les Menuires
Resort Details

Les Menuires has had much mud slung at it over the years and quite rightly so, but it does have some redeeming features. It is high at 1850 metres. It is the cheapest of all the resorts in the Three Valleys. It is good for beginners. Lying half way up the north-south Belleville Valley, the east facing slopes have excellent snow and very good off piste. For keen skiers who want a cheap skiing holiday and can put up with the school holiday crowds and the vast apartment blocks, it is a good base for easy access to the rest of the Three Valleys and some of the best skiing in the world.

There are three other resorts in the Belleville valley - Val Thorens, Reberty and St Martin de Belleville. The vast three valley lift system connects to the other resorts in two more valleys - Meribel and Mottaret, and five Courchevel resorts. The skiing caters for every standard, and the off piste can be exceptional. The snow conditions are good way into April but are best on the Courchevel side as the resorts face north and locally gets the highest snowfall, but at Val Thorens the Cime de Carron cable car goes to 3200m (10400ft) where good snow is guaranteed all season. There is also some good off piste glacier skiing to 3400m (11000ft).

There is a fourth valley with excellent skiing from the top of the Cime de Carron in Val Thorens down to a half way station. In mid season it is possible to ski down to Orelle which links the Chambery-Albertville road with la Norma, the Frejus tunnel and the Italian border fifteen miles away.

All the resorts in the Three Valleys are serviced by snow cannons and there is usually a skiable piste down to the low lying villages (le Praz, la Tania and St Martin de Belleville) until mid April, when the flowers are starting to come out and it is definitely shorts and shirtsleeve skiing.

The French Railways ski train from Waterloo (UK) runs Friday nights to Moutiers arriving around 0800 on the Saturday morning, leaving a 35 minute drive to les Menuires and Reberty. With the return train leaving on Saturday evenings this gives a full seven days skiing in all the Three Valley ski areas. The Three Valley lift pass covers all 11 resorts making the area one of the largest in the world!

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