Winter & Ski Home Ski Resort Reviews Alps Les Menuires

Location, Location...

The formerly less-than-traditional image of one of the more practical bases in the Three Valleys is fast being transformed.

In the Vallée des Belleville, in the Savoie area of the French Alps, just south of Chambery. The road up the mountain is a long and winding one (but significantly less so than for those continuing onwards to Val Thorens). Snowfall is as abundant here as for the other high-altitude resorts in the 3V, but the local snow-clearance teams do a great job of keeping things moving on the road. All the same, if you're planning on self-driving you'll need to carry snow-chains or textile snow-socks (and be familiar with fitting them).

As for basing yourself here in what is effectively the ‘third valley’, you shouldn’t feel at all marginalised. On one side, capable lifts will haul you smoothly to drop in on Méribel, which in turn offers rapid access to Courchevel. And there’s the very worthwhile option of dropping down into nearby Saint-Martin de Belleville – or heading considerably higher in and around Val Thorens.

Dependable snowfalls, a modern, efficient lift system and excellent grooming are hallmarks of the Three Valleys.

The 3 Vallées are billed as The World’s Largest Ski Area, and we’re not about to disagree. Neither will you; unless you’re in for the season, there’s little danger of skiing it all out. Which isn’t to say you can’t have a whole lot of fun trying.

The local Les Menuires/Saint-Martin lift-pass offers plenty of varied terrain, but since the whole point of skiing here is to have access to the whole Three Valleys area, you'll probably regret not going for the full lift-pass.

That said, skiing in this sector is not without its own rewards. You'll find the gentler terrain on the side of the valley which bounds Méribel, along with some long runs over towards Saint Martin de Belleville (the Red/Blue-graded Jérusalem being a particular favourite). There's also a good-sized Fun Park beside the Sunny Express chairlift.

Across the valley things are a little steeper below the Pointe de la Masse, although apart from a couple of Blacks there's nothing to intimidate most intermediates. And the views from the top of the gondola lift alone make this an essential visit.

Early morning finds Bruyères village awakening to another ski-day.

You'll make worthwhile savings on accommodation and dining out by basing yourself here in Les Menuires, rather than in Méribel or Courchevel (yet you get to share exactly the same vast ski area). True, there was a time not so long ago when the high-rise image of the developments around La Croisette, Brelin and Preyerand was something of a handicap, but recent years the Les Bruyères and Reberty areas have softened things with a more traditional, Savoyard chalet feel.

This more authentic mountain has since spread to La Sapinière, Reberty 2000, Les Balcons des Bruyères, Les Hameaux des Marmottes and Les Airelles. Even MGM/CGH has been convinced, adding the 4*Les Clarines in the Preyerand area. Result: Les Menuires is now a nice place to be, and has some very stylish services, too (see our reviews, left).

The first skiers break for an early lunch beside the Bruyères gondola.

Skiing from this side of the Trois Vallées will suit those looking for worthwhile savings, without the need to commute to and from the ski area; it's all right there on your doorstep. What you won't find, though, are sheltered, tree-lined pistes, but this might not be an issue for you. We'd say that it's a logical choice for keen skiers who want speedy access to Val Thorens (but in a less exposed setting) or families and mixed-ability groups who value the range of facilities including the large Fun Park. And those who can't leave their social network (or business) behind will appreciate the multiple (payable) WIFI zones around the resort areas.

Fresh snow has fallen overnight in the Belleville valley, evidence of which we see during the steady climb from Chambery during late December. After passing Saint Martin de Belleville, looking as pretty as ever, we turn towards Les Menuires. Our hotel, the Isatis, is on the far side of the village in the Les Bruyères area, and our apartment offers us interesting overviews of goings-on around the modern gondola lift.

There's going to be some snow-clearance needed around the loading area of the Bruyères gondola.

Next morning, despite the fact that the location is as close to ski-in/ski-out as it gets around here, we decide to head down to another lift, for a haul up to the Pointe de la Masse (2804m) on the opposite side of the valley. As we'd hoped, the early morning conditions here are just perfect, with few signs of ice to unsettle our skis. Just 100m or so along the Red-graded Fred Covili piste we pass Le Bouquetin, a 3.5m-high mountain goat in larch by wood sculptor Marc Georgeault.

Le Bouquetin surveys the surrounding mountain scenery from beside the Red-graded Fred Covili piste.

Here the piste divides, offering another Red-graded alternative (Crêtes, which feeds onto the Lac Noir Black) but we continue onwards to join the network of Blues spreading out from the lifts lower down. Ahead of us we can see the whole of the upper valley, revealing for the first time Les Menuires' surprisingly sheltered location. By now the gradient has eased slightly, and our final drop back to our starting-point is a gentle cruise.

The Brelin area, seen here from the Mur Rouge piste below Pointe de la Masse (2804m).

Now we head over to the Roc des Trois-Marches gondola to see how conditions are shapng up on the opposite side of the valley. On the ride up it's looking promising, so at the top station we ski over to join the Mont de la Chambre chairlift for a haul up to 2850m. From here we could drop straight over into neighbouring Méribel, but having done that last season we decide instead to get better acquainted with Les Menuires’s own terrain. There are any number of routes back down to the village, most of them Red- or Blue-graded, and if you were staying for a week or so you could do worse than spending a morning skiing right here without ever quite repeating yourself. Sadly, we don’t have that luxury, so we work our way slowly and deliberately over towards the Bruyères area, above which we stop for lunch at the Chalet Hotel Kaya. It turns out to be an inspired choice, with a satisfyingly varied menu and a large sundeck overlooking the pistes.

The Chalet Hotel Kaya, set beside the wide return pistes to Bruyères, contributes to the changing face of Les Menuires.

We emerge from our meal feeling far too relaxed to power up the energy levels for awhile, so we’re more than happy to join the other skiers taking it easy on the gentler terrain on this side of the ski area. But not everyone feels the same, judging by the steady flow of freestylers keen to develop their tricks over in the snowpark. You can’t help but be impressed by the confidence and flair (not to mention the energy reserves) of the new generation of skiers and boarders who are changing the outside world's perception of on-mountain activities, but our self-preservation instincts override any temptation we might secretly harbour about joining them.
In any case, we're elated enough by the sheer magic of skiing our last runs of the day, as the sun slips below the nearby peaks and hints at the kind of sunset which counteracts the sudden chill of evening.

The final cruise of the day comes early in late December.

After a great day’s skiing we head back to the hotel in a reflective mood and prepare to enjoy an evening meal at the legendary (two) Michelin-starred La Bouitte Chalet Restaurant, over in Saint Martin de Belleville. Which is another story we’ll be adding soon...

© Roger Moss