Les Trois Vallées
| Les Trois Vallée | |
|---|---|
| Location | Savoie France |
| Nearest major city | Moûtiers |
| Top elevation | 3230m |
| Base elevation | 1300m |
| Skiable area | 600km of runs |
| Trails | 335 (easy 183, intermediate 119, difficult 33) |
| Longest run | 5km Cîme de Caro |
| Lift system | 183 (3 cable cars, 37 gondolas, 69 chair lifts, 74 surface lifts) |
| Snowmaking | 2007 cannons |
| Website | http://www.les3vallees.com |
Les Trois Vallées or The Three Valleys is a ski region in the Tarentaise Valley, Savoie département of France, above the town of Moûtiers and have areas within the Vanoise National Park
Since 1973, it has been possible to ski the interlinked valleys using a single ski pass. Thus, Les Trois Vallées is the largest ski area in the world which is connected solely by ski lifts and slopes. It has more than 600 km (410 miles) of ski slopes, resulting in 18.5 km² of groomed runs. In addition, there are 120 km for cross-country skiing. Les Trois Vallées has 183 ski lifts, which can transport 260,000 skiers per hour. Other equipment owned by the operating companies include 1,920 snow cannons and 76 piste bashers. Employees in the area include 424 ski patrollers and 1,500 ski instructors.
As implied by its name, the area originally consisted of three valleys: Saint-Bon, Allues, and Belleville. The skiing area has since been extended into a 'fourth' valley, the Maurienne valley. It is adjacent to Val Thorens, but can also be accessed using a long gondola lift from Orelle. The following ski resorts are in Les Trois Vallées:
| Valley | Resort | Established | Skiable range (m) | Sub-resorts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint-Bon | Courchevel | 1946 | 1300 - 2738 | Courchevel-Le Praz, Courchevel 1550, Courchevel 1650, Courchevel 1850 |
| Saint-Bon | la Tania | 1990 | 1400 - 2305 | - |
| Allues | Méribel | 1939 | 1400 - 2952 | Meribel-Village, Meribel, Meribel-Mottaret |
| Allues | Brides-les-Bains | 1992 | 600 - 1450 | Les Allues |
| Belleville | Val Thorens | 1972 | 2300 - 3200 | - |
| Belleville | Les Menuires | 1964 | 1850 - 2850 | Les Menuires, Reberty, La Masse |
| Belleville | St-Martin-de-Belleville | 1983 | 1400 - 2434 | - |
| Maurienne | Orelle | 1996 | 900 - 3230 | - |
Tarentaise Valley Skiing
Within the Tarentaise Valley you find the biggest concentration of world-class ski resorts in the world. Most well known neighbour systems are Paradiski (Les Arcs, La Plagne) and Espace Killy (Val d'Isère and Tignes). A weekly lift ticket in Les Trois Vallées gives you a choice to ski one day in each of the other two systems mentioned. There were once plans to interlink all systems and resorts to create the - by far - largest ski area in the world. However that vision was ended with the creation of the Vanoise National Park.
See also
- List of ski areas and resorts in Europe
- French Alps
- 3 Valleys, Water Supply Provider in United Kingdom.
External links
- Les Trois Vallées official website
- Vanoise National Park
- Les 3 Vallees mobile wap guide
- Information on skiing in the Meribel-Mottaret, the heart of Les Trois Vallées
45°21′N 6°36′E / 45.350°N 6.600°E