Three French Ski Resorts

With autumn on its way, it’s time to start to look forward to the 2010/11 ski season. In this post, we take a look at just three of France’s many ski resorts.

1. Méribel

Méribel is situated in the centre of the Les Trois Vallees (The Three Valleys) ski area, in the Tarentaise Valley, within the French Alpine region. If you buy a Three Valleys piste pass, you can use Méribel as a base and ski in the neighbouring ski areas of Courchevel, and Val Therons & Belleville Valley as well. The Three Valleys ski area contains more than 600km of piste and experienced skiers can also enjoy off-piste skiing.

Méribel also has two snowboarding parks and an ice rink, and you can take part in a range of other winter sports, such as cross-country skiing, snowshoe walking, tobogganing, husky sledding and piste-bashing.

There are also shops, restaurants and bars at Méribel, so you’ll find plenty to keep you entertained when you’re not on the slopes.

Image: Méribel Mottaret, France

2. Val d’Isère

Like Méribel, Val d’Isère is situated in the Tarentaise Valley, close to the French-Italian border. The ski area surrounding both Val d’Isère and the nearby ski resort of Tignes is known as L’Espace Killy, and includes more than 300km of piste. There are more than 150km of piste at Val d’Isère, and there are ski runs for both beginners and more experienced skiers, as well as plenty of areas for off-piste skiing.

Val d’Isère’s ski area is divided into three smaller areas: Bellevarde; Le Fornet; and Le Solaise. The most popular area, and the best for novice skiers, is Le Soliase. Intermediate skiers will find a number of blue runs in Le Fornet, whilst experienced skiers will enjoy the off-piste areas in Le Fornet and challenging runs in Bellevarde. All of the pistes are open to snowboarders and there is also a snow park at the resort.

Other winter sports activities available at Val d’Isère include snowshoe walking, ice driving, cross-country skiing and glacier walking. The resort is also well-known for it’s après ski facilities, and you’ll find a range of restaurants and bars to choose from.

3. Barèges

Barèges is situated about 37km from Lourdes, in the south-west of France. It’s within the Domaine Du Tourmalet, the largest ski area in the French Pyrenees, and is the second oldest ski resort in the country. In the 1970s, it became linked to a neighbouring resort, La Mongie, and the two are now often referred to as either Barèges-La Mongie or Tourmalet.

You can enjoy more than 100km of piste, and there are runs for all levels. Learn to ski from scratch at the resort’s ski school, or, if you are an experienced skier try one of the 5 challenging black runs or ski off-piste. You can also snowboard, take a cross-country ski tour, snow shoe, or simply relax in the thermal spa in Barèges.

Barèges is a small, traditional village, so it tends to be quieter than some of the Alpine ski resorts. However, there are a number of bars in the village, so you can still enjoy an  après-ski drink or two.

Many international airlines operate flights to France, and there is an excellent rail service within the country.

Tags: Bareges, France, L'Espace Killy, Meribel, ski holidays, Val d'Isere