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Meribel Pistes - recommendations?

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Ok First trip the the 3V's this Half term (yes , I know, but that's when the kids are on holiday and this time they're coming with us). Staying in Meribel Centre (at the Chalet Les Grands Sorbiers) and have started looking at the piste maps - wow! there's a lot of pistes! Laughing

So thought I'd ask here, what are your favourites? We are a mixed bunch, 3 boarders varying from 'expert' to beginner, and 5 skiers, all around intermediate (sorry SZK) standard. The kids like challenges, us older generation don't want to be TOO challenged, so mogulled vertical ice walls, or anything called 'face' is out Shocked

One boarder is first time on snow so she'll want a nice nursery slope to play on (will be taught by the expert boarder who will need the patience of a saint IMHO).

Also while I'm asking Madeye-Smiley , any recommendations for routes across the 3V? we fancy doing a day of head up to Val T and ski back to Meribel via Courchevel' if you see what I mean.

OK there's the challenge - all answers gratefully received.

P.S. good bar recommendations would also be appreciated Madeye-Smiley

Thanx in advance!
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
AxsMan, Over to St Martin, Jerusalem down to St Martin de Bellville.
Quote:
Val T and ski back to Meribel via Courchevel' if you see what I mean
-Well that would be a first. Laughing

Coming back from VT take the Lac de la Chambre red down to the Plan Des Mains lift. Up Pland de Mains then head down to Meribel via the Snowpark. keep to the very right and go over the roller coaster humps, and then down the boardercross course, fantastic fun.
Take a trip to the top of la Masse on the far side of Les Menuires and have luch at the top. Superb 360 panorama.

Well that covers 1% of the area Very Happy
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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?
Off the top from La Saluire down to courchevel 1550 or 1300 Red run from La Saluire down on to green blue runs and then red or black down to le praz. Back up ski down to La Tania and take the pistes down from La Tania back to Meribel. I'd suggest the blue run rather down the black run.

Jerusulam is fun down to Saint Martin

The runs off Mt Vallon are great.

Send the kids down the Grand Couloir (if you don't love them anymore). Its notionally a black piste. I suspect as a run its nver seen a piste basher and the pathway down is horrible. This and Suisses and M depending on whether they are left mogulled are the toughest runs IMHO especially if you want to avoid bumps. The black runs down to Le Praz are fun in good conditions

There are nice runs in Val Thorens but when you are staying in 1850 you always seem to get here and rush around without taking them in
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AxsMan, a while ago I posted the following route for a trip from VT - it'll work equally well if you start and finish in Meribel:

Alastair wrote:
My 'standard' route if I fancy a quick blast from VT would be something like (read this with a piste map to hand) Plein Sud chair - Bouquetin Funitel - Lac de la Chambre red - Plan des Main Chair - Sitelle blue - (Mottaret) - Pas du Lac 1/2 gondola - Creux red - Chanrossa chair - Roc Merlet red - Pyramide blue - Indiens blue - (Courchevel 1650) - Ariondaz gondola - Petite Bosse drag - Boulevard des Gravelles blue - Aiguille du Fruit chair - Park City red - Altiport blue - (Courchevel 1850) - Chenus gondola - Col de la Loze chair - Boulevard de la Loze blue - Rhodos green - (Meribel) - Tougnettes 1/2 gondola - Jerusalem red - Biolley blue - (St Martin) - St Martin 1 gondola - St Martin 2 chair - Gros Tougne blue - Granges chair - Allemands red - Petits Creux blue - Mont de la Chambre chair - Marielle Goitschel black - Plein Sud blue - (VT). This route is straightforward for most intermediate skiers and, once you know it, will give plenty of time to do some of the other interesting runs nearby - or fit in the fourth valley. Clearly the time taken will be longer until you know where you're going and will be affected by lift queues (none here at the moment) and the size of your party.


I timed the route (moderate speed, few queues, no stopping) and got the following elapsed times from VT:

Mottaret: 0:38
Courchevel 1650: 1:05
Courchevel 1850: 1:44
Meribel: 2:14
St Martin: 2:45
VT: 3:39

Your times may vary!

admin, el Hen and I did a similar route, with the fourth valley and a few other bits thrown in, in February last year:

admin wrote:
Mme Brain, Alastair and I decided to check out the validity of some of the scurrilous rumours doing the rounds about the Three Valleys area - grass, rocks and swarms of Parisians have all been suggested as potential spoilers of the domain at the moment.


Diligently, we set of early (about 9.10am), up the Plein Sud and the snow conditions down into Motterat were surprisingly good. At the Pad du Lac, we encountered the first queue of the day and waited almost 2 minutes.
Courchevel, and the Creux was a bit stony. Up the Chanrossa chair and the runs at the top above 1650 were a little patchy, although further down everything was in great condition. Right over on the far side of the domain, we rode the new Chapelets chair and took the Roc Mugnier down towards Courchevel 1850. It was a little stony, but I’ve seen it very much worse. Up the Aguille de Fruit, the Suisse and Parc City were both in good condition, and down through the Jardin Alpine, everything was very pretty.

Through Courchevel 1850 and on down to Le Praz, the black runs (Jockeys and Jean Blanc) were both closed, but the red Brigues was in lovely condition all the way down.

We checked the Arolles above La Tania on the way round the Loze, which was fine. Heading down to Meribel, again the black Tetras was closed, but the blues and reds all seemed to be complete. Up the Tougnette and down the 'smile making' Jerusalem and on to St Martin, everything was in fine condition, and we even spotted some reasonable off piste to be had were we not on our hectic mission.

Working our way up to Les Menuires, la Masse was fantastic.

As we made it back to VT by 3.30pm, we thought we'd better check out the fourth valley (Orelle), just to make the picture complete. This was a bit of a shock. The piste, although complete, was a windswept boiler plate and we were all thoroughly relieved once we were on the chair back out. On the way up, I exaggerate not, we saw someone take a tumble at the top of a long straight steep stretch of red piste and slide about 300m. Everyone on the chair cheered when he stood up without help.
The run down into VT was fine and we finished the day, as we began, riding the Plein Sud up for a well-deserved vin chaud at the top.


I think it's fair to say that we felt we'd covered some distance that day.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Fantastic info guys! Thanks a lot. Standard practice chez Axs is to throw kids down blacks first and if they survive, timidly follow. Looks like this approach may be appropriate! Laughing
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Jerusulam is fun down to Saint Martin

snowHead snowHead snowHead snowHead snowHead snowHead snowHead
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
up4it, We have compulsory singing of "Rawhide" when on the real fun parts. snowHead snowHead snowHead snowHead
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
AxsMan, I have some itinerarys on my site go to the bottom of the following page http://www.pleva.net/skiing.html and download the files.

Bars in Meribel La Taverne (popular with seasonaires) the Pub evolution jacks all good. There is Dicks if you want to club it 12-4 with the 18 year olds...

taverne and Pub both have live bands...
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AxsMan, many of may favourite runs have already been mentioned

as dan100 said you really should try and get to Mt Vallon if it's open and conditions are ok, the red down the left side as you look up is a great run! when freshly groomed the choucas blue reached by heading right on exiting the tougnette gondola is great fun for (trying to!) perfect technique

moving to apres......the cactus cafe at the chaudanne can be too busy at peak apres time but as it quietens down happy hour starts (6pm?) which is good value! this is basically pints for half pint prices and bottles of wine for less than a tenner - we've left there worse for wear on more than one occasion
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
My favourites are the Combe Du Vallon (already recommended), the routes down to St Martin de B (already recommended), The black run that comes back down towards Val Thorens from Cime de Caron. Reds / Blacks above La Tania and Le Praz are excellent if the snow is good and you can visit at lunchtime while they are quiet. If snow OK (maybe not this year) it is possible to ski from top of Saulire all the way down through Courchevel 1850 and on down to Le Praz 1300 without stopping for any lifts which is knackering but good!

I could go on all day thinking of great pistes in the 3V, roll on March..............
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
AxsMan, Are you in Meribel from the 10th Feb? have a look at the La Tania thread on Trips. There are quite a few snowHead snowHead snowHead snowHead already sketching in get-togethers.

You might have thought La Tania was too far away, but you can really cover distance in the 3Vs. We are nothing like fast, but we get around. We are staying up the hill from you at Mottaret. 10th-17th.


snowHead
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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.
if you are in La Tania, my mate Rich plays in a band called "bring your sisters" which was voted best band by the seasonaires last year. fun night out.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Thanks guys. Chris Bish, yes we are there 11th - 18th, will check out the thread. skimottaret, They sound far to young and cool for an old fart like me, but maybe the teenagers would enjoy Very Happy (not sure how to get to La Tania and back after the lifts close though?)
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
AxsMan, i think the bus goes to meribel village and the boys play there as well if your youngsters are interested.

Chris Bish, we are out the same week if you fancy a beer......
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
skimottaret, Sounds like a plan! Just posted on the La Tania thread, but to repeat, we'll be on channell 3.3 if anyone else does the two-way radios thing. snowHead
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
AxsMan wrote:
Fantastic info guys! Thanks a lot. Standard practice chez Axs is to throw kids down blacks first and if they survive, timidly follow. Looks like this approach may be appropriate! Laughing


Is that why you're taking so many with you, just in some of the blacks are a bit tricky? Shocked
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
FenlandSkier, Laughing You got it. we bruised a couple last year at Les2Alpes but fortunately they recovered. There are a few more pistes to go at in the 3V so we thought we should bring a full set Skullie Very Happy
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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?
AxsMan, Are they all little choppers or are some on loan?
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Frosty the Snowman, All 3 Axsettes , 1 Axs Junior, plus 'partners' of the two eldest. Both over 18, so no (theoretical) parental responsibility on our part (some hope!) - will be a bit of a squeeze in the car though Shocked snowHead
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
For the Beginner(s), take the Rodos gondola up to the last station. This is where there is a nusery slope and several green runs around the altiport area. Keep going up big 8 man. A green run takes you from the top of this right the way down to the bottomof the lift. With a cafe half way also Smile
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I'll add another vote for the Jerusalem red down to St. Martin - a proper religious experience that has to be revisited every time we go to the 3V, regardless of where we are based.

If, like my group, you get in the habit of looping round and round Jerulsalem then there is a nice little traditional mountain restaurant on the left side not far above the mid station which is good for a Vin Chaud or Chocolat Chaud.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
I think it is called La Loy. Good place for a vin chaud and a serieux or two.

skimottaret, Jon will definitely want to know the dates and places for the band. He plays in a rock band too. This is atarting to sound like an excellent week. And it is snowing!

AxsMan, Are any of your lot doing ski-school? Jon has decided against bringing his gf on the grounds she would be on her own in ski-school as a first weeker.

snowHead
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Chris Bish, No ski school this trip as apart from Axette 1's bf all the skiers are at least 8 weekers (and he's been before and does as he's told by her Laughing ). Axs Jnr's gf is a first time on snow-boarder but he's committed to teaching her himself (recipe for disaster imho - but hey, saves me paying for lessons Toofy Grin ).

Snow reports starting to look tasty - over a foot predicted this week, and getting colder - happy dance, happy dance, happy dance Laughing snowHead snowHead
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