The Tour de France in our area

As the southern hemisphere slides into winter things are warming up in Meribel as the date for the Tour de France gets closer. The Tour which was first staged in 1903 covers more than 3,600 km of demanding terrain and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours" the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. Those not lucky enough to catch the Tour live keep up to date with extensive TV and Radio coverage which for Australians means a lot of late nights hoping to see Cadel Evans repeat his success of last year.  

In Meribel this year there were many activities to mark the 20 year anniversary of the Olympic Games being hosted by Albertville and on the 12th July the City will mark the start of stage 11 of The Tour. This stage is 140 km, the riders will tackle the Col de la Madeleine, the Col de la Croix de Fer and the Col du Mollard before the final climb towards the resort of La Toussuire. This stage is being seen as one which could single out potential winners of the Tour. Albertville is less than 30km from Les Allues so the stage is a real treat for the many cyclist enthusiasts who live in the village as well as the visitors who flock to the area for a taste of The Tour.

The end of one season and the start of the next

The snowy end to the season arrived as promised so we enjoyed great conditions and empty slopes until the day the lifts finally closed. For many this is now a wind down period after a busy winter but for the Lift Company there was an air of frantic activity as they start their work on two big new lifts in Meribel. As soon as the lifts started their gradual closure earth moving began and we even spotted one of the newly retired bubbles from the Burgin Saulire gondola sitting outside one of the mountain bars. We will post soon about the new lifts and other developments in the area which will greet us next season.

There is still so much snow in the Three Valleys area that many people will continue to enjoy sliding around having walked up in the absence of lifts. Ski touring is always popular in the area with access to glaciers and high altitude areas, this summer it promises to be as popular as ever. For those who prefer to take a lift skis and snowboards were quickly replaced by bikes. Lycra took over from merino layers and gortex and cows wearing huge bells started to appear at the base of the valley waiting to begin their assault on the fresh green higher pastures.

The speed with which the transfer from winter activities to summer activities takes place is shown in these pictures. Whilst we were enjoying our last few days of skiing at the top of the mountain summer was creeping in from the base. The floral display greets visitors as they climb the hill into Les Allues to take part in the myriad of activities the area offers. The next post will look at what The Three Valleys has to offer outside of the winter season.

Every type of weather plus cute animals

Melbourne in Australia is often referred to as the place where you can experience 4 seasons in one day, well we haven't experienced quite that but over the last few days "settled" is not a word which could be used to describe the weather. We started our week in Lyon where it was a very chilly 4 degrees, through 24 hours in the beautiful town of Annecy we went from freezing to sitting in the sun admiring the lake while people cycled by in their summer clothes. The lake was so inviting we took the long way home via Talloires and saw a touch of how many will spend their summer holidays lounging in the sun by the lake as this picture shows.

The very next morning we woke up to snow falling in Les Allues and thick cloud obscuring the view to the peaks. Undeterred we went up to the summit at Saulire and were treated to blue sky and sunshine - for about 30 minutes at which point it started to snow quite heavily however we were treated to a very Spring like sight of 2 Marmottes under the appropriately named Marmottes chair lift.

We continued skiing runs around Suisse and Combe de Saulire enjoying beautiful soft fresh conditions underfoot while more fresh snow fell from above. The temperature at the top was a chilly 0 degrees but every now and then the sun appeared giving amazing views over empty Pistes.

The weather forecast for the next 5 days shows up to 60 cm of fresh snow could fall on the peaks. Not perfect April sunbathing weather but we are being treated to lovely conditions and have the added pleasure of skiing most runs with only a handful of other people to share the space with. As this winter like weather looks set to continue we will venture across to Val Thorens over the next few days and report back on how conditions are over there.

April skiing

Although there is just 2.5 weeks left of the season here in Meribel we are enjoying fabulous snow conditions. As to be expected by this time in April the lower runs have softer snow but thanks to recent snow falls we have been enjoying fresh snow over much of the area. These pictures were taken on Easter Monday:

Meribel sits at the heart of the largest connected ski area in the world but size is not everything. Meribel benefits from a great aspect giving the choice of sun and shade skiing through most of the day, and more than 70% of the ski area is found above 2,000 metres which means snow sure conditions throughout the season. Having said all of that the maintenance of the runs is something which the area takes very seriously both in winter and summer and is what makes the difference between a good resort and a great resort.

Every night a team of Pisteurs in their amazing machines groom, soften and spread the snow so next morning we have the pleasure of the best conditions possible. During the summer while the area is a playground for walkers, cyclists and other outdoor enthusiasts  the ski runs are prepared, in some cases this involves being re-shaped, de-stoned and re-grassed so as to ensure the best possible snow cover in winter. The condition of a run impacts the level of difficulty, the picture below shows the targets the Pisteurs work towards. Notices are posted around the resort and at lift stations to show which runs have been groomed the previous night, you can also access this information on-line to help you plan your day. Just all part of the great service we receive here in The Three Valleys.

Worth getting up early for

During February and March the Meribel Lift Company; Meribel Alpina offer their "Matinale" activity which we participated in this week. Each Tuesday a group of 25 skiers have the pleasure of skiing on empty slopes above Meribel for an hour before the lifts open to everyone else. As if this is not enough temptation a delicious breakfast of cold meats, cheese, bread and pastries is served at the summit of Tougnette just as lifts become open to all


The 18 Euro cost and the effort to get up to Meribel by 8.00am is truly worth it, the sun is just making an impression on the pistes, there is silence aside from the whir of the Lifts and skiing piste after piste of untouched corduroy almost alone was an amazing experience. Next season we will be encouraging our guests to seize the opportunity to participate in this activity, in the meantime here are a few pictures we took.

The sun just starting to warm up the pistes

Empty, perfectly prepared pistes

The icing on the cake - a delicious breakfast

Strange sights on the slopes

We see some strange things out on the slopes, red crocodiles, Jelly Babies, people wearing one piece ski suits circa 1990 but today probably topped all of them. Having just enjoyed a well earned rest at the Plan des Mains at the base of Mont du Vallon we came across one of the many "Piste Basher" machines used throughout the Three Valleys which appeared to be full of Beer Kegs. If they really were beer kegs (full or empty) we may never know but here is the photographic proof.

We have been enjoying gloriously sunny weather for the last 4 days together with mild temperatures. Towards late afternoon lower slopes are softer but still lovely to ski and the upper runs are in perfect condition. The freshly groomed runs first thing in the morning are especially nice and make almost everyone look and feel like good skiers. Today we have skied as low as 1,400 metres (La Tania) and as high as 2,952  (Mont du Vallon) and have enjoyed every minute of it. The Three Valleys has the benefit of a long snow season due to height, aspect and impeccable grooming and this year will be no different with lifts open until the end of April there is no better place for an end of season ski holiday.
Here are a few pictures from around the area taken over the last few days:

Early morning Balloon sighting Courchevel

View from top of Cote Brune chairlift