The Meribel Valley consists of 14 villages, all located downhill from the resort of Meribel itself (1450 m, 4760') and its neighbor, Meribel-Mottaret. Les Allues is the valley's "capital" and main village, where the Church, the Town Hall, one hotel and three restaurants are located. Most of the valley's traditional feasts and festivals are held in this village.
In 1938, British Major Peter Lindsay visited Les Allues Valley and decided to build a ski resort there. He established the architectural specifications which are still enforced today, making it mandatory to build all chalets out of mountain stone and pine wood and crown them with double slanting slate covered roofs.
Part of the Trois Vallees system, which fans believe is the largest lift-linked ski area in the world with 600km (although the Franco-Suisse Portes du Soliel have a more tenuous claim to 650km) there is a vast amount of skiing for absolutely evety taste and ability. It's easy to ski over to France's most exclusive resort, Courchevel
1850, to browse the designer fashion stores. Merible is a very French resort full of English people on the edge of some of the best skiing in the world.
This is 'chalet city' which means much of the nightime fun revolves around private gourmet gatherings. There are a couple of good discos though, and several lively bars - notably La Taverne and the imaginatively named Mark Warner pub.
Up the hill from Meribel is Meribel Mottaret, a purpose-built apartment block off-shoot.
New for 1998/99
Meribel is investing in new lifts, trails and accommodation for the 1998/99 season. The biggest single uplift capacity increase will result from the installation of a new detachable 'six-pac' six seater chair lift to replace the two-seater Adray chair. The chair will be capable of speeds of 5 metres per second and will travel 2 KM up over a 600 metre vertical, with a capacity of up to 2,800 skiers per hour.
A second new lift, a traditional four seater, will link the new 'Les Fermes de Meribel Village' hamlet of three four-star chalet-style tourist residences containing 67 apartments with the Altiport. The chair will cover 1.55 KM over a 300 metre vertical. More building is proposed for this area including the development of shops in mid-1999.
Finally a new drag lift for beginners will be built below the Plattieres gondola in Meribel-Mottaret. This area will also see a new Beginner area at the south of the snow front and the completion of a new terrain park. Proposed new trails include a new run allowing a return on skis to Meribel Village and a new trail with a 25-28% gradient at the top of Saulire.
| Vertical Drop: | 4923 ft
| Half Pipes: | 2 |
| Top Elevation: | 9682 ft | Snowmaking:
| 45% |
Skiable Acres:
| - | Total:
| 33km |
| Trails: | 75 | Restaurants:
| 80 |
| Lifts: | 53 | | |
Cable cars:
| 16 | | |
Source:
www.goski.com 
