in Les Menuires feel free to contact one of our friendly Ski Experts on 023 8020 6971 or email sales@skiweekends.com