 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi
We are looking to go to three valleys (snow permitting) for a week beginning 13th December.
There is a nice apartment in St.Martin De Belleville but I'm a bit concerned about the following:
1) Lifts to get to Meribel, looks like there are two lifts you need to get - are these always working?
Would we ever be stuck in St.Martin and couldnt get over to Meribel, VT etc
2) There are blue runs apparently to ski back down. If its early season and St.Martin is only at 1400 is there a chance there won't be snow on these
runs? Is there another way to get back down?
If anyone has any experience of St.Martin can you help?
thanks a lot 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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lauralime, Hi,
Well, seeing as the resort is open at that date, we have to assume the main lifts will be running. This means you will get to the top ridgeline, which lets you drop down to Meribel, or ski across to 'the manures' and then on to VT.
As for St. Martin being at 1400m - so is Meribel (give or take) - so if there ain't enough snow on one side, there is unlikely to be on the other.
As for getting right back down, if there is no snow all the way down - TAKE THE LIFT (especially easy, seeing as it is a Gondola) - what goes up, must come down, as they say  .
Go for it - it will be fab !
Cheers
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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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I did a season in meribel, and used to go over to St Martin all the time for lunch and stuff it's really nice. it is however pretty quiet so it depends on what you want really.
with regards the lifts, it does depend on the snow obviously but the lifts that take you to a ridge from where you can go over to les menuires or down to meibel. the lifts are pretty much always working because they are not very exposed etc. and they are pretty modern and fast. you wont be stuck there i doubt.
chances are the runs will not be very nice down to St martin but you can just get in the gondola and it takes you to the middle of the village.
Hope that helps
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lauralime, welcome to snowHeads. I believe that St Martin is well regarded by many instructors/locals as a particularly good place to be based in and ski from/back to. Certainly, one instructor my SO had lessons with couldn't recommend the place highly enough.
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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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lauralime, St Martin is a very nice spot and although roughly the same altitude as Meribel has nowhere near the same amount of snow cannons. As the early season snows can be variable and the base may not be very deep (but on the other hand opening day last year was delayed by one day due to about 30cms of fresh powder ) best to base yourself near runs/lifts that have snow making as there will be some base. The Gondola is great out of St Martin and you can easily download as powderhound23, says but depending where you are staying you may need to take a drag lift up from the village to get to the gondola.
some nice panoramic view here http://www.les3vallees.com/visite360/anglais.htm
THis piste map shows the runs with snow cannon coverage http://www.les3vallees.com/images/plan_piste/menuires_plan_pistes.pdf
You can always stay in Gods country in Mottaret at 1750 www.skimottaret.com
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Thanks everyone for your help!
I think we'll hang on till mid/end Novemeber and if its looking ok we'll go for it.
It does look like a lovely place to stay.
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Nice traditional buildings, a baroque chuch (and even more beautiful baroque chapel a bit up the valley) and some very nice restaurants (one with a Michelin star). Glad to hear they have modernised their ancient, slow lifts since I went there. It is a good place to learn off piste since they are quite gentle slopes and there is a very big area that never gets skied out.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Never skied there but had a great 10 days a couple of summers ago. Resturaunts very good and locals very friendly. Its still a living village and had that feel.
The only down side I could see at the time is that the Gondola is at the highest point in the village. There is a drag that links to it from the centre, near the church, but the ski back on that run looked steep and a lot of accomodation is below the centre level too. For most I think it would be OK but if you had young kids it may be different.
We had a couple of weeks in Meribel the next season and the lifts conecting Meribel to St Martin closed twice due to weather so it does happen but not sure how often.
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St Martin is a pretty resort. We stayed there about three years ago. The resort is a bit remote - one way in and out. A high end blue run which challenged beginners was the only way in although the lift was good. Loads of good places to eat and enough nightlife for most. We went at Christmas and there was just enough snow for the resort to be open. There are better resorts in the three valleys but it depends what you are looking for. I would be worried that there would not be enough snow in mnid December.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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lauralime, the only time we got stuck in St Martin was in a blizzard when the lifts over the ridge were shut. All 3 valleys were suffering the same problem. We were there during a very unsnowy January but managed to ski back to the bottom, there are cannons all the way down. Its a lovely resort. I'm a big fan of Courchevel and the Belleville valley, but not Meribel.
10cm snow forecast later this week by the way!
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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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lauralime, We were in St Martin at Christmas a few years ago before the new Gondola. It was a poor season, but we had a hire car so drove up to Val Thorens and had a great time. We have also skiied over from Meribel/Mottaret last season round about March. It was fine if slushy down to the mid-station, so likebeeryletcher, said, get the lift down. You would be best to stay as high as poss really. The village is lovely and I would recommend a trip to the Hotel St Martin for a meal if you want something swishy. We were lucky to stay there over Christmas the first year it opened and it was lovely. The staff could not have done enough.
Enjoy your trip
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Hotel St Martin has one of 3 restaurants in the Village which are Michelin listed !!!!!! However the one with a Michelin star is La Bouitte.
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You know it makes sense.
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lauralime,
Mrs MA & I went to Courchevel 1500 early doors a few years ago - 12th Dec to be precise. Loads of snow when we arrived & it snowed for the first few days, so conditions were excellent. The resort was VERY quiet and the runs almost deserted - so far so good I hear you say.....
BUT, to our disappointment, the resorts of Courchevel & Meribel/Mottaret were loathe to open slopes & connections between the different areas. Despite the great conditions, (from Courchevel side) there was only one run open to Mottaret and none to Meribel, though the runs higher up above Meribel were open. The slopes of the BellevilleValley(ie St Martin/Les Menuires/Val Thorens) were open - but (frustratingly) the links from Meribel/Mottaret were closed - so they remained out of bounds for us.
Similarly, nothing was open all week above Courchevel 1650 - though we could see the piste bashers working overtime to get the slopes into shape. The consensus was that because it was ultra-low season, the resorts were saving the best of the snow for the Christmas rush.
We still had a good ski but (especially having skied there a few times before) it was a bit disappointing to only ski the limited slopes of the 2 Vallees 
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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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paddletastic2,
Hello I saw your message on the forum and wondered if you could tell me if I can expect a good reception on my Mobile at St Martin de Belleville in France. I am on Virgin.
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Poster: A snowHead
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christinelondon, Welcome to snowheads  . A friend of mine, a mobile phone mast installer, got married in St Martin de Bellville. The wedding was rubbish............but the reception was brilliant.
Coat...........
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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christinelondon, welcome to snowHeads . I don't recall St Martin specifically, but mobile reception is pretty good in most of the 3Vs.
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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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and it doens't matter what network you are on in the UK, you'll just roam automatically onto one of the french ones when you are over there.
I've always found mobile coverage in most (all) french resorts to be very good, apart from 3g coverage which can be a bit spotty.
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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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christinelondon, I've never lost reception in the 3Vs. I can't see why you'd have a problem.
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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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Thank you to everyone who replied so far
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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I don't imagine it would be a problem early in the season if it's quiet anyway, but we skied down to St Martin from Les Menuires once (late March), and I do remember there being a massive queue for the lift as it was the only way back up. Maybe we just caught it at a bad time or something though....
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I've never had the opportunity to check my mobile reception whilst on a virgin in St. Martin, but even at my age there's always hope I suppose. Sorry 
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