Skiing in Les Menuires
Country: France
In a nutshell: The best value base for exploring the epic 3 Valleys ski area
We like:
- The skiing in Les Menuires is fantastic, and offers something for everyone
- Upgrade to the 3 Valleys pass and you have access to the biggest ski area in the world
- Lots on offer for families
- Great value when compared to the other resorts in the 3 Valleys
We don’t like:
- It’s much nicer on the eye than it used to be, but it’s still not the prettiest resort
- Very little in the way of tree skiing
- Given its family-friendly credentials, the apres ski isn’t great
SKI INFORMATION
- Resort altitude: 1,850m
- Highest lift: 3,230m
- Lowest piste: 1,400m
- Transfer time from most convenient airport: Geneva & Lyon – 2h 15m
- Number of lifts:
- Les Menuires: 34
- 3 Valleys: 180
- Number of runs
- Les Menuires
- Green: 12
- Blue: 43
- Red: 24
- Black: 8
- 3 Valleys:
- Green: 48
- Blue: 135
- Red:119
- Black: 33
- Les Menuires
RESORT HIGHLIGHTS
- Family friendly
- High altitude
- Big ski area
- Great for beginners
- Great for intermediates
- Great for advanced
- Great for snowboarders
RESORT DESCRIPTION
A firm favourite with French skiers and growing in popularity with Brits, Les Menuires ski resort offers fantastic skiing at a more affordable price than the other big-name resorts of the 3 Valleys.
The resort was one of the several purpose built ski resorts built in the 60s and was built in what was then considered modern, exciting architecture, but what is now mostly regarded as ugly. However in recent years the resort has done a great job of making itself more attractive with new chalet style building and lots of wooden cladding – especially in the Reberty district.
Skiers of all abilities from complete novices to experts are very well catered for by Les Menuires, and that’s before you consider the huge possibilities the 600km of piste the 3 Valleys has on offer. It’s impossible to fault the skiing and there’s enough to keep even the most hard-core skiers happy for weeks (or even months) on end
Les Menuires is particularly well suited to families: there’s lots of convenient ski-in / ski-out accommodation, the resort is fairly quiet, the Piou Piou are has a nursery and play rooms for small children and the resort has lots of activities available for slightly older children