Les Menuires is centrally located within Les Trois Vallées, one of the world's biggest linked ski areas with around 600km of slopes. The sheer size of Les Trois Vallées makes it impossible to explore the whole ski area in one week, and Les Menuires is the perfect starting place for a ski circuit that will take you through the highlights of the ski area. In this article we'll take you through 6 different routes, one for each day of your ski holiday!
The Pointe de la Masse lies on the far end of Les Menuires, offering fantastic views and lovely pistes. Take the Masse 1 and Masse 2 gondolas up to an altitude of 2804m above sea level and stop to appreciate the breathtaking view: Les Menuires and the ski lifts of Les Trois Vallées on one side, and the pristine sea of mountain peaks on the other. We highly recommend tackling the Fred Covili red slope, followed by Vallons. This isn't a long route, but it's perfect for getting acquainted with the resort on your first day of skiing.
The trek to Val Thorens is easily done more than once in a week-long ski holiday at Les Menuires. Take the Bruyeres or Mont de la Chambre lifts up to the Col de la Chambre (2850m) and you can sail down into Val Thorens, have a pit stop at one of the restaurants and then continue up to the Cime de Caron (3200m) on the other side. The panoramic mountain views here are absolutely spectacular, and from this peak you'll have several red and black runs to choose from. To get back to Les Menuires, take blue bd Cumin or go back to Col de la Chambre and enjoy the sweeping wide runs back towards the valley.
It's not a trip to Les Trois Vallées if you don't visit the other side of the ski area at least once! From Les Menuires it's about two hours of skiing through Méribel to Courchevel 1850. Courchevel is known for being luxurious (and expensive), but there is some great people-watching to be done from the mountain restaurant terraces. From here, a string of lifts takes you to the Col de la Chanrossa, from which you'll have views of the Roc Merlet. Enjoy skiing along the border of the Vanoise National Park with the lovely views, and then start making your way back to Les Menuires. Don't forget to leave yourself enough time to make it before the last lift closes.
For many skiers, higher is better, and they head straight up to Val Thorens as soon as they strap on their skis. But the skiing around Saint Martin De Belleville is nothing to sneeze at either. Foremost in its list of qualities is the lack of queues and general relaxed atmosphere. Follow the peaks 3 Marches, Mont de la Challe and Tougnète down to Cherferie, where you'll find the amazing blue piste, Jérusalem. This piste takes you straight into the heart of the Saint Martin de Belleville village, where you can have a nice break before skiing back to Les Menuires.
If you've already become acquainted with the best of Les Menuires, there's nothing to stop you from exploring Val Thorens more extensively. We recommend the Mauriennaise piste from the Col de Rosael (3000m). This is a red piste that is fantastic for doing over and over again in the early morning - just like the route from the Col de la Chambre, it never gets old. While you're in Val Thorens, hop onto the new Moraine gondola and take the piste of the same name back down into Val Thorens.
You can ski to Méribel via the Col de la Chambre or the 3 Marches. Before arriving at the village, take the gondola to Mont Vallon (2952m) and do a lap of the Champagnol piste. Take the lift back up and ski down the other side, taking blue piste Ours into the village of Méribel. From here, of course, it's easy to get into Courchevel before starting your journey back to Les Menuires.
Born and raised in the ski paradise of Vancouver, Canada, I learned to ski before I can remember, balancing precariously on my parents’ skis as they sailed down the hill. I started snowboarding in my teens and am now delighted to be exploring everything Europe’s ski scene has to offer!
