Les Menuires has a reputation for being ugly - big concrete rectangles like multi-storey car parks standing out of the snow (and competing with Flaine and Tignes for the 'ugliest in the French Alps' title). It also has a reputation for being one of the most functional ski resorts in the world and for offering the best value in the world's largest ski area - Les Trois Vallees - cheaper than Courchevel and Meribel but well placed none the less to make the most of the area.
Les Menuires is one of the three resorts in the Belleville Valley, which is itself one of the world famous Three Valleys, above is Europe's highest resort, Val Thorens and below St Martin de Belleville - a traditional resort which has found some fame in recent years as traditional resorts have become more popular in France.
Les Menuires markets itself as 'The Smile of The Alps' because of the semi-circular arc of its main building complex and its good sunshine record. The resort is divided in to 'quarters' - although there are more than four of them. The main facilities are in La Croisette, the original centre, and Les Bruyeres.
Les Menuires skiing radiates out in all directions from the resort and it's a tough choice to decide which way to head first thing in the morning. It may depend on which lift ticket option you've taken, and there are at least five if you include the beginners pass. The St Martin and les Menuires pass opens up 160km (100 miles) of trails served by 45 lifts and costs about 20% less per week than the Three Vallees ticket.
For a bigger area and access to the altitude slopes the Belleville Valley only pass still offers more skiing than most resorts in the world, 240km (150 miles) of trails between Saint Martin all the way up to Val Thorens served by 75 lifts. However it's only about 5% cheaper than the Three Vallees pass (600km/350 miles of trails) and once you hold that you don't actually have to ski in the Three Vallees at all - for 115 FF extra per day you can use your ticket in the Espace Killy (Val d'Isere and Tignes) or the ski areas of La Plagne, Les Arcs, Les Saises or Pralognan all on the Savoie Olympic Pass (the world's biggest, with 1500km / 937 miles of trails served by 600 lifts, although not all linked together).
The resort is perhaps best known for its 'own' ski area somewhat away from the various Trois Vallees routes - Le Pointe de la Masse , where north facing slopes offer some of the circuits most challenging skiing, notably the off piste run down to the Lac de Lou.
Les Menuires has done more than most European resorts to make a special effort for adult beginners, following the North American model of creating a 'beginners village' - an enclosed area of around 5000 square metres near the Preyerand area especially reserved for new skiers and designed to suit their needs. Beginners also have 6 free ski lifts around the resort alone and a special very low cost beginners pass
giving access to a reduced circuit of 11 key lifts throughout Les Menuires.
Everything is nearby, and in particular the "Schtroumpfs" (= smurfs) village for little beginners (I have two sons). Perfect for beginners and real keen skiers /snow boarders (I am both !), it offers a vast array of possibilities (black tracks, off-ski, picnic places), and the best access to the three Vallees (Meribel, Val Thorens and St Martin de Belleville and "la Masse", an often-disregarded north side).
Come on and enjoy it !
| Vertical Drop: | 4595 ft
| Half Pipes: | 1 |
| Top Elevation: | 9354 ft | Snowmaking:
| 35% |
Skiable Acres:
| - | Total:
| 28km |
| Trails: | 71 | Restaurants:
| 46 |
| Lifts: | 39 | | |
Cable cars:
| 9 | | |
Source:
www.goski.com 