Ski Schools in the Three Valleys.
The French ski area of les Trois Vallées, or the Three Valleys as it’s known to its many British visitors, is quite simply one of the finest, largest and most varied ski areas in the world. With terrain suitable for all levels and some of the finest parks and off-piste in France, it can come as no surprise that it’s the destination of choice for so many skiers and snowboarders winter in, winter out.
The quality of the area’s ski schools, too, is no exception and visitors to the Three Valleys can count on expert tuition for beginners learning the basics right through to experts keen to sharpen their mogul, back country or big air skills. High volumes of skiers mean the demand for tuition is very high, and competition between the different schools is strong. For learners and improvers, this means only the good ski schools survive and the standard of tuition remains high.
An international clientèle requires international tuition, and the instructors you’ll find across the Three Valleys generally have three or even four languages to conversation level under their belts. For learners of any age, understanding your instructor and knowing exactly what’s expected of you during the lessons brings enormous peace of mind.
When it comes to the terrain available to learners in the Three Valleys, visitors are spoiled for choice. In Val Thorens the nursery slopes sit below the town within easy reach of a good range of further gentle runs. In les Menuires it’s a similar story, and access to the ski school meeting points is also wonderfully easy. Meribel’s Altiport area is very popular amongst the resort’s different ski schools and for learners it couldn’t be more ideally suited! The undulating green-level piste enjoys shelter from the surrounding pines, and is well serviced by a swift chairlift able to handle a large volume of skier traffic. There’s also a great range of gentle terrain around the base of la Tania, and with Courchevel 1850 in such easy reach that part of the Three Valleys is also perfect for learners.
Whilst the ski schools in operation across the Three Valleys are many and varied, a few have been in operation for years now and have earned a reputation for really world class tuition.
In Meribel, for example, Parallel Lines is the resort’s largest ski school with no fewer than 14 instructors comprehensively covering all the ski and snowboard tuition of learners across the board. They pride themselves on providing fully qualified British instructors and all of their team members have spent many seasons in the area teaching and working. Adult and children ski and snowboard classes are Parallel Lines’ bread and butter, but their private clinics are also excellent.
The British Alpine Ski School is another large Meribel ski school. BASS are another ski school catering largely to Meribel’s many British visitors, and their sizeable team of instructors are perfectly geared to helping learners make the most of their time on the snow. From private lessons, group lessons and children’s courses to advanced off piste clinics and even corporate events, BASS have many bases covered and are an excellent ski school.
Meribel’s smaller and more compact neighbour, la Tania, these days packs more of a punch on the tuition front than ever before. Highlights in this part of the valley include Magic in Motion and New Generation, who also run out of other resorts in the area and provide a similarly exceptional level of tuition as Meribel’s Parallel Lines and BASS. Magic, as it’s known, has a pedigree going back to 1992 and employs staff from Europe and further afield for their enthusiasm, motivated attitude and of course advanced teaching experience.
Smaller schools operating in the la Tania valley worthy of note include The Development Centre, Snow Limits and Momentum Snowsports. These ski schools may not have the staff rota of the larger schools but when it comes to one-on-one tuition and groups of skiers and boarders keen to make serious progression, they are a hard act to follow.
