 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi, we are hoping to stay in VT over Christmas, area wise we only need the VT ski pass, but I'm worried that if the weather is bad we will want to ski further down the mountain, thus needing a 3V pass, thoughts please?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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You can always buy a 3V upgrade on the day. Breakeven is around 2 days I think vs full pass.
Re weather. Yep VT can be shitty when cloud rolls in or winds get up.
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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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Wait until you get there; see what the forecast is for the week; and then decide.
Adult 6-day pass for VT/Orelle: €271with each 1-day 3V extension €39
Adult 6-day 3V pass: €321
Personally I would want to ski for at least 1 day outside VT/Orelle, so think a full 3V pass at outset is well woth it. (Only €11 more than a VT pass plus 1 day extension, but giving complete freedom to decide where to go at any time for the whole week and avoid a further trip to the lift pass office). But your decision may be different - and you need to check out the options for your length of stay. ages, discounts etc.
There may also be a Vallee de Belleville option, intermediate between VT/Orelle and full 3V; I've seen this mentioned but it seeems difficult to find prices.
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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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You are going to have a great Christmas! As I'm sure you are aware, VT is the highest ski resort in Europe. I have been to VT for the first 2 weeks in January for many years, and there has always been fantastic snow cover.
IMHO, I would be more worried about the mob coming up from further down the valley, and even over the ridge from Meribel and Courchevel, due to lack of snow in those areas.
And Dave is correct above. The difference between and VT and 3V ski 6-day ski pass over those dates is €50; whilst a 1-day 3V extension is €39.
You might think you could extended your VT pass to include the Les Menuires & St. Martin area; but that is not possible. You have to go the whole hog with a 3V pass.
Prices are here:
https://jbsurf.blob.core.windows.net/wordpressprod2/2020/08/Tarifs-Val-Thorens.Orelle-et-3-Vallées-Hiver-2020.2021.pdf
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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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| Poogle wrote: |
| ... You might think you could extended your VT pass to include the Les Menuires & St. Martin area; but that is not possible. You have to go the whole hog with a 3V pass. |
The text and video on this page https://www.valthorens.com/en/ski/skipass from the (official?) VT site indicates that there is a Belleville Valley option - but gives no link to pricing
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Thanks everyone, the Belleville pass had been my plan but you can only get it for a day, I checked with the tourist office
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And there are no trees in Belleville valley so it doesn’t really help in bad weather. If you are half decent skiers and have a bit of stamina, get the 3V pass and go and ski in Mottaret and Courchevel. They are great areas, especially Mont Vallon and Courchevel 1850/1650. It’s a leisurely 1h30 each way to Courchevel 1650 so you have plenty of time and it makes for a great day. Leave it a few days in so you have your ski legs. And you can down lift into Mottaret if tired on the way back.
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I'm a decent skier but very unfit, my husband prefers wide blue runs with lots of stops at mountain restaurants, which I'm happy with. I will follow advice and go with the 3V pass, thanks everyone.
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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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| ecureuil wrote: |
| Poogle wrote: |
| ... You might think you could extended your VT pass to include the Les Menuires & St. Martin area; but that is not possible. You have to go the whole hog with a 3V pass. |
The text and video on this page https://www.valthorens.com/en/ski/skipass from the (official?) VT site indicates that there is a Belleville Valley option - but gives no link to pricing |
Interesting find, many thanks. It seems that this video is from 2013, when there was a pass available for the whole Bellevue Valley. But since then, it seems to have changed, and now you can only get a daily pass for the valley or a whole season pass.
That said, I have had friends who have only had a VT pass, and then have strayed down the valley, and have been sent to a ticket office to buy an extension. I’m not sure if that extension was just for the valley, or the whole of the 3V But the price wouldn’t have been very different anyway. 
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This post opened my eyes. I hadn't realised that the Belleville valley pass no longer exists but is split into two: Val Thorens and Les Menuires+St. Martin.
My general thoughts are that Val Thorens is charging too much for a pass that limits you to that part of the valley (though probably OK for people coming in from Orelle) so go for a full 3V pass. The extra money is well worth it for the Vallon and La Masse alone, never mind a gentle cruise down to the bottom end of Meribel.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Poogle wrote: |
You are going to have a great Christmas! As I'm sure you are aware, VT is the highest ski resort in Europe. I have been to VT for the first 2 weeks in January for many years, and there has always been fantastic snow cover.
IMHO, I would be more worried about the mob coming up from further down the valley, and even over the ridge from Meribel and Courchevel, due to lack of snow in those areas.
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If there is enough snow then the 3V pass is definitely a winner - however, as Poogle has pointed out, you are going relatively early in the season and while the snow should be fine in the other resorts, it's not unheard of there to be lack of snow (or coming down as rain) in the other valleys which means that everyone floods to VT. I'd stick with the VT pass and then look to upgrade online nearer the time once you know the snow cover is good.
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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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| johnE wrote: |
This post opened my eyes. I hadn't realised that the Belleville valley pass no longer exists but is split into two: Val Thorens and Les Menuires+St. Martin.
My general thoughts are that Val Thorens is charging too much for a pass that limits you to that part of the valley (though probably OK for people coming in from Orelle) so go for a full 3V pass. The extra money is well worth it for the Vallon and La Masse alone, never mind a gentle cruise down to the bottom end of Meribel. |
Absolutely, well worth the extra — €50 for a 6 day pass — to cover the whole of the 3V.
As to pricing, I suspect that a few years ago, the whole of the 3V did some pricing analysis, and saw that it was better to price the full 3V pass close to the area passes for VT, Meribel, Courchevel etc. That way, most folks think well heck, I might as well just pay the bit extra; and that maximises income for everyone. And it seems that if you just want a single-area pass, then they are all roughly the same price.
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| Quote: |
As to pricing, I suspect that a few years ago, the whole of the 3V did some pricing analysis, and saw that it was better to price the full 3V pass close to the area passes for VT, Meribel, Courchevel etc. That way, most folks think well heck, I might as well just pay the bit extra; and that maximises income for everyone. And it seems that if you just want a single-area pass, then they are all roughly the same price.
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I think a similar bit of thinking has happened in Les Arcs. They price a paradski ski pass 7% more (for me anyway) than a Les Arcs pass so people say "what the heck I might go over to La Plagne and it's not much more). In fact judging by how busy the lift between the resorts is I doubt if many people ever do (I suspect that many people on this enthusiasts forum actually do the trip)
Actually scrub that idea. In Les Arcs, if you have a paradiski pass you get to jump the lift queues at a number of lifts. These lift queues are a fraction of the Le Arcs only lift pass queues indicating that most people just buy a Les Arcs only pass. I should add that whereas Val Thoren is intrinsically linked to the whole 3V with multiple crossing points Les Arcs is only connected to La Plagne by a single telepherique.
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You know it makes sense.
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WishIWasFitter,
Another option, for a day of variation, is to ski from Val Thorens to the gondola at La Masse in Les Menuires. It's downhill all the way! You could then buy a ticket for Les Menuires/St Martin (at the ticket machine there) and ski those areas for the day. And at the end of the day you could take the Mont De La Chambre Chair, or Bruyeres Gondola, then ski home to Val Thorens. 
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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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@Bergmeister, unless you can get a "1-day upgrade" from a VT pass to a Vallee de Belleveille pass that's not likely to be a sensible option. A 1-day Les Menuires / St Martin adult pass costs €53*, compared to the €50 difference between the VT and 3V 6-day passes. So the latter gives 5 extra days and 2 extra valleys for less outlay!
(*It might work on a Saturday, when the 1-day LM/SM pass is only €29)
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Poster: A snowHead
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For a beginner who is just finding their feet on blue runs a local pass is usually plenty, and the familiarity of repeating the same runs can help them to concentrate on their skiing.
For a parent who needs to be back at base for lunchtime, I'd recommend a 3V pass if they are the type to plan a mission and explore the mountain. If they are the type who'd rather not spend ages worrying about location, then it's safer to stay in the local area meaning they can get back to the ski school quickly - so a local pass is fine.
For anyone else I'd go for a 3V pass, the price difference is just too small not to.
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