3 Valleys Season Preview

Posted on November 29, 2016 by Jim Duncombe

The 2016/17 winter season is here. Find out what to expect in Méribel & The Three Valleys in our pre-season preview.

Skiing started in the Three Valleys on the the 19th of November when Val Thorens turned on its lifts and welcomed skiers and boarders earlier than expected due to some seriously heavy November snow. Courchevel was also able to open some of its runs early due to the 120cm of snow that fell across the Alps. All that happend before the season truly kicked off, so what has this winter got in store for the 3 valleys? Lets find out…

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Snow

As we said there has been loads of snow already and all that snow has laid down a great base for the season and the temperatures are staying low according to the long term forecast. That coupled with the 3 Valleys’ amazing ability to make snow this could be a great season. Méribel opens its doors for skiing on the 10th of December opening up the whole of the 3 Valleys for skiing until late April.

We couldn’t wait to get up on mountain so we went hiking on the 17th of November.

Let us take care of you this Christmas – Ski and come home to a traditional meal with all the trimmings
Christmas holidays from only £549 for an adult and £466.65 for a child from Gatwick

What’s New In The Three Valleys

You can save €10 per lift pass if you are buying more than one as part of the new Duo Lift pass, you must be purchasing a 6 day pass for a valley or the whole area to get the discount.
Tubing in Mottaret is opening this winter meaning that you can spend your evening flying down the slopes in a rubber ring.
If you like to picnic on the slopes then there is good news as Méribel has opened some indoor lunch lounges complete with microwaves. These can be found in Méribel and Mottaret main lift stations.
There are also new lifts in Val Thorens, the Roc and Stades drag lifts are now a shiny new 6 seater chairlift and the Boismint has also been upgraded to take more passengers.

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8 THINGS WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS WINTER

Events – What’s on on the Three Valleys 2016/17

There is lots to look forward to in the 3 Valleys this season from the Ski Cross world cup in Val Thorens on the 5th of December for 5 days to the end of the season mega party that is the 3 Valleys charity day. Here are few to look out for…

December

December is a busy month with opening parties as well as Christmas and New Year celebrations all going on. But there is also the the FIS Ladies Alpine World Cup being held in Courchevel from the the 20th December. lindsey-vonn-2015-audi-fis-alpine-ski-world-cup-womens-super-g-in-italy-02

January

One of the best events to watch in January is the annual British Armed Forces Combined Services Alpine Championships which is held in Méribel and will be in its 11 the year.

February

This month the resorts will celebrate Valentines day with various activities to help show your love. There will also be loads of children’s activities across the 3 Valleys as during the majority of the month there will be a region of France that has a half term holiday as well as the UK Half Term week starting on the 11th.

March

The big event in March is the Ronnie Loves Music Festival, hosted at the original aprés ski destination The Rond Point. This year Norman Jay MBE will return and there will be a set from 6 Musics Craig Charles playing music from his trunk of funk. There will also be some of the worlds top riders showing off on a specially build park. The event kicks of on the 20th of March.
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April

As the season comes to a close there are a still some great events on. We have all ready mentioned the incredible 3 Valleys Charity day happening on the 12th of April and it will feature all the best Aprés ski bands. There is also the 3 Valleys Enduro event where you can take part in events across the ski area such as Giant Slalom and Ski Cross.

We Recommend

If your heading to the Three Valleys then you may want to tick of a few thing on the Méribel bucket list and you definitely don’t want to miss out on some of our favourite things…

You need to make sure you spend at least one afternoon dancing at the Folie Douce.

jack-bar-meribel

Spend your evenings hanging out at Jacks Bar in Méribel where they have live music nearly every evening as well as comedy and great drinks offers.

If your in La Tania make sure you grab some lunch in at Pub Le Ski Lodge as well as enjoying the evening entertainment.

Also don’t forget to get your photo taken in one of the 3 valleys giant photo frames.

Check out all our latest offers to the Three Valleys

Posted in Alpine Action, La Tania, Meribel, Ski, Tips, Whats On | Tagged Apres Ski, Courchevel, holiday, La Tania, Meribel, skiing, snow, snow report, snowboarding, three valleys, Val Thorens, Womens Down Hill

Meribel & La Tania – Three Valleys Snow report – Week 13

Posted on March 14, 2016 by Jim Duncombe

This week has been springtime skiing at its very best! Blue skies, sunshine and heaps of snow have brought us one of the best weeks of skiing this season and the good weather looks set to stay. If you’ve ever hesitated about booking a holiday later in the season this week has been an example of how fabulous it can be, with empty slopes to boot!

Check out our last minute offers – 26th of March from £549

Snow

We have got piles and piles of snow after 2 big dumps in the last couple of weeks, the snow pack is over 220cm at the top of lifts and 125cm at the bottom with more than enough snow to see us through to the end of the season. There is even still some powder to be had if you’re willing to look for it! Every lift and piste in resort is open with all 3 Valley links up and running and all of the parks and fun areas are looking in fantastic shape.

Weather

The sun is set to stay in the 3 Valleys for the next week, some impressive goggle tans are starting to form and we already spotted our first shorts n’ t shirt combo of the spring, maybe a little prematurely. We are expecting a few snowy showers overnight to top up the runs but blue skies during the day- perfect conditions!

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Forecast

Springtime means party time in the 3 Valleys, outside enjoying the sunshine with a demi peche and some good tunes. This week we have a veritable feast of musical talent! On Monday night from 10pm we have Newton Faulkner playing in Lodge Du Village with local favourite Hobo Chic, then playing again at the Spring Party at the Chaudanne on Tuesday evening. We also have Norman Jay MBE spinning at Rond Point for Wednesday Apres, arguably the funkiest apres of the season!

There has never been a better time to come out to the three valleys, just don’t forget your sun cream!

Click here to see our 20116/17 prices.

Posted in Alpine Action, Meribel, Snow Report | Tagged Apres Ski, Courchevel, holiday, La Tania, Meribel, Ski, skiing, snow report, snowboarding, three valleys

Meribel & La Tania – Three Valleys Snow report – Week 10

Posted on February 11, 2016 by Jim Duncombe

Bonjour from a windy and wild Meribel and La Tania! The snow is falling, the clouds have come in and visibility is low but we are still out there enjoying the fresh powder and a good few vin chaud stops throughout the day. In the last week we have had just about every kind of weather thrown our way; rain, snow, sleet, wind and even some blue skies poking through! The weather has changed every 5 minutes so we’ve been carrying around a whole load of extra layers just in case.

Right now the snow is hurtling down at resort level, we have had over 20cm in the last couple of days. Up on the mountain this has resulted in a lovely fresh layer of powder to top up the mixed snow conditions from last week. Visibility has been as mixed as the weather this week, we have had moments of the clouds breaking and blue skies poking through but eventually the clouds have rolled back in and more snow is pouring down!

In the next 5 days we are expecting snow every day! Over half a metre of fresh powder is anticipated which will make for fantastic half term skiing, the heaviest snow is expected for Saturday with some breaks in the cloud on Thursday and Friday. Our best advice for low visibility skiing is to stick to the tree-lined runs, there are plenty of options around Courchevel and La Tania, and be aware of lift openings as you don’t want to end up stuck in the wrong valley with a very expensive taxi bill!

With half term just around the corner the Meribel and La Tania are going to full of smaller skiers and there are plenty of activities for families to get up to on and off the slopes! The family friendly areas such as the Inuit piste in the Altiport sector and the Yeti Park in Meribel Mottaret have a range of fun and games including meeting huskies so stop by and check it out!

Posted in Alpine Action, La Tania, Meribel, Ski, Snow Report | Tagged Apres Ski, holiday, La Tania, Meribel, Ski, skiing, snow report, snowboarding

Meribel & La Tania – Three Valleys Snow report – Week 9

Posted on February 4, 2016 by Jim Duncombe

It has definitely been a mixed-bag of a week in Méribel and La Tania! We have gone from blue skies and springtime warmth to resort-level rain and back again in a matter of days. The weather doesn’t seem to be making its mind up anytime soon, so be prepared for all conditions out on the slopes!

Check out all our latest offer to Méribel & La Tania – Prices start at £499pp

Watch our Snow Report

Weather

Temperatures have been unseasonably mild in the last week and as the snow clouds have rolled in it’s been falling a little damper than we prefer in resort and on lower runs however we have had 30cm of fresh snow at the top of the lifts. When the clouds have cleared the weather is almost March-like with us ditching our mid-layers, and even jackets at some points!

Taken – Wednesday 3rd Feb

Snow Conditions

The snow conditions are just as mixed as the weather, we’ve got a bit of ice, a bit of slush and everything in between. Up on the higher runs the snow is still in good condition so our advice would be go high and stay there! We skied the higher runs in and out of St Martin and Les Menuires this afternoon and they were really good!

Taken -Thursday 4th of Feb 2016

Forecast

We are expecting a drop in temperatures and snowy showers later in the week, which should top up the mountain nicely, and then more blue skies as we head towards the weekend. Next week is looking great with fresh snow and colder temperatures so we can put out t-shirts away!

Posted in Alpine Action, La Tania, Meribel, Ski, Snow Report | Tagged Apres Ski, Courchevel, holiday, La Tania, Meribel, Ski, Ski Sunday, skiing, snow report, snowboarding, three valleys

Meribel & La Tania – Three Valleys Snow report – Week 5

Posted on January 8, 2016 by Keira Podyma

The snow has finally arrived and it’s not stopping anytime soon! In the last week the 3 Valleys have been completely transformed with over a metre of snow having fallen and more is on the way. We have been out with our shovels on a daily basis clearing snow from our drives for it to reappear only hours later- not that we are complaining!

Weather Forecast

The weather has been mixed this week, with heavy snow comes poor visibility and we have had some strong winds as well. For a couple of days we have had the holy grail of fresh powder combined with blue skies and beautiful sunshine but even in the poor visibility the snow has been so amazing it’s definitely a fair trade. The temperatures have dropped slightly this week and an extra layer of clothing has been needed on the slopes, especially when you get to the higher points of the mountain.

Piste Conditions

The snow conditions have been incredible with fresh powder on top of groomed pistes almost every morning this week. There are a few bumps and moguls around which has been great fun, even for those of us who have taken a couple of tumbles while trying to perfect our mogul technique! We asked a few of this week’s guests to describe the snow conditions in one word and this is what we got, “cracking”, “incredible” and we are slightly unsure of this one, but get the gist, “POWDERFUL”!

The slopes are unrecognisable from a mere week ago and things are only going to get better as more snow drops over the next week. Over the next 5 days we are anticipating another metre of snow to drop on the 3 Valleys so there are plenty more powder days on the horizon! The temperatures will continue to drop to around -10°C so if you are coming out remember to pack your thermals.

Check out all our last minute ski prices here

Posted in Alpine Action, La Tania, Meribel, Ski, Snow Report | Tagged La Tania, Meribel, Ski, skiing, snow report, snowboard, snowboarding, three valleys

Three Valleys Commitment to Snow Making

Posted on December 29, 2015 by Jim Duncombe

The start of the 2015/16 season wasn’t the best in terms of snowfall with many resorts being forced to postpone their opening. The lack of snow at the start of the season has highlighted how impressive the snow-making infrastructure of the Three Valleys is. While other ski resorts suffered the Three Valleys was boasting that it had 70% of runs open and they were in pretty good shape.

When the Three Valleys opened up in full on the first week in December the last snow had fallen three weeks earlier and the temperatures were not consistently low. However, on opening day Méribel looked like this.

And after two weeks they looked just as good with the run down to La Tania being one of the best maintained slopes in the area.

So why is the snow cover so good?

The Three Valles has made a huge commitment to snow making. It currently has 2186 snow cannons located across one third of it’s 327 runs, which are attend to by a 72 strong fleet of piste bashers. The snow making starts long before the lifts open for the season as the cannons get turned on as soon at the temperature drops low enough. It is also rumoured the Méribel alone spends half a million pounds a year just making snow.

When we had a chat with the manager from Méribel Alpina, the company that runs the mountain, he was keen to point out that part of their promise to skiers coming to the area is to always have the highest number of runs open in Europe. We thought we would test this by comparing 29th of December 2015 in Méribel to five of Europe’s most popular resorts and looked at the percentage of lifts they had open.

Méribel 76%
Avoriaz 45%
Les Arcs 46%
St Anton 74%
Val d’Isere 37%
Verbier 68%

Booking a ski holiday at the beginning of the winter season has always been a gamble and this had been reflected in the prices of December ski holidays. But the work that goes on behind the scenes at in the Three Valleys means that snow is as guaranteed as it can be throughout the season. Take a look below at our snow report from the end of December and you can see that despite there being no snow since the resort opened the piste were in pretty good shape.

Posted in Alpine Action, La Tania, Meribel, Snow Report | Tagged Apres Ski, Courchevel, holiday, La Tania, Meribel, snow report, three valleys

Meribel Weather Forecast

Posted on November 17, 2015 by Jim Duncombe

Snow Alert

The season is almost upon us and the snow is on its way. This weekend we could see up to 70 cm of snow in the Three Valleys and as the temperature is set to drop it means that the snow will stick around. Here is our round up of the snow forecasts for this weekend in the Alps.

This map from Snow-Forecast.com shows that the Three Valleys can expect between 40 and 70 centimetres of snow on Saturday!

Other forecasters are in agreement.

*** VERS L’ARRIVÉE DE CONDITIONS HIVERNALES ***Le temps très doux et sec qui persiste depuis le début du mois de…

Posted by Meteo-Alpes on Saturday, 14 November 2015

Meribel is set to open on the 5th of December and Val Thorens was due to open on the 21st of November. Due to the current poor snow conditions and the massive snowfall that is predicted for this weekend Val Thorens has decided to postpone the opening until the 28th as they believe that they will need the week to prepare the slopes.

Information ouverture #ValThorens – 13/11/2015 – 15h48. pic.twitter.com/j75uJhJfbD

— ❄️ Val Thorens ❄️ (@Val_Tho) November 13, 2015

Snow Early Warning – 60cm+ Snow for The Three… – #ThreeValleys – https://t.co/9vY1oNCKcS — J2Ski Snow Reports (@J2SkiSnow) November 16, 2015

More snow is expect in the coming weeks which could mean that the start of the season will be full of amazing powder days.

There are some great deals on ski holidays to the Three Valleys for the beginning of the season.

Join the Méribel Weather Facebook group to keep up to date with the weather throughout the season.

Posted in Alpine Action, La Tania, Meribel, Snow Report | Tagged snow, snow report

Three Valleys Snow Report – 22/3/15

Posted on March 23, 2015 by Jim Duncombe

Three Valleys Snow Report – 22/3/15

This weeks snow report is supplied by Pete and Karolina

It has been another sunny week here in the 3 Valleys. Up until Saturday 21st March when the weather took a slight change with cloud rolling in and snow arriving at about 1800 meters and above, unfortunately it came down as rain further down in resort.

The snow higher up has stayed well but below about 1700 meters has been a bit slushy and thin in places especially on the south and west facing slopes, there is still plenty of good skiing on pistes higher up the mountain.

Continue reading →

Posted in Alpine Action, AtoZ, La Tania, Meribel, Snow Report | Tagged Apres Ski, Courchevel, holiday, La Tania, Meribel, Ski, skiing, snow report, snowboarding, three valleys

Guests Tips – Making the most out of The 3 Vallées.

Posted on March 16, 2015 by Jim Duncombe

Guests Tips – Making the most out of The 3 Vallées

We asked our Facebook fans and guests how they make the most of a ski holiday in the 3 Valleys. The best tip won a helmet and a pair of goggles thanks to our friends at the Meribel North Face ski hire.

Winning Post – Jonny L Vacca – The more time you spend on lifts in 3vallees the better the run down! I find if I spend a lot of time getting lifts to the very peak I can have a 30 minute run down to the bottom with varying pistes and challenges!

Chelsea Taylor – Always have a hip flask!

Joe SirDrinksalot Walbyoff – Have a couple (or more) of drinks in pub le ski lodge down in La Tania!!

Ed Dalgleish – Mountain burger.

Sophie Milne – challenge yourself to the black mogel field just above the la follie douce, 8 mins, no one on the group falls that means a cheeky beer and boogie! If someone fails back up the chair! Great way to challenge yourselves! Val T!

Bradley Michael Wigglesworth – Don’t miss the last lift from Les Menuires to Val Thorens, did it 2 days on the trot!!!

Tony Smith – Having just come back from the 3 valleys yesterday, I’d say my top tip is get out there and enjoy yourself, if there’s someone in your group that wants to stay at the hotel bar then let them, get out on the first lift ski/board hard and go up on the last lift, make the most of it, there’s so much to see and you’ll be on your way home before you know it, but most importantly have some fun that’s what it’s all about.

Posted in Alpine Action, La Tania, Meribel, Tips | Tagged Apres Ski, Courchevel, facebook, holiday, La Tania, Meribel, mountain restaurants, Ski, skiing, snow report, snowboard, snowboarding, three valleys, Val Thorens

3 Valleys Snow Report – 28th February 2015

Posted on February 28, 2015 by Jim Duncombe

3 Valleys Snow Report – 28th February 2015

By Pete

It has been a great week here in the 3 valleys, it started on Saturday afternoon with heavy snow that proceeded to fall into the night. Sunday started with about 20cm of fresh snow in resort the snow returned again Monday night and most of Tuesday, we were skiing knee deep in snow on the pistes at the top of Courchevel. Wednesday the sun came out and this must have been the best day skiing of the season so far, the sun continued on Thursday then on Friday the snow returned!

The snow conditions out here in the 3 valleys are awesome at the moment and there is more snow to come. The forecast for the week ahead is looking good Saturday is due to be sunny so is good for transfer day, then snow returning on Sunday afternoon though to Monday night and coming back in on Wednesday night! It’s looking like it’s going to be a great March for skiing so take advantage of some great late offers at Alpine Action.

We have been speaking to Paul, a local French young man who manages La Taiga(in our humble opinion the best bar/restaurant in La Tania :). He has been living and working here for many years so his knowledge of the weather and mountains is second to none! He told us that the season is running a month late in weather terms, so that means we should be in for a great April as well as March! If he’s right the skiing conditions should be really good all the way until the end of the season.

The season of powder days and goggle tanned faces is truly upon us – there is no better time to come out to the 3 valleys, so pick up the phone or get on line and book one of the last remaining spaces we have left in our chalets in Meribel.

Posted in Alpine Action, La Tania, Meribel, Snow Report | Tagged Apres Ski, Courchevel, holiday, La Tania, Meribel, Ski, skiing, snow report, snowboarding, three valleys

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