This text is part of the special book Plaisirs
In the heart of the 3 Valleys, the largest ski area on the planet, Les Menuires is the ideal base camp for enjoying all the resorts without breaking the bank, including with the family.
From the top of Pointe de la Masse, at the top of Les Menuires, there is no shortage of breath-taking panoramas, even on windless days. Straight ahead, the Massif de la Chambre is dominated by the august silhouette of Mont Blanc in the distance; on the right, the Aiguille de Péclet (3561 meters) pierces the horizon and marks the presence of Val Thorens; behind, the Vallée des Encombres offers the promise of endless possibilities for off-piste skiing. But nothing lets guess the presence of the very posh Courchevel, the picturesque Saint-Martin-de-Belleville or the chic Méribel, yet bordering.
In fact, all these resorts — as well as two small hamlets, Orelle and Brides-les-Bains — are interrelated and together form the largest of all ski areas on the globe: the 3 Valleys. No matter where you put your suitcases in this vast white territory of 600 km of skiing, 339 trails and 160 lifts, you have access to its entirety with a single multi-station ticket. And it is often in Les Menuires that many skiers prefer to take up residence to shine from one valley to another.
First of all, of all the major resorts in the 3 Valleys, this is the first you come across when arriving from Lyon or Geneva, the main airport access points to the area. Then, the choice of accommodation is the widest, the most affordable and the most appropriate for the family, and almost always of the “ski-in ski-out” type: you put on your skis at the hotel, you go skiing and you come back. in the evening, directly from the slopes.
Moreover, when all the hotels and chalets are fully booked everywhere else in the 3 Valleys, there is always room in Les Menuires, even if you have to rent an apartment at the “Paquebot”, this large brutalist building which dominates the resort. And if, from the Croisette to the Grand Reberty, the different districts of Les Menuires do not have the character of Saint-Martin or the hamlet of Bettex, they are teeming with life and services.
Finally, if not the most exhilarating of the lot, the ski area of Les Menuires – a large open valley, free of trees and criss-crossed by wide slopes – is well exposed to the sun, has several play areas (snow parks, with obstacles, etc.) and remains the most appropriate for neophytes and fragile legs: of the 76 runs, most are at beginner level.
Elsewhere in the field
If you can’t find what you’re looking for in Les Menuires, all you have to do is take the lifts and head for the last of the 3 Valleys, rub shoulders with the stars and expensive skiers of Courchevel and gaze at the frescoes on the facades of its charming village, or else s enter the beautiful valley of Méribel, highly prized by the British. But above all, you can explore Val Thorens, within reach of spatulas and ski lifts from Les Menuires.
Not only is this the highest perched sector of the 3 Valleys, but it is also the most dazzling and the most hectic. Between the Cime Caron (3200 meters) and the Pointe du Bouchet (3416 meters), under which the highest zipline in the world starts, the slopes pass between delirious peaks or in sublime steep-sided valleys – the Lory thus stretches in a sort of long white canyon flanked by black rocks.
Val Thorens can also pride itself on offering the wildest après-ski in the 3 Valleys, whether you’re taking part in a well-watered outdoor barbecue, wiggling around on the outdoor terrace or skidding in a club like Malaysia, an underground nightclub that can accommodate 1,000 revelers, and from which you can get back in 15 minutes by taxi, once the nouba is over.
At table
One of the greatest satisfactions you derive from skiing in Les 3 Vallées is having access to all these mountain restaurants where you can have a dignified lunch, directly on the slopes. Duck breast with morels or trout with Beaufort cheese on the sunny terrace of Antigel; a pizza with Parma ham or a grilled octopus a la ventricina to the sound of the Roc Seven DJ: there are plenty of good dishes there, whether they are served in a designer setting, a rustic chalet or an old mountain – a house of shepherd — reconverted.
In the evening, back in the village, the choice is even wider: a decadent raclette or tartiflette at the Comptoir, a lamb shank that defies the laws of tenderness at the Maison de Savoy or a trout with leeks caught on site on same morning at Pépé Nicolas, a rustic restaurant full of charm and directly planted on the farm from which he draws the products served at his table. Gourmets who do not hesitate to lighten their pockets are not left out: even without going to Courchevel, you can treat yourself to princely feasts at La Bouitte, the only Michelin-starred restaurant in the Belleville valley, a few minutes of Les Menuires.
Because no matter what type of skiing you practice, you don’t trifle with good food in the 3 Valleys: after all, 600 km of slopes always end up digging…
The author was the guest of Air Canada and the Tourist Office of Les Menuires.
This special content was produced by the Special Publications team of the To have to, relating to marketing. The drafting of To have to did not take part.
This special content was produced by Le Devoir’s special publications team, reporting to marketing. The editorial staff of Le Devoir did not take part.