3 Vallées (1300m-3195m)

The first visitors to the area described it as natural treasure. It continues its growth today in perfect harmony with its environment, which is what the real aim has always been. Establishing itself as a privileged ski and tourism destination, whilst developing less well equipped, unspoilt areas of the mountain is also a priority for the largest ski area in the world. From one extreme to another… On the edge of the traditional wide ski runs, the eastern side of the 3 Valleys ski area is waiting to be discovered : in the Saint-Bon valley and on the borders of the Courchevel ski area you will find sunny Moriond. On an open hilltop its ski runs cover Alpine pastures that have been looked after for centuries. Great skiing can be had here right from the start of the season, even if there are only fifteen centimetres of snow. In this particular sector of the 3 Valleys, where the first ski lift of the area was built, many magnificent ski routes can be found : Chapelets, Chanrossa, Roc Merlet and for spring skiing le vallon des Avals, le Petit Mont-Blanc and les Râteaux.

The Saint-Bon valley offers some of the most beautiful wooded sectors in the 3 Valleys, many of which are protected, along with perhaps the most interesting scenery in the whole of the Tarentaise. Here you will enjoy the last rays of the day’s sunshine. If you have to return to Val Thorens the daylight will accompany you along your journey back to the Belleville valley.

In the neighbouring valley, which has become the heart of the ski area, Méribel offers North-South facing slopes. It is most enjoyable to ski in the morning on the Tougnète slopes and on the Saulire slopes late afternoon. Above all the valley boasts a must : a downhill run from the top of the Mont-Vallon (2900 metres) back to Méribel (1450 metres) with a vertical drop of 1450 metres.
There are many ski routes starting from Tougnète, Cherferie and Roc de Fer. They have the advantage of allowing skiers to discover views of Alpine pastures, conifer forests, undergrowth and clearings that open onto one of the valley’s fourteen hamlets. This is what the regular skiers to the area call the villages’ route.

Finally, the western ski domain of the 3 Valleys is represented by the huge area of the Belleville valley and its close neighbours : les Encombres, la Vallée Etroite and Le Lou. Additionally there is access to the Southern slopes that lead towards the Maurienne valley and the Beaune-Le Thyl slopes above St-Michel-de-Maurienne. Here you will find the Mont Brequin, the col de la Vallée Etroite and the Mont Jaillet. There are many possibilities for skiing on unmarked routes in the expanses of untouched snow, a wild and preserved approach to the mountains of the largest ski area in the world. At the very top of the Belleville valley sits the imposing resort of Val Thorens and its circle of glaciers and peaks reaching over 3000 metres.

Beyond the Cime Caron peak there are north facing off-piste circuits that are skiable all day long. They offer huge vertical drops back to the Plan de l’Eau (1750 metres). Fans of this sector are well acquainted with the Lou, Boismint, Mont Brequin and col de Laudzin routes. The eastern facing slopes are magnificent when skied in the morning because the snow stays as powder for a long time. This is the case for all of the Masse mountain range that towers above the resort of Les Menuires. From the summit (2805 metres), there are many departure points for ski routes. It is probably the most convenient of the whole ski domain with the routes of Lac Noir, Le Teurre, col de la Fenêtre, La Gratte, Les Yvoses, Geffriand and the Crêtes. They all lead back to Les Menuires or one of the valley’s charming hamlets : Le Bettex, St-Marcel or Le Chatelard.
Parallel to the Belleville resorts there is a little valley that is usually found only by those with local knowledge : Les Encombres. From the top of la Masse you ski through a privileged area that evokes, although on a smaller scale, the scenery and thrills of the 3 Valleys when they were first discovered. Case Blanche, Gitamelon and Les Priots are stopping points that are not to be missed on the route of the Encombres. Alpine pasture areas during the summer, in the winter they are refuges and appreciated resting places along this fabulous downhill descent that leads to the hamlet of Chatelard. On the western slopes more regularly used circuits open up towards the hamlets of St-Martin-de-Belleville from the Pas de Cherferie and the Roc de Fer. Here you will be skiing over Alpine pasture lands that are hundreds of years old, where rare forests and undergrowth lead to little mountain chalets built of local stone and hamlets that are inhabited all year round : Béranger, Le Roux, Villarabout, St-Martin, St-Marcel, Les Granges and Praranger.

Ultimately the conclusion of the 3 Valleys is quite simple : it offers endless marked ski routes and even more off-piste ski routes. For those who already know the area or for those who are tempted to discover it…. It really is a goldmine.