 Poster: A snowHead
|
|
Just looking for some reviews/views on the above, is it a poorer version of its two more upmarket siblings 'dans La Trois Valley', are there enough pistes to keep you going for the week or will you be forced to venture across to the valleys to find that 'early morning virgin corduroy', what about night life, typical of french resorts or more akin to Austria?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
nver stayed there. I think the better skiing is in the other two valleys. Lots of queues in Meribel. Can't comment on nightlife.
|
|
|
|
|
|
brian
brian
Guest
|
Glengooly-Guy, it's definitely not downmarket of anywhere else in the 3vs apart from maybe C-1850.
Nightlife is probably more akin to Australia than Austria, certainly plenty of fair dinkum bar staff 
Seriously, you can go into a bar and find nobody speaks French.
Skiing wise, it's quick to get to Courchevel which, imo, is the best of the 3Vs or Les Menuires. Slightly longer to get to Val T (which is much further up its valley) but easily do-able for all but the most timid.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
There are enough pistes to keep you going for a week, but its always busy, and at around 9.30 to 10am and around 4pm there seems to be a tidal wave of people going through with resultant lift queues. So you may want a 3v lift pass to get away from the place. If you want to go to little england in France with a brit biased night life then fine, and thats what some people want and go for. I much prefer C1650 and go to have a look at meribel occasionally.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
Skiing-wise, Meribel is a cross-roads and can get busy. And it is the least good of the 3V. But it only suffers in comparison with what is next door over the ridge(s): if you were to pick it up and put it elsewhere in the alps it would still be a good ski destination in its' own right. I think it has roughly 150km of piste, which is probably enough for most people for a week, but you will have to judge that for yourself. Access to the other valleys is easy.
Nightlife is pretty good in Meribel itself, the best on offer in the 3V. Not cheap, but not as bad as C1850. And yeah you could probably spend an entire season in Meribel and never speak french. Which is embarassing when you realise even your rep doesn't speak a word of french, but there you go.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
I find it difficult to be specific about Meribel because as soon as you get going anywhere in the 3Vs you find yourself travelling from one nominal "resort" to another. I think you ski the 3Vs and where you stay is down to night-life preferences. Even quite early intermediates can travel substantial distances as a result of the excellence of the lift system.
My priority in a skiing holiday is skiing. If the skiing is good I will stay in a suitcase and eat MacDonalds if necessary. (OK I'm exaggerating) The piste skiing in the 3V is just the best I have experienced. Better than Val d/Tignes. Better than Les Arcs. Might even be better than La R*****. (if that is possible)
Meribel is right in the middle of this and is a great base for the skiing. There are better ones, sure. Getting back down through the slush and crowds isn't brilliant, but it is better than getting back to La Daille. (Val D)
From Meribel you can get, within an hour or so, to sublime places like Vallon, La Masse and the Creux run on Saulire. (to name just a few)
Does it really matter very much which hut you are in, or where you are drinking your pints of Minervois? Meribel is fine.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Make sure you look at the location of your hotel/chalets first. Some (most) of these in Meribel can be a fair distance from the lifts (and the centre). Even some of those described as ski in/out can involve a 20 minute hike up hill after a night out in the centre.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Good point jtr, the road does sort of snake up and away from the bars and the like. (Although we had one right next to our hotel and we were a little way up). There is a free bus service, but quite how late it goes I'm not sure...
The skiing I found to be very good, but I can't compare to Courcheval/VT as I've been to neither (did ski down towards Courcheval, when we realised the mistake the leader was in for it as we hiked back up 100m or so!). I have to agree that the two runs off Vallon are simply fantastic (some of the best, uninhibited fun I've had on a piste). There are some fairly flat bits around the Meribel valley, making it a little awkward for boarders (I should know, I pulled one along most of it!) although the rest surely makes up.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
It's not just the bars where you can find that nobody speaks French. A lot of the restaurants are like this too! It feels like London on snow.
As pointed out previously be careful where you stay as Meribel has many satellite villages called Meribel Something or other. Meribel Mottaret is prety good for ski-in ski-out, but much quieter in terms of nightlife.
Meribel is a crossoads for the other valleys so does get busy; always best to buy a full 3V pass anyway. If you're willing to get up for the 1st lift you'll have no problem finding untoched cordroruy - blasting over to La Tania early in the morning with almost no-one else on the piste is great. Make sure you ski down to St Martin de Belleville too if conditions allow.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
We spent three weeks in the 3V last season. We skied in all of the valleys, and my impression was that
a) The snow was not so good in the Meribel valley as in Courchevel or VT/Les Menuires valley.
b) The snow tended to get slushy and mogul up when the sun was on it, and then get very icy in the afternoon. This happened to a lesser extent in the other valleys, particularly 1650, which seemed to keep nice all the time.
c) I preferred Mottaret to Meribel village - we managed to find quite a few French restaurants with real French people speaking French at lunchtime 
I would probably choose to stay in Courchevel 1550 or 1650, or alternatively Les Menuires or St Martin if we went again this year (not sure yet).
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
i have assembled a lot of links, ski tips. itinerarys on the top station in the meribel valley, Mottaret at my site www.skimottaret.com go tot the local knowledge page or skiing page
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
Stayed in Meribel village, great access to the main valley without q's and a gorgeus last run home, the night life was limited with only one pub in the village, that pub was fun and the small size of the village enured it had a "local" feel to it after one night. Went out one night in Meribel town (2 kms away) and it was rubbish. Bunch of brits and paddies roaring at each other in overpriced, noisy, pubs with slurly waitress's while keeping one eye on the big screen to see if hartlepool had equalized against scunthorpe.
Skiing was great, though every day I found myself miles from home with only seconds to spare to get the correct lift for the right peak for a ski down to the meribel village.
Oh - and this may have just been bad luck but the gondolas seemed to be full of ski bores who worked as regional sales manager based out of peterborough. I can't recall a place I ever been to that I meet so many people that led singular dull lives that they were keen to tell you about - it was quite bizarre. Like suburbia in the snow.
Anyway good place, not great.
My tip if you go, pretend you are from Hungary and you don't speak english, very good chance that Steve from Wellingborough won't have the patience to explain his fascaniating views his views on global warming with you.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
