 Poster: A snowHead
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Guys,
I'm fairly new to Snow Heads but not to Skiing, hopefully this year will be my 8th trip in since I first went in 98/99 to Andorra, I would regard myself as an intermediate skier who can get down the black slopes but wouldn't have that much style, in any case, of the two resorts mentioned in the Thread Title, which one would get the nod with you experts out there. Meribel being in the middle of the three Valleys has obvioiulsy miles of piste and is at a fairly high altitude, La Plagne is also high up but I've heard its a bit disjointed etc and hard to get around via lifts if you want to explore all it's area. I'd just like to get the opinions of someone who has perhaps been to both places
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Paul, La Plagne's glacier system is currently out of action due to a fire than engulfed one of the lift stations. They are making desperate efforts to rebuild this autumn to reopen this winter, but I should think it's touch and go.
For that reason alone (because the linked skiing at Les Arcs is outstanding) I'd go for Meribel at the moment.
Welcome to snowHeads!
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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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Meribel is possibly the best in Europe. Les Arcs also very good. la Plagne has its admirers, but possibly not in the same league for variety of challenge as the other two.
Welcome to snowheads too! 
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Paul Flynn, Cant go wrong with either. La Plagne tends to have more convenient accomodation for the slopes
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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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Frosty the Snowman, I knew you would jump in to defend La Plagne. Used to be a time when Jonpim would too. Sigh!
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Both resorts have almost endless piste skiing available, so in that regard I think both will serve you well no matter which of the two you choose. I'd say decide on other factors (choice of accommodation, cost, etc) as you won't need to worry about running out of pistes!
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Paul Flynn,
I am not sure about La Plagne. Meribel has some great skiing but is seriously expensive, if cost is important personally I would avoid Meribel.
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Paul Flynn, Meribel, is at a lower altitude to La Plagne, and at certain times in the season can suffer from slushy snow. Generally in La Plagne, you will be at 1800m minimum, so should be able to ski in/out.
Meribel, I thought was overpriced, and suffered from traffic problems. La Plagne is largely car free, within the main resort villages. All levels of runs in both resorts, but La Plagne is likely to be quieter for apres-ski. If you go to La Plagne, you can book a ride down the Olympic Bobsleigh run 
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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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Meribel- hmm never been but the 3V's was masively expensive. I nearly shed a tear when i got the bill for my spag bol on the mountain!
La Plagne- never been, but im going to work there, so it will be great, cos im there, obviously.
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Paul Flynn, welcome to snowHeads . Although Meribel can get a little slushy in warm weather, you're in the middle of the 3Vs so can ski in either the Courchevel or Belleville valleys if that happens - the lift system makes it easy to reach anywhere in the 3Vs from Meribel quite quickly. Meribel is probably the best looking of the 3Vs resorts, but it's the lowest of the main ones. If you're going early or late season you could consider one of the other 3Vs resorts.
The Paradiski area is also very large, but I personally prefer the Les Arcs side to La Plagne. If you're going to La Plagne, be aware that it's made up of many small villages and some of them are likely to be quite quiet as far as nightlife is concerned; some of them are connected by gondolas that run reasonably late.
Both places are excellent for intermediates wanting large amounts of piste - as rob@rar.org.uk says, other factors such as cost and accomodation may be the most important factors if you haven't been to either so far. You should be able to have a great time whichever you pick.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Both resorts would serve you very well. With Meribel you get more of a sense of getting up and out the valley easily to Courcheval and its enclaves and then the other way to VT, And then you have mont Vallon which is great fun. Unfortunately when I was there last Jan in LP we never got higher than Roch del Mio which would curtail you a bit. We originally went to have a look at the North Face of Bellecote but never could get all the way up there. I got the impression that they were saving the glacier for later, altho' fresh snow might have had something to do with it...and possibly rightly so for avi danger.
So on balance I would go back to Meribel rather than LP altho' if the North face was good I would still love to get there.
But if mileage is your thing then both have plenty of that so as rob@rar.org.uk says chose by differnet criteria, LP has more s/c, Meribel is the home of chalets. Oh, what the hell, If I were you I'd pick Meribel/3v's.
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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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Been to LP several times - never to Merihell. But as John Cleese and Ronnie Barker both said "I look down on ....." You can gaze down on M from many parts of LP. LP lacks many blacks but is a Red / Blue cruisers paradise and with the Vanoise Express gives the opportunity of popping over to Les Arcs for a day or two. If you chose LP beware of the lower traditional villages early or late season. They are not too snow sure although snow cannons have helped the situation.
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Agree with some of the other post about 3V being very expensive IMO it the most expensive place I have been skiing, and have also paid £18 fro a spag bol but that was over in Courcheval.
We stopped in a chalet up at mottaret which was excellent, better snow conditions than in Meribel and better links to the other valleys and normally right on the slopes.
I've never been to La Plagne but I would good back to 3V just make sure you get a big breakfast and therefore don't have to buy big lunches out on the slopes.
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You know it makes sense.
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La Plagne ! 
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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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Why the @@@@ does everyone ignore the fact that there's no need to stay in Merihell in order to enjoy the 3V? Personally I couldn't think of a worse village to stay in - strung-out, miles from a piste, unecessarily expensive, no charm (despite what they say on the tin) and packed with everyone else trying to get from Val T to Courchevel and back. The snow's better in the other valleys (i.e. Val T and Courch), and there's plenty of other villages inside the 3V with better accomodation and eating out prices, but equally good access to the network.
Right. Rant over.
Paul Flynn I've skied both 3V and PDS. Never had any "disjointed" lift problems in PDS. In fact the fact that Les Arcs is a quick trip across the Vaniose Express gives a better sense of moving around than I've had in 3V. Otherwise, both networks are as good as each other in terms of piste mileage that you can ski in a week. And both PDS and 3V are comprised of a dozen various village types, predominantly purpose built (of which some are god-awful eyesores, in both PDS and 3V), and some of which are "traditional".
So chose according to village type.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Manda wrote: |
| I've skied both 3V and PDS. Never had any "disjointed" lift problems in PDS. In fact the fact that Les Arcs is a quick trip across the Vaniose Express gives a better sense of moving around than I've had in 3V. Otherwise, both networks are as good as each other in terms of piste mileage that you can ski in a week. And both PDS and 3V are comprised of a dozen various village types, predominantly purpose built (of which some are god-awful eyesores, in both PDS and 3V), and some of which are "traditional". |
 La Plagne? Portes du Soleil? Something gone wrong here methinks.....
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Manda,
Because the post said La Plagne Vs Meribel and we followed the thread, no tangents this time.
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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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Another factor to throw into the equation ? Piste maintenance. IMO grooming is far superior in the Trois Vallees than the La Plagne side of Paradiski. However, Les Arcs is better than LP.
Somebody mentioned Apres, and 3V wins hands down here as well and Manda is right when she says 3V doesn't have to cost a fortune......
remind me why I haven't booked to the 3V again
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Quote: |
Why the @@@@ does everyone ignore the fact that there's no need to stay in Merihell in order to enjoy the 3V? Personally I couldn't think of a worse village to stay in - strung-out, miles from a piste...
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Manda, not sure where you've stayed in Meribel, but wherever it was, you were ripped off! If you do a bit of research it's possible to find somewhere convenient, and the queues can mostly be avoided by getting up early. I've stayed total about 12 weeks in all 3 valleys and by far the best place to ski the whole 3V from is Mottaret. Can't really compare with La Plagne though, I've only had 1 day there....
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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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Manda, so how do you get from Super Chatel to Linga? Apart from Avoriaz and Chamrousse I can't think of a purpose built resort in the PdS, most are the old village communities which is the charm of the domain.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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David@traxvax, I'm wondering if Manda is using 'PDS' as an abbreviation for Paradiski?
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| Timberwolf wrote: |
Another factor to throw into the equation ? Piste maintenance. IMO grooming is far superior in the Trois Vallees than the La Plagne side of Paradiski. However, Les Arcs is better than LP.
Somebody mentioned Apres, and 3V wins hands down here as well and Manda is right when she says 3V doesn't have to cost a fortune......
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Interesting comments. We have been to Val Thorens for the last 3 years ski hols, and La Plagne the 3 years before. I reckon La Plagne is/was better maintained. But the VT website live listing of which Piste's have been groomed is an excellent facility although the pisteing priorities were a little difficult to comprehend. The pistes passing through Les Menuires were always diabolical. Meribel was good in places. Courchevel was probably the best maintained pistes in general in the 3V.
La Tania the best maintained of the lot.
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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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Manda, Awful technique, but an excellent recovery 
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| David Goldsmith wrote: |
Paul, La Plagne's glacier system is currently out of action due to a fire than engulfed one of the lift stations. They are making desperate efforts to rebuild this autumn to reopen this winter, but I should think it's touch and go.
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The concrete for the 3000m top station was poured at the start of October and in theory the 6km cable is being put in place from this weekend. Maybe PG can give us an update (photos?) on that. With the zero iso around 3500 meters and little snow they have good weather to press ahead. I was dubious that they would finish but it is now looking more likely. That said you could spend a week at la Plagne and not visit the Bellecote glacier area.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Chris Bish: have no fear - jonpim is here. And as davidof mentions above, I disagree with Goldsmith's portents of doom: even if access to the Bellecote glacier is not ready by the time Paul Flynn goes out, the place is so vast it will make no difference to his enjoyment.
Paul asked La Plagne or Meribel. No contest. The answer of course is La Plagne.
Meribel is just a slush bucket on the way from Val Thorens to Courchevel. It has no redeeming features at all.
If you want to ski the Les 3 Vallées the you can either go to Courchevel and find vast acres of piste reserved for the exclusive use of Russian gangsters, or you can go to Val Thorens where you will find the place engulfed in clouds so you can't see a thing, or the wind has blown away the clouds but closed all the lifts.
So if you want to ski, go to La Plagne. The lift system is far from disjointed and it is very easy to get around.
As for nightlife, I have never understood the demand for Redi-Apreski. The best Après Ski is do-it-yourself: you need a few mates, a few beers and a place that will let you shriek and holler and dance on the tables. La Plagne is such a place.
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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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Jonpim, Nice to have things back to normal. Just need to flush out Skanky for some weather reports now! Meribel is truly slushesque quite frequently, being only about 1400m, but just up the hill at Mottaret is fine, honestly!
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Jonpim, as per Chris, Meribel is the weakest link in the 3 Valleys. 2 years ago I went to La Plagne expecting motorway pistes and crass French architecture, and "yes" you get that OK, but there is great ski-ing at La Plagne.
We stayed at Belle Plagne at around 2000m so the snow is always going to be OK. The revelation for me was the great ski-ing through the trees to Montalbert and Montchavin, which I thought was excellent for a purpose built French Ski resort.
Meribel is fashionable with the Brits as we know very well, but Jonpim you got it right it is a "slush bucket" and also an "Ice-hole", coming over from Saulire on the Courchevel side you have the wretched red ice run down to Mottaret, and on the on the way home from Les Menuires or VT you have the Les Platanes run and its snow cannon slush before taking the bubble back to Courchevel 1850.
Yes - no contest La Plagne is a lot whole better than Meribel, but not a whole better than the 3 Valleys in general to be fair.
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You know it makes sense.
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We've been to La Plagne 3-4 times, never been up to the glacier yet. Near-beginners first time, closed 2nd, 3rd and 4th.
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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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having worked a season in La Plagne as a ski host as well as having visited 3v on many occasions i would say La Plagne is far better than meribel. I never got bored in a whole season in La Plagne. The resort is so varied compared to meribels boring endless crowded motorway pistes. La plagne has everthing including two areas of cracking winding long tree lined runs for bad weather.
As for off piste you will still find fresh tracks days after snowfall in La Plagne compared with Meribel where you would struggle to do this after lunch the day after snowfall.
The other major plus with La Plagne is it's punters. It is a family based friendly resort and therfore away from the nursery slopes and home runs it is very uncrowded and far less aggresive by nature than the 3v
Did i mention the link with Les arcs as well.
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