Val Thorens / 3 Valleys report

First time writing a report on here so be gentle with me!

A group of 4 of us went to Val Thorens end of Jan/beginning of Feb 2011. We went with Crystal and stayed in the Chalet Aimee which is part of the Chalets des Neiges complex at Plein Sud. Also in the chalet were a group of 5 guys and a group of 2 blokes (my wife thus telling anyone that would listen that she was on a lads holiday....)

Chalet was comfortable and warm with excellent cooking from Claire, our host. A sauna on another floor served the complex (deserted when 3 of us tried it)and we could use a swimming pool in another property across the road if we'd fancied it - though we didn't. Ski lockers with boot warmers were provided on the fifth floor and from here a short slide led out onto the Plein Sud blue piste (accessible in and out) which deposits you in town, by all of the lifts.

So to the important bit - the skiing!

4 mid level intermediates who are happy to ski all day and rack up the mileage - the 3 Valleys was made for us (to be fair we'd been to VT once before but were lower level then)

Much has been made of the snow in the French Alps this winter but snow was pretty much ok for us all week (odd bit of ice, some bald bits and some of the Black runs totally closed) though it's definitely better higher up in VT than lower down in Meribel etc

The lift system of the 3 Valleys is excellent - almost all the old chairs have gone and so mostly detachable chairs (some with bubbles - though weirdly these were on the "route du soleil" which is surely where they dont need them by definition....), there's a few gondolas (including one designed for dwarves in Meribel, Plattieres - I had sore knees by the time I got off) and a couple of big cable cars.

Runs are usually wide and well signed. Unlike the Espace Killy I'd say that piste marking was mostly fair with few nasty surprises on blue runs and reds that were fine for us. The piste map is a little out in places with a couple of runs simply not appearing on the map - half way through the week before we discovered that we could get down from the Meribel return (Mont de la Chambre) to the Plein Sud piste via a red run rather than a black mogul field or a circuitous blue run into town and then a walk or another lift/ski down.

The blue route down into town (for anyone coming from Les Menuires, Meribel or Courchevel not directly from Mont de la Chambre)involves coming down either Pluviometre or Mont de la Chambre blue runs and then meeting a traverse (flattish) into town. The bad part of this though is that where this comes down past some of the hotels (beneath the Cairn gondola) is narrow, a little icy in places, and mogulled by end of day due to traffic. It's by no means hard but I wouldn't have fancied it as the return to town on the end of a full day as a beginner - busy and full of beginner snowboarders sitting in the middle by 4pm...

We skied in all 4 Valleys with the runs in the "hidden" valley leading towards Orelle some of the best with great snow, amazing views and no crowds at all. Meribel, though lauded for its tree lined protection in bad weather, was icy in the shade in this period of no snowfall and high temperatures. Courchevel was lovely - no-one there as they'd headed over to VT for the snow I guess, so we had great fun coming down from the Combe du Saulier into Verdons (28 Euros for 4 Hot Chocolates!!!!!) and then over into 1650 meaning that, with out trip to the Maurienne Valley, we'd skiied the two extreme edges of the map.

Crowds were little in evidence all week and the addition of the "travellators" in the middle of VT has helped with all of the run crossing in the village centre but I still worry that collisions such as that which broke my wife's nose and cheekbone 4 years ago are going to be commonplace at busy times. It's an area of green runs coming together with beginners area and still people shoot through it at full tilt.....

We had two days out with the Crystal reps at the start of the week - "Cruise the Blues" and "Race the Reds" and these were an excellent guide and way to get one's legs warmed up again. I've never used these rep services before but certainly would again - full marks to Crystal (who I admit to having been underwhelmed by last year in VDI but had what I wanted for the right price this year)

Nightlife was fairly quiet for us as we prefer to hang out in the chalet after dinner but a post ski/pre dinner pint or three was had most days. The Frog and Roastbeef is hugely popular for reasons that we can't understand (smells funny, hugely expensive beer, students!) but we're fond of the Saloon Bar and its downstairs offshoot Saloon Bar Down Under (formerly the Viking) which is next door to the Frog, has cheap beer, happy hours, live band, pool table down stairs and a much better atmosphere IMHO.

So that's it - a brilliant holiday with so much to reccomend the 3 Valleys for intermediates, you'd never get bored in a season, much less a week! Yes, France is expensive, but with a chalet board basis, sandwiches made by chalet host and no desire to go hardcore garage two-stepping at night we didn't spend much at all and felt VFM was excellent based upon the ski area.

Any queries then let me know (sorry about the lack of photos but I just cant be bothered lugging my DSLR round the slopes!)

Thanks Andyoneil :D

I'm glad you had a great holiday.

We liked Val Thorens a lot as well. We've been there twice and now we're going back to Courchevel for a second time. As you said, the ski-ing possibilities in the 3 V's are practically endless - there are loads of different routes to get around on and the lift systems are all fast and efficient.

I remember that crowded bumpy bit at the bottom of the pluviometre - my bobble hat blew off and back up the slope and someone behind me picked it up for me.

Ally

AllyG wrote:Thanks Andyoneil :D

I'm glad you had a great holiday.

We liked Val Thorens a lot as well. We've been there twice and now we're going back to Courchevel for a second time. As you said, the ski-ing possibilities in the 3 V's are practically endless - there are loads of different routes to get around on and the lift systems are all fast and efficient.

I remember that crowded bumpy bit at the bottom of the pluviometre - my bobble hat blew off and back up the slope and someone behind me picked it up for me.

Ally

Thanks Ally

We all decided that the red/ bottom of black onto Plein Sud to get home was preferable to that carnage! (and we didnt risk a beer at the Folie Douce before you ask - I reckon that Plein Sud run once the FD starts kicking out must be horrendous with crowds, low light and slightly tiddly skiiers!

Andyoneil - you were there the same time as us. I catch your drift about the bars, a little weird and i found them full of Dutch acting like complete, well you get the picture... sorry to any dutch on here..

The folie douce is very much worth a visit, you should of gone there the atmos is amazing IMO its the best bar on the mountain. Your quite right though the run back from there is a bit of a nightmare with a mix of all abilitys trying to ski back after a few drinks... complete carnage. But fun all the same, just stay out of their way.

Thanks for the report Andy. Glad you had a good trip out. I can't remember one thing about VT that I liked, apart from the Italian restaurant across the road from the P&V apartments du Soleil.
I remember that interchange, I was a beginner there back 11 years ago, and it was carnage.

I also found the same as you when it came to the bars. The Frog was a dump, no idea why it was popular, but the Viking downstairs was much better from what I recall, and we played pool with a few kronenburgs several evenings.

I don't see me ever returning to VT or any other opart of the 3V for that matter, it just has no appeal whatsoever. But good work on your report.
Any photos?

Crispyapplepie - yep, loads of Dutch and millions of Scandanavians for the week (all the coaches parked outside resort were from Sweden, thats a looooong transfer...) Our chalet was along the little traverse off to skiers left as you come down from the FD so I'd have hated it late on. I'm a fan of ski early, pub early!

Tony - what didn't you like about L3V ? I've enjoyed both my trips massively (though I bet it can be horrific in crowds and/or bad weather in VT). The interchange in question cost my wife a serious pasting from a careless Italian and a trip to Moutiers to ensure that her head injury was no worse once altitude was taken out of the equation. She now wears a lid for her own self confidence but that's a cross thread debate that we'll not get into )

The Frog is a dump and the Viking (now Saloon down under) is obviously the place to be for discerning J2Skier Brits.....

I've got a few pics off the little camera but to no great standard as I won't risk my good camera in my rucksack as I'm just not that good a skier! - also I have no idea how to post them! :oops:

One of our boarders asked the rep where to go to find the best powder. He was told to try the frog and roast beef. Not the sort of powder he was looking for.

I love 3v, will be in Val Thorens in 3 weeks time. :-)

andyoneil wrote:

Tony - what didn't you like about L3V ? I've enjoyed both my trips massively (though I bet it can be horrific in crowds and/or bad weather in VT). The interchange in question cost my wife a serious pasting from a careless Italian and a trip to Moutiers to ensure that her head injury was no worse once altitude was taken out of the equation. She now wears a lid for her own self confidence but that's a cross thread debate that we'll not get into )

I think my view may be slightly tainted by the fact I was learning that week. But I remember it being a dull place, very boring at night, and full of French people being rude (thats another thread we've had). I hated the queues for the lifts, and the rudeness of the French in the queues, and that interchange was a serious accident waiting to happen.

I didnt like the apartments we stayed in, about the size of a shoebox, and I remember being charged £20 for my mates wifes brandy in one local bar, they knew what they were doing. Its probably why I didnt do France for a long while, and when I did I was careful to pick which resorts I went to.

Its just not for me I think. I know theres a lot of intermediate cruising to be had, but I can do that in other resorts I choose to.

Glad you enjoyed it though. I have been to many other places that we soooooooooo much better.