Mountain Layout—Skiing

Here is a larger, more detailed map.

Here is a larger, more detailed map of the entire Les Trois Vallees.

Les Menuires area has excellent expert and intermediate skiing from the top of La Masse. These runs are often less crowded here. On the other side of the valley above both Les Menuires and Val Thorens, the runs are generally intermediate, rather wide-open cruisers with an expert run named after Marielle Goitschel, the Olympic darling of the valley. One of our absolute favorite runs for intermediates is the mogul-studded connector path leading down to Méribel from Mont de la Chambre above Les Menuires.

In Les Menuires you will find skiers traveling with families and those looking for the steeps. The skiing is wide open on the west-facing slope with lifts running up toward Val Thorens. An abundance of beginner and intermediate runs pass picturesque shepherd huts on the way down the valley toward the traditional village of St. Martin de Belleville. The east-facing side of the valley offers more challenging skiing from Pointe de la Masse (9,213 feet), which can be reached rapidly by riding a combination of two high-speed lifts. In the afternoon the area is deserted as skiers follow the sun. The off-trail skiing from here and nearby Cîme de Caron is exceptional, especially in spring when skiers can drop over the backside of these mountains with certified guides.

The lift taking skiers to the Roc des Trois Marches and the new Le Roc Des Trois Marches gondola (installed for the 2005/06 season) taking skiers to Mont de la Chambre provide the best connections to Méribel and the rest of Les Trois Vallées.

Off Piste: Always-present avalanche danger makes skiing with a guide very advisable and with a friend a common-sense requirement. Experts who want to explore the path less traveled should head for the Val Thorens/Les Menuires valley. Besides the aforementioned fourth valley, there is also excellent off-piste skiing above the Pointe de Thorens. At this point, be prepared to shed your skis and hike up to the glacier du Bouchet or in the other direction toward either the Glacier de Gébroulaz or to the Aguille de Péclet.

The summits of La Masse and Cîme de Caron, also in the Val Thorens/Les Menuires valley, are the richest sources of off-piste skiing in the entire Three Valleys circuit. From the top of both there are long off-piste trails down by Lac (lake) du Lou. Take particular notice of the ski hut at the peak of La Masse—a steep initial descent from this hut intimidates most and conceals desolate, expert terrain leading more directly toward Lac du Lou than the itinerary routes. From the top of La Masse there is more serene off-piste skiing to be found by heading down to La Gratte via either the Les Encombres route or the Le Chatelard route. Make arrangements for a taxi or a car to pick you up and bring you the short distance to the St. Martin de Belleville.

Mountain rating
C’est magnifique! This area is so vast and varied that no skier should have trouble finding the perfect slope for his or her ability. The basic rules here are that intermediates can stick to the slopes dropping from the Meribel ridge down to Les Menuires. Experts and advanced skiers will want to head to the other side of the valley to drop down from La Masse.

Expert skiing is everywhere however. What you can see, you can ski. No expert will go wanting. In the Val Thorens/Les Menuires valley. Here, on the Cîme de Caron and descending from Pointe de la Masse, experts can find the best steeps, the best powder and the smallest crowds.