 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi, im off to ski the 3 valleys on the 20th-27th of Feb. Since its my first time skiing there. I'm staying in val thorens. I was just wondering whether anyone had any recommended runs to do??
I quite fancied skiing to courchevel and back if it's possible, bearing in mind closure of lifts etc, has anyone done it before? Has any one got the recommended route to do so? I know crystal ski have got an app with routes on but there's nothing that starts at val thorens.
Thanks for any help/advice in advance 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Camerontocher, Welcome to snowHeads! getting to Courchevel from VT is not particularly difficult, especially now the snow has arrived in earnest - you just need to keep an eye on the forecast as linking lifts betwees valleys can sometimes close in high winds
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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It depends on your level to a considerable degree. It's a very big area. Easily covered from end to end and back by a good skier on a fair day. There are some great pistes and areas to ski, so if you let us know what you're capable of there will no doubt be a flurry of suggestions!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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The most direct route is probably Plein Sud chairlift out of VT, then ski down 100m to either the 3V chair or the funicular. Take one of these up to the ridgeline, then Lac de la Chambre and Bouvreuil to Plan des Mains. Take the chairlift, then follow Sittelle down to Mottaret. Take the Pas du Lac Gondola up to the Saulire, then Combe de Saulire piste down towards Courchevel 1850
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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If they warn you lifts may close and suggest you stay in the valley you're based in then I'd suggest you follow their advice, taxi is said to be crazy loots as its a long drive between them. More than enough skiing in VT itself. On the other hand absent strong winds and avalanche control you'll be fine to make the journey.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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There's a recent "Courchevel to VT for beginners" thread. Should be on the first few pages.
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VT - Courchevel is easy to do in a day. Take the Plein Sud or 3 Valees 1 from VT then either the goldola or chairlift at the top, ski all the way down to Mottaret then take the Pas Du Lac to the top of Saulire. From there any run not heading back where you came will take you into Courchevel.
Blues:
The run from VT to St. M de B is your best bet to start with. Take the 3 vallees 1 and 2 then get on David Douillet (red but an easy one) down to Becca lift, from there you can ski all the way down on blues.
Reds:
Jerusalem Piste down to St. M de B is a lovely run and usually fairly quiet as it's out of the way.
Lac Blanc and Beranger at the top of the Peclet are great first thing in the morning as you will have the slope to yourself
Blacks:
Combe de rosael at the top of the Cime Caron gondola is a short black with a great view over to the 4th valley and again quiet, while you are there Bouchet (red) is worth checking out for the view at the top and to watch the zip line.
The Couloirs at the top of the Saulire are something that every skier should try at least once, they are very difficult though and you need good conditions. The Grand Couloir is the easier of the two.
I've heard Jean Blanc in Courchevel is good but haven't skied it personally.
Last edited by After all it is free  on Thu 14-01-16 0:25; edited 1 time in total
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@Camerontocher, make sure you pop over into the 4th valley Orelle early in the week (when it's quiet before everyone else finds it!). There's a couple of nice quiet reds from the top. Plus I believe it's the highest point in the 3V, and you can see the zip wire start point.
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Thanks for all your replys, I am more than comfortable with skiing any difficulty of ski runs. So your suggestions are appreciated!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Early morning I found the runs from the top of the Boismint lift to be good. When I was there this time last year me and a mate were putting fresh tracks into powder that had fallen on a piste which had been bashed the night before (or seemed like it had). Lac Blanc/Beranger from the top of Peclet is a nice run too, although can be quite busy. It's a real cruiser of a red with the odd steeper bit. Did it at about 4pm one day and it was really quiet, just me and a mate enjoying the sunshine 
On my last trip I tried to avoid Plein Sud except when I had to use it to get somewhere, it's stupidly crowded and seems a lot of people venture onto it after they've moved on from green runs...which is silly really because it's crazy busy. SkiTsar recommends it for getting over to Meribel but avoid Bd Cumin if you're boarding or with a boarder, I ended up dragging my mate most of the way as it gets quite flat. Even on skis you'll want to keep some speed up.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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What @Patch, says. That's an efficient route route we use all the time. 
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OK, as a good skier, you'll be all over the place! Right on your doorstep you have Cime Caron and Boismint. Off the back of Cime Caron is the black piste Combe de Rosael which gives probably the best feeling of escape in the 3Vs without leaving the piste. Overlooking VT are plenty of blacks and reds off both with opportunities for inbounds off-piste.
You're also not far from La Masse above Les Menuires which has a good selection of reds and blacks and can also be relatively quiet.
Peclet, immediately above VT, is often quite quiet too as there's only a single blue piste back down which appears to put people off. Christine is a favourite of ours for a top to bottom blast.
For a day out, head over to Meribel valley via the red Lac de la Chambre and take in Mont Vallon and specifically Combe de Vallon. It's the far more interesting piste of the 2 off the top. Do NOT use the blue Ours piste to get down to Meribel Mottaret, it's along and flat track which will sap your will to live! Take the lifts back up towards VT to take Sittelle or Mouflon down to Mottaret. From there the Pas du Lac lifts will whisk you to the top of Saulire overlooking Courchevel.
Over in the Courchevel valley there are lots of good options. Head right down the busy Creux piste and then right again up to Roc Merlet which has a nice red and black back down to the base. We often head on to the area above Courchevel 1650 which has a number of nice reds to blast down with fun to be had alongside them - Chapelets, Rochers and Bel Air. If I remember, there's quite a decent restaurant at the top of the Bel Air Piste for a break (it was dumping down last year and anywhere would have been welcome respite at the time!).
When you're done there, take the red Roc Mugnier down to the lift Aiguille de Fruit, then a gentle blue to get you to the lift Suisses. Off the top of this peak (which sits just below Saulire) you're spoilt for good blacks and reds. The red piste Saulire has an off-puttingly steep entry (apparently for some), so can often be quite quiet given its central location. A great one to blast down.
As mentioned, there are the Courchevel couloirs to enjoy too. If heading that way, you can also take a trip over to the area above La Praz and La Tania. If the snow is good to low levels, Jockeys and Jean Blanc are reputedly great tree-lined blacks. The snow's never been good enough when we've been there and they've just been a slick slide to hell. Dou des Lanches above La Tania is a really fun black and the runs down to La Tania through the trees are a good carve.
If you're coming back over Col de Loze, be aware that you've got some zig-zagging up the Meribel valley to get you home. The Meribel/ Les Menuires ridge is perhaps worth spending a day wandering back and forth over, partly just to get used to the lift layout but there are some great fast carving pistes to be had, eg Pramint, Jerusalem and often some surprisingly empty pistes and good off-piste on the Meribel side.
Although you'll feel a long way from home in the Courchevel valey you're often only 3 lifts from the top of VT, and as a good skier, you can be home in surprisingly little time.
Well, having written all of that and cast my eye over the piste map again, I can't wait to be back out there at the end of Feb! This'll be our 4th year in a row, staying in Meribel Village, and I see we've still got more to explore.
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You know it makes sense.
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As a treat we would lunch at the Bel Air in 1650 at the top of the gondola l'Ariondaz. Get the furcoat crowd. Good for celebrity spotting. Try to get there just before 12.
As others have said the runs off the Cime de Caron cable car are some of the finest and heading over the back down into the 4 th valley often gets you away from the madding crowd.
If conditions are good Jockeys is a fantastic run.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Ok thanks, if people don't mind would anyone be able to tell me the lifts/runs from courchevel back to val thorens? I've had a look at the map but obviously people who have visited before will have better knowledge.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Creux Noirs, Marmottes, Vizelle, Suisses and Saulire will all take you to peaks allowing you to ski directly down into Meribel Mottaret which is the quickest route back. You will have a short ski down to a col from all of them, looking down towards Mottaret and Meribel centre. All pistes to Mottaret are black or red and on the map are 'above' the Pas du Lac lift, or skier's left. Essentially, keep left and follow signs for Meribel Mottaret.
Once down in Mottaret, take the gondola Plattieres, short blue piste Bouvreuil and chair Cote Brune.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Thanks for all of your help 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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**Cheeky piggyback onto this topic **
Right… I’m two weeks away from travelling to Val Thorens. It’s my first trip to the area and I’m just trying to get an idea of options for Day 1.
“Rond Point des Pistes” seems to be the resort level area where two of our party will start their day for lessons.
What lifts run from this area? That way, we can drop the girls off for their lessons and hit the best lift out and burn 2/3 hours hard skiing before lunch!
Is it worth picking up the Belleville Valley pass as opposed to the Val Thorens-Orelle pass?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Would definitely get the whole valley pass, opening up La Masse and lots above Les Menuires all the way down to St Martin.
Haven't stayed in VT but I guess the Rond Point is at the top end of the centre of the resort where all the ski schools and the covered magic carpet are. A central 'motorway' runs gently down from there with all lifts accessed off that.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@letsgetpiste, "Is it worth picking up the Belleville Valley pass as opposed to the Val Thorens-Orelle pass?"
- There's a lot of skiing to be done in VT - Orelle alone however the Belleville Valley pass is only €6.50 more per day (online price) and doubles the area you can ski so it's a no brainer really.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Christine is a real favorite of mine early in the day, you could drop people off at lessons, hit Peclet and then have a top to bottom blast to warm you up for the day!
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@letsgetpiste, yes “Rond Point des Pistes” is at the the bottom of the Pionniers ski lift (also the bottom of one of the magc carpets) and is the ski schools meeting point.
You can get lifts from this area that will take you to any point in the VT area, so it depends on where you want to go. If you're looking to explore the rest of the 3V, you can always take the Pionniers lift (since you are there anyway!) and then the 3 Vallees lift - and then you can ski into Meribel (just remember to avoid the Ours run when skiing into Meribel).
To be honest there are so many different lift options that will take you in a different direction but ultimately to the same destination (i.e. you can also go over to meribel by skiing down the valley first towards Les Menuires) that it's down to personal preference. The lift set up in VT is really good, so you'll have numerous options once you drop your friends off, that you could head off in a different direction each day with no issues.
Don't forget to pop over to Orelle early in the week when it's quiet - we normally ski down to the Moutiere lift, then ski round to the Grand Fond cable, from there you can drop into the 4th valley.
Enjoy!!
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I see that on the 3 valleys website, their piste map now has itineries, where you set your start and end point, your level of skiing etc and it gives you a route. No subsitute for experience, or asking here, but handy for those new to the area.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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If you just bought the VT/Orelle pass, how difficult is it to bolt on another area. Doesn't seem to be a whole lot of info surrounding this.
We are likely to pick up the tribe pass which knocks off €15 per head on a group of 3+.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@letsgetpiste, It's just an RFID card so you can take it back to the ticket office and get it changed to anything else whenever you want. Last year the ski rep gave me what was supposed to be a pass for the whole of 3V but when I got to Meribel it turned out to be for VT only, I walked into the ticket office and they changed it straight away.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@SkiTsar, nice! Spot on reply!!
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FAQ
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