Summer in Meribel

Midwinter in the southern hemisphere and parts of the south east of Australia certainly knew about it this week with wild weather hitting Melbourne and Sydney. Great news for the ski resorts although current visibility at Blue Cow is slightly limited.

Conditions at Blue Cow this morning

While the Australian ski resorts enjoy snowfalls of over a metre just in time for the school holidays, the summer season in Meribel officially starts on the weekend. From the 28^th June to 29^th August the Tougnete and Pas du Lac lifts will be open to whisk holidaymakers to the summits to enjoy walking, cycling or simply the amazing views. In addition to the Meripass as detailed in our last post lift tickets are available on daily, weekly or even sector basis.

You don’t have to take lifts at all if you don’t want to, there are plenty of paths for walking and trails for mountain biking that can be accessed from different points throughout the valley. From our Village of Les Allues you can access easy walks up to Meribel Village or Meribel Centre, and across the valley interesting loop trails can be taken which go through small Villages giving a real insight into life in rural France. Feeling a little more energetic? The climb to Col de la Lune from Les Allues is well worth it for the views into the Belleville Valley. The area around the Altiport and the Golf course is picture perfect at this time of year, hard to believe that beautiful green grass was covered in snow just a few months ago.

If you feel like being a bit more adventurous perhaps exploring the glaciers and more dramatic peaks of the area, group or individual tours are available for beginners and advanced hikers. The destination depends on level of walkers and the weather but can include: the Vanoise glaciers, Grande Glière, Grand Paradis, Dôme des Ecrins, Mont-Blanc, Aiguille de la Vanoise, Le Petit Arcelin. Costs start from 95€ per person. For more information contact the Mountain Guides' office:

www.guides-courchevel-meribel.com 

Walking and Mountain Bike riding maps are available form the Tourist Office, like the winter piste map they cover all three valleys giving a huge choice of routes to follow. There are also commercially available maps for the area which show an even wider range of tracks you can follow, there really is no excuse for a lazy summer holiday in Meribel.

Part of the walking map around Les Allues - plenty to keep you going for an active summer holiday

So while the southern hemisphere shivers the outlook for this week in Meribel is sunshine and 20 degrees – perfect for getting out and exploring. Enjoy.