I`m looking for some tips for our first visit to Val Thorens - looking for good Blue (or very easy red) standard runs and routes to the different villages e.g. Meribel, Les menuires, Courcevel etc.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
I can't remember if it's en-route or not, but you'll get a few s recommending Jerusalem above Les Menuires (best skied whilst bellowing out the hymn/song/anthem of the same name ).
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?
If after a few days you are feeling a bit more confident and up to a typical red run you will probably fancy mont de la chambre down towards mottaret and I don't want to put you off it as it is an excellent long run that everyone enjoys but it does get very busy so make sure you go for very first thing in the morning when it is still quiet and freshly groomed and you'll love it. Leave it too late and it just fills up with people skiing pretty fast on a very crowded slope which anyone a bit nervous won't enjoy. At the bottom you can take the very flat blue 'ours' into mottaret but this is a bit of a pole push and you would be much better off getting the plain des mains chair up which leads down to a nice blue into mottaret.
nemeziss, welcome to snowHeads
Best advice I can give on routes is to read a few threads posted last season. One from JohnnyBoy, which will take a couple of days to read but is well worth it as he is an excellent writer and incredibly thorough and descriptive about runs et al, and a couple from me which are considerably shorter and less thorough.
I was there last week, for my third week's skiing ever, so the following is a mixture of blues and reds - though there aren't really many blacks in the 3V. Whatever you do, avoid the Blue called Pic Noir as it's really a quite tricky red - seldom pisted, mogully, steep and not nice at all. I didn't get into VT as it was generally shut owing to high winds - and it was full of people too. I posted the following somewhere else in the 3V snow reports thread.
Favourite places to ski:
1. Anything down into St Martin (Jerusalem, Pramint, Pelozet, Verdet, Biolley). But best left by 3pm as EVERYBODY gets there by then - very nice in the sun!
2. Anything from the Meribel/VT ridge down into Meribel. Rossignol at 9am has to be the nicest run EVER. The black, Ecureil, tends to be nicer than the adjacent reds as it is uncrowded/empty, and less skied out.
3. Courchevel. (Scarcely needs qualifying, as it was all superb, but particular favourites were Creux, Combe Saulire, Folyeres, Moretta Blanche, Mur, Cave des Creux, Lac Creux, Loze).
Least favourite places:
1. VT - as never got there. Friends of chalet-mate were staying there and were apparently unable to get out of the VT valley for four of the six days...
2. Pic Noir - sadly attempted virtually first run on first day - "a harder blue than this there is not in the 3 Valleys" somebody wrote. Too true.
3. Niverolles - In a howling gale, with drifted powder obscuring the moguls, and then 2 feet of drifting dust on top so you couldn't see a thing. A head wind, etc. etc. etc. Ugh.
nemeziss, If you make it as far as the Courchevel valley, avoid Roc Mugnier. This is one evil red run, with a steep, narrow, icy bit half way down. I skied it 4 times last week, and at the aforementioned place, there were bodies littered all over the place. (Noit injured, just in a heap in a pile of loose snow!) On the other hand, Combe de Saulire is wide and generally has very nice snow, and if you catch it without too many people on it is an amazing experience.
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Combe de Saulire ...
Has a very scary entrance - you go over a lip into a very steep corrie wall. Great run, I agree. (Though there were rocks to avoid last week, but no doubt they've "disappeared" by now!)
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Combe de Saulire ...
That was the 1st red run I ever did. Even our snowboard instructer back edged down the start...
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
James the Last wrote:
2. Pic Noir - sadly attempted virtually first run on first day - "a harder blue than this there is not in the 3 Valleys" somebody wrote. Too true.
I think they would have been writing that from at least last year? The top part of it used to be very narrow and pretty difficult I understand (from our instructor). This year it has been re-modelled and I thought it was fine we went down it quite a few times.
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.
Combe de Saulire - our instructor took us there on our first day (we were the wimpish aspiring to be level 4 group). We all stood at the top, peered over, thought 'oh sh*t' - and then one of our group said, it's rather steep isn't it But it's only the top bit that's steep, the first few turns and you're fine. And there's a wimp's cat-track that cuts out the top part if needbe
Last run of the last day - I took the bubble down instead
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
I liked the red/blue down to La Tania from Couchevel - nice and long swooping through the trees.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
The Flying Snowplough, i didnt find roc mugnier too bad, i liked the way it wasnt too wide and had banked side walls - felt like some kind of race course! only challenging bit was 1 steep section near the end. nice run overall imo!
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Jerusalem is about the furthest you can get in the one valley and I think every run to get there is worth skiing . It's got a moderately steep entrance, but after that it's all fun. Very easy to get some air if you want to
Getting back to the Val Thorens end, I preferred to go back up to the top of Roque de 3 Marches and ski down the Red Allemandes.. not too difficult a run.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
cathy, great run. can get very icy though.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
In the Val Thorens valley you should try la morraine. Very easy to get to from resort, ski to and then take 2lacs chairlift, then short ski down to morraine chairlift. La morraine chairlift is long and it can get cold but well worth it.
La morraine is wide and long and i've rarely found it busy. Its a great cruising blue where you can pick up speed if you want to and it runs parrellel to genepi blue so you can ski between the two. Its one of my favourite blues in the three valleys.
If you make it to courcheval, theres a wicked blue that runs through the trees, cospillot i thin kits called. Have a good one
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?
One to avoid is Boulevard Cumin (I think) that seems a quick way from VT to Les M but is anything but - uphill all the way
Skola, I only found weaving my way through the scattered bodies difficult! The high incidence of bodies suggests it isn't for the feint hearted, though. The run into the chairlifts at the bottom was serious fun, albeit quite steep.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
bodhi, I was rather a nervous skier in VT as other SHs will definitely testify . A very gentle blue is the Gentiane, accessed from the Caron "bubble" which starts just below the 2 Lacs chair. I'll found Moraine a great confidence giving run - it wasn't too busy & was wide - it ends near the "knife & fork" cafe - a good coffee stop
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prog99 wrote:
Combe de Saulire ...
That was the 1st red run I ever did. Even our snowboard instructer back edged down the start...
I don't think any of the runs off the top of the saulire lift are suitable for a beginner really, although apart from grand couloir I don't think any of them are particularly difficult either. The blacks (suisses, turcs etc) I wouldn't say are any more difficult than the reds. The only one I haven't skied is "m" because I couldn't find the entrance! (might have been closed)
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daveqpr, "christine" is a very beautiful run that does that route - is that the one?
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
It's amazing how much easier a hard looking run is when the instructor takes you. I work on the principle that no instructor would take you where he thought you'd definitely kill yourself, so just take a deep breath, push off and try and make the first turn a good one. After that, you wonder what all the fuss was about - usually. Sometimes you get scared rigid!
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.
red 27,
no its not christine, but yes thats a great run too. The run from the funitel on my video is "lac blanc". Basically as you come out of the funitel turn left and as you face downhill keep as far to the right as you can . Then its a straight run back into VT. The day i filmed this was the Saturday just after new years and the snow was firm with a little icy bit on the steep section about half way down, hence why I slowed down!!
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
Just back from les menuires with a group of 'new intermediates' and I think VT/LesMenuires and indeed most of 3v are great for confidence building - the run gradings are quite 'flattering' (i.e. a bit easy) and I'm sure you'll be fine. Didn't find anything notable we didn't like the look of - all great cruising - sally forth with confidence! Would agree with all the above and note in general it's more about avoididng the crowds than anything else, a lot of key runs get nastily busy and cut up in the late afternoons aj xx
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
a.j., "Sally Forth" - nice...
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Lovely long cruisy blue called Pluviometre on the route back to VT from Reberty.
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
s recommending 
).
we went down it quite a few times.
But it's only the top bit that's steep, the first few turns and you're fine. And there's a wimp's cat-track that cuts out the top part if needbe 
. It's got a moderately steep entrance, but after that it's all fun. Very easy to get some air if you want to 
