ONE OF THE UNDISPUTED STARS of the legendary Trois-Vallées, Méribel enjoys a central (and arguably the best) location from which to explore it. A deep valley setting also shelters it from the effects of unsettled weather conditions, and also means that much of the local pistes are steeper than those of its neighbours Courchevel, Les Menuires, Saint-Martin de Belleville and Val Thorens. But it’s not overly demanding, making it a solid choice for those keen to progress as their experience and fitness levels improve. While simply seeing how far you can cover in a day has its devotees, those looking for sheltered, tree-lined pistes will find them much closer to home.
Village-wise, accommodation begins around Les Allues (1100m) and Le Raffort, linked to the main ski area by the Olympe gondola from Brides-les-Bains. Next come Méribel Village (1400m) and Méribel 1450, at the heart of things. Highest of all at 1750m, is Méribel Mottaret, which is much more purpose-built in feel but hardly unattractive. It’s also ski-in/ski-out and is particularly popular with early- and late-season skiers.

Our first glimpse of Méribel is through the Perspex windows of the Olympe gondola, which has carried us on a magical 25-minute journey up from our base in Brides-les-Bains, making pick-ups along the way at Le Raffort and Les Allues. All the way up we’ve been gazing in awe at the effects of the heavy and sustained snowfalls which have already made this a vintage year for skiers.

We arrive not a minute too soon, and join those already making their way from the lift towards the heart of Méribel 1450. We always love that moment when we’re faced with deciding where to begin exploring a new ski area, but this time the sheer scale of what’s out there waiting to be explored is something else. Size may not be everything, but it’s hard to ignore.

Perfect conditions for skiers at Saulire, gateway to Courchevel.

After checking the Trois-Vallées piste-map, we decide to get the obvious temptations out of the way first. Climbing aboard the Saulire gondola for the haul up to the the exposed 2378m summit provides an impressive point of entry to the neighbouring Courchevel sector. At the top the visibility is perfect, and so is the snow depth, so we attack the heavy moguling on the steep Combe Saulire, then relax on the wide, immaculately-groomed final run into Courchevel 1850.

Pressing on...

Why stop now? Why indeed; we schusse on below le Forum and a couple of minutes later find ourselves arriving in Courchevel 1550. In all it’s taken us little more than thirty minutes to get here from Méribel. Now that’s what we call well-connected. However, given the numbers of people who had also decided to head over, it’s not exactly the stuff of great adventures. But it was fun, so we take a gondola-ride, followed by a cable-car, and find ourselves back up at Saulire, to spend the rest of the day getting to know some of the ample terrain which lies above Méribel.

The valley affords worthwhile shelter during unsettled conditions.

As we’d expected, the Red-graded return steeps have also become quite moguled, but in near-perfect conditions the snow remains forgiving, but without a hint of slush. And anyway, we soon discover Chardonneret, a much calmer Blue cruising run, which connects to other less-traveled terrain, giving us plenty of time to enjoy the scenery on our way down to Méribel 1450. Blending into the forested lower sections are some of the showpiece individual chalets which have become synonymous with Méribel. It’s easy to see why this long ago became one of the most desirable of all Alpine locations. Relaxed skiing like this certainly has its appeal.

Its prestige and huge popularity allow Méribel to host many events.

We’re clearly not the only ones who share this sentiment, judging by the large number of skiers already winding down among the displays of the Rossignol Demo Tour, which has rolled into town this week. And the bar and restaurant terraces of Méribel1450 are starting to fill with more early finishers. The village is a good place to hang-out, and for now at least feels far removed the cares of the outside world.

Seeing Red...

The next day we return to re-ski a couple of Reds and Blues, warming up for a foray over to the Belleville Valley. The Tougnete gondola and onward chairlift haul us up to the ridge and one of the great Alpine panoramas, beyond which lie Les Menuires and Saint Martin de Belleville, our target for this morning. Our chosen route (recommended by good friend, ski journalist and ultimate ski enthusiast Arnie Wilson) is Jerusalem, a Red-graded piste which would be easily overlooked on the map. Skiing it, though, turns out to be enormous fun, starting with a couple of steep (and today moguled) sections, followed by a series of much faster roller coaster humps, before a sudden turn feeds onto a long Blue run which snakes its way into the village of Saint-Martin. Thanks, Arnie.

After a relaxed restaurant lunch overlooking the village square, we take the button-lift beside the novice area and climb aboard the chairlifts for the long ride back up to Tougnete. It soon becomes all too clear that weather conditions are deteriorating fast, making it unwise even to head over to Les Menuires, let alone Val Thorens. After a long lift-ride memorable for truly glacial winds, we finally get to warm ourselves on the more sheltered terrain above Mottaret, filling in a few gaps in our knowledge for awhile, before schussing down among the trees to Méribel 1450.

An alternative form of après-ski, for those with a hardy constitution.

Rather than join the return gondola right away, though, we extend our skiing time by taking Villages, a long Blue-graded scenic trail which takes us through silent snowy landscapes, before dropping through woodland and petering-out just above Les Allues. A short walk brings us to the Olympe gondola intermediate station for the final descent into Brides-les-Bains. We’ve enjoyed Méribel — can we do it all again, sometime..?

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