Les Trois Vallées

The world's largest linked ski area, covering three valleys and around 600 km of marked piste

The Trois Vallées — Three Valleys — is the world's largest linked ski area, with around 600 km of marked piste spread across the valleys of Méribel, Courchevel, and Les Menuires/Val Thorens. A single ski pass covers the entire network, and from Méribel you can reach Courchevel in twenty minutes and Val Thorens, the highest resort in the Alps at 2,300m, in under an hour.

The terrain is genuinely varied. Long, beautifully groomed blue and red runs dominate the valley floors and are ideal for cruising. The upper slopes above Méribel and Mottaret push into steeper red and black terrain, and the off-piste options — through the couloirs above La Saulire or on the back of the ridge toward Val Thorens — are excellent for experienced skiers. Snow is reliable: natural snowfall is supplemented by extensive artificial snow systems, and the season typically runs from mid-December to early May.

Beginners are particularly well served in Méribel, where gentle slopes near the base of the Altiport and Chaudanne areas allow learning without the chaos of busy mountain runs. Ski schools are numerous and professionally run.

things to do sight
A story
The Trois Vallées network was created gradually between the 1960s and 1980s as the three valleys — Méribel, Courchevel, and Les Menuires/Val Thorens — progressively linked their lift systems. The final connection, completing the circuit, was made in 1972. At the time, skiing between three separate valleys using lift systems alone was considered close to impossible engineering. The result is still the world's largest interconnected ski area.