a guide to France - Ski-buzz

The UK’s number 1 for ski holidays
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By the time you finish reading this you’ll know pretty much
everything you could want to know about France’s three biggest
ski areas – Paradiski, The Three Valleys and Espace Killy. For each
area you’ll find out where the best skiing is according to you ability,
where’s best to base yourself as well as our recommendations for
the best après ski spots and alternative winter activities.
These are world-class resorts and if you’re from the UK then
they’re practically on your doorstep, so get reading and get
stuck in to the greatest ski areas France has to offer.
The UK’s number 1 for ski holidays
Paradiski
Paradiski is made up of the resorts of La Plagne and Les Arcs which, when combined, offer a ski area of
425km linked by the awesome Vanoise Express. This is a 200 person double-decker cable car that takes
just four minutes to cross the 2km Vanoise Valley. At its highest point, it’s about 300m above the bottom
of the valley below. (Believe it or not but some people choose to base jump from the cable car).
Access to Paradiski couldn’t be easier with flying available into Grenoble, Chambery and Geneva as well
as the snow train direct from London to Bourg St Maurice and Aime.
What’s the skiing like?
Paradiski is a great intermediate ski area with lots of red and blue runs to keep you challenged
throughout your stay. You get a real variety of skiing in Paradiski with:
•Two glaciers (Aiguille Rouge in Les Arcs & Bellecote in La Plagne) providing great, fresh snow
every day.
• Wide runs at high altitude, especially around Belle Plagne & Arc 1950/2000.
• Brilliant tree lined runs in the lower stretches of Montalbert, Montchavin, Les Coches and Vallandry.
• Snow parks in both La Plagne and Les Arcs.
•Easy beginner runs in nearly all the villages across Paradiski most of which are linked by comfortable
blue runs allowing you to see as much of the scenery as possible.
The UK’s number 1 for ski holidays
What else can I do in Paradiski?
Paradiski has some brilliant activities from torchlight descents to skidooing, or even parapenting.
However what really makes Paradiski stand out is its full length Olympic bobsleigh track. Built for
the 1992 winter Olympics in Albertville, this track offers a range of sleds, depending on the level of
adrenaline you wish to reach.
Bob Raft - the starter sleigh but by no means slow. This raft guides itself down the track and still hits
speeds of 90km/h. This is available at a special family rate and is suitable for children over 1.3m tall.
Mono Bob - For the lone rangers in the group, this single seat bobsleigh will really test mental toughness
as it whistles down at more than 100km/h.
Taxi Bob - the real McCoy, this time you are accompanied by a professional driver in a full-size 4 man
bobsleigh. He will race you down at over 120km/h. In the corners you will feel more force than you
would taking off on board a space shuttle.
The UK’s number 1 for ski holidays
Where’s the best place to dance in my ski boots?
Après ski in Paradiski may not have the same reputation as some of its neighbouring resorts but it can
definitely still get the party going with lots of live music and great après offers.
In La Plagne, you have Scotty’s in Plagne Centre which probably offers the best priced drinks and live
music a couple of times a week. Saloon, in Belle Plagne, offers a more Euro pop après scene but is still
not to be missed. Finally, there’s La Mine in Plagne 1800, which has a more traditional French feel, with
live music most evenings.
In Arc 1800 you have Red Hot Saloon bar which has live bands or a DJ most nights and can easily
turn your après session into an all-nighter. In 1950, there is the Irish pub called La Belle Pinte, which
guarantees a lively atmosphere, as people leave the pistes in search of a drink or two.
The UK’s number 1 for ski holidays
Where should I go in Paradiski?
La Plagne and Les Arcs are both split into lots of different villages so here is a quick guide to help you
find the right one for you.
La Plagne
Plagne Centre - the main hub of the resort and revamped for 2013. Mainly made up of hotels and a few
chalets just above the centre, this area has some of the best restaurants and bars in La Plagne.
Plagne 1800 - dominated by chalets, this little village offers a more traditional feel to La Plagne and the
only bar ‘La Mine’ is always a lively option for après ski.
Belle Plagne - purpose built and designed with ski in mind, this village puts all the cars underground,
allowing you to ski through the resort between the wide varieties of accommodations. Belle Plagne is
probably the best area of the resort for nightlife, with the party at ‘Saloon’ often rocking until 5am.
Bellecote - located just below Belle Plagne, this is a central point for the lifts in La Plagne. With access to
all directions this is one place you are guaranteed to come through, so why not stop at the English run
pub, ‘Spitting Feathers’, if you’re feeling a little homesick.
Plagne Soleil/Villages - overlooking Plagne centre, these neighbouring resorts offer mainly self-catering
accommodation, varying from value to high end luxury.
Aime La Plagne - is the highest resort in La Plagne offering unparalleled views of the Tarantaise Valley.
Again this area is predominantly about self-catering apartments as well as a large shopping and
entertainment complex.
Les Coches - set right in middle of the Paradiski and just a stone’s throw from the Vanoise Express. This
is the best location for those who really want to make the most of the full area lift pass and is also a
slightly more remote, traditional French village.
The UK’s number 1 for ski holidays
Les Arcs
Arc 2000 - the highest resort in Les Arcs, with good quality family friendly hotels and superb access to
the pistes. Also there is a short lift that links it with Arc 1950.
Arc 1950 - stunning purpose built village with a very North American feel to it. Here you will find high
end self-catering all with ski to door access, as well as a good range of restaurants and bars to keep you
entertained.
Arc 1800 - the livelier part of Les Arcs, with plenty of bars to keep you busy in the evenings. There is a
good mixture of hotels and apartments to be found in 1800, as well as good access to the whole of Les
Arcs and down to the Vanoise Express.
Arc 1600 - has some great accommodation that offers good childcare and other facilities to help make
your holiday easier, including ski to door in most hotels. There is also the funicular that runs all the way
down the valley to Bourg St Maurice.
Vallandry - Similar to Les Coches with its prime location next to the Vanoise Express, as well as being a
more traditional French village.
The Three Valleys
Why choose The Three Valleys?
• S ituated high up in the Tarentaise Valley of the French Alps, you will find 335 ski runs varying in
difficulty.
• You can ski from 1300m - 3230m in altitude, some of the biggest vertical in the Alps.
• There are 4 glaciers to choose from - so excellent snow conditions all season long.
• This is the Goliath of skiing - the largest linked ski area in the world.
•It’s easy to get to - all resorts are easily accessible via Chambery and Geneva airports, and also by
Eurostar train, direct from London to Moutiers.
The 3 valleys of The Three Valleys
The Three Valleys, as the name suggests, consists of the 3 parallel valleys of Courchevel, Meribel and
Belleville.
The UK’s number 1 for ski holidays
The Courchevel Valley
The Courchevel Valley is home to the little villages of La Tania, Le Praz 1300, Courchevel 1550, Courchevel
1650 and Courchevel 1850.
Courchevel is seen as an exclusive world renowned resort; it’s charming, elegant and really does stand
out above the rest. In Courchevel 1850 and 1650 you’ll find luxury hotels, fabulous facilities, Michelin Star
restaurants and designer shops.
La Tania and Le Praz 1300 hold their own within the valley; they provide more affordable
accommodations with great piste side locations.
Sitting in a pine forest at 1400m, ski-in ski-out La Tania has enough restaurants and bars to give
you variety through the week, and a supermarket too to stock up with bits too if you’re staying in the
apartments there.
Le Praz 1300 has a couple of restaurants and bars along with a supermarket and bakery for the
essentials.
Both villages are well connected to Courchevel with a free bus service running though La Tania and Le
Praz throughout the day and night.
The UK’s number 1 for ski holidays
The Meribel Valley
The Meribel Valley consists of 4 distinct areas; Meribel-Mottaret, Meribel, Meribel village and Les Allues.
These resorts sit right in the heart of the of the ski area in the middle valley - so there’s some of the best
access to ski the entire area during your holiday if you’re based here.
Meribel is the most famous of the villages, with a bustling resort centre where you’ll find a huge number
of bars, restaurants and shops.
The village is beautiful in terms of the architecture, with the majority of the buildings designed in
traditional alpine style. The centre is lit up with fairy lights all season long, adding that extra magical
sparkle to the surroundings.
And if you’re looking for nightlife, Meribel centre is known for the best après scene in The Three Valleys.
Its massive New Year’s party makes it a big-hitter on the après ski calendar each season.
Mottaret is a purpose built resort situated just above Meribel at 1750m altitude - the majority of the
hotels, apartments and chalets are on the side of the piste. There is a little village centre with a couple of
nice bars and restaurants and a handful of shops selling all the ski and board holiday essentials.
Down in the valley is the spa town of Brides les Bains, linked to Meribel by gondola. This is fast
becoming a preferred place to stay for budget conscious skiers who want to ski The Three Valleys
without paying the slope side accommodation price tag that can go with it.
The UK’s number 1 for ski holidays
The Belleville Valley
The Belleville Valley is home to the resorts of Les Menuires, Saint Martin de Belleville and Val Thorens. It
has some of the highest skiing in the Alps, so it’s as snow sure as it comes with 2 glaciers and skiing up
to 3420 meters.
Saint Martin de Belleville and Les Menuires are family friendly resorts, known for their great après
activities for all ages.
Les Menuires has a fantastic sports centre with a swimming pool, and a fun park with trampolines. Have
a go on the 4 km long toboggan run too.
Val Thorens is the highest ski resort in Europe at 2300m altitude. Built in the 1970s, it’s a skiers’ resort
through and through - it sits above the tree line in the bowl at the head of the Belleville Valley, with
nearly all the accommodation being ski-in ski out.
You’ll find just about everything in Val Thorens; homely chalets, a whole range of apartments and plenty
of hotels to choose from. Again this resort has a fantastic après scene and is well known for its night life.
Skiing in The Three Valleys
First time on the slopes?
Beginners are well looked after in The Three Valleys, you’ll find plenty of beginner areas and snow zones
to choose from. Particular resorts to highlight for beginners are La Tania, Les Menuires and Val Thorens.
You’ll find wide and gentle pistes, good quality beginner zones and convenient, gentle nursery slopes.
The UK’s number 1 for ski holidays
You class yourself as an intermediate?
You really can go where ever you like; but we suggest you head to the Meribel Valley so you have the
ultimate access to the whole ski area and find more challenging areas such as the Mont Vallon.
Love a challenging black run?
You get to choose from the 30 black runs throughout The Three Valleys. The most famous of them all
being the “Grand Couloir” that sits right at the top of where Courchevel and Meribel meet.
Fancy doing it all in a week?
Follow the ‘Escapade’ symbol on the piste map to the 14 check points of The Three Valleys. The
challenge is suggested to be completed throughout the week to ensure you make it to each corner of
the 600km ski area. Previous experience tells us it can actually be completed in a day, if you fancy skiing
like a lunatic and not stopping for breath (let alone lunch).
The UK’s number 1 for ski holidays
Who likes the park?
5 fantastic snow parks are scattered across The Three Valleys to keep you entertained on the piste with
fun runs, boarder crosses and timed trials. Courchevel have a ‘Dark Park’ where you get to try out the
jumps in the evening along with music and entertainment for a good après event.
Where to eat?
There’s lots of places to grab a bite when you’re on the slopes, but one of our favourites is the Restaurant
du Plan des Mains, just above Mottaret. If you’re travelling with Crystal, show your lift pass with ‘TUI’
printed on it for special rates and discounts on your lunch.
Après ski and things to do in The Three Valleys
Après ski in The Three Valleys is in a league of its own. With way too many to mention, each resort has
its own unique style.
St Martin de Belleville and Les Allues are typical French villages, with pretty bars and restaurants.
If you are looking for the activities in the evening then Les Menuires, La Tania and Courchevel are geared
up for plenty of fun activities off the slopes - take your pick from ice skating rinks, swimming pools,
toboggan runs and much more.
The UK’s number 1 for ski holidays
Meribel and Val Thorens are the ideal resorts to head to for the party lovers, with a huge number of bars
to choose from including lots of British bars, and so of course, lots of Brits partying too.
Both resorts are well known for their fantastic piste side après venues - namely the Rond Point in
Meribel and Folie Douce in Val Thorens. You’ll find live bands, DJ’s, table dancing and lots more every day
of the week from around 4.00pm.
What’s new for Winter 2013?
The Three Valleys lift systems have had a pretty significant revamp - if you’ve skied here before you will
remember the never ending bubbles to get to and from the different valleys.
Well that’s all changed over the past few seasons. Old bubbles have been switched for express 10 seater
gondolas and fancy new chairlifts have replaced the old rickety ones, getting you from valley to valley in
almost half the time.
The terrain parks have introduced some brilliant new equipment for this year too. For example,
‘Videozones’ record people’s performance through the park which can then be watched back at the
bottom of the slopes. And even better, you can download the video onto your smart phones.
And there really is big news for the après party skiers, Meribel has built a brand new Folie Douce - the
outdoor restaurant and club destination, adding to the two already in place in Val Thorens and over in
Val d’Isère.
It’s said to provide altitude, music and a great mood and anybody who’s been to one of this chain of
bars before will know it’s well worth a visit. You’ll find it at the mid station of the new Saulire Bubble that
heads up towards Courchevel.
The UK’s number 1 for ski holidays
Espace killy
This monster ski area is home to two world famous ski resorts; Val d’Isère and Tignes. These two big
boys are linked by 300 kilometres of fantastic skiable terrain - here you’ll find high altitude skiing, 2
glaciers and 158 ski runs of varying difficulty.
Whatever ability you are, Espace Killy has bucket-loads for you to do. Here’s our Espace Killy resort guide
for this much-loved French ski area.
Val d’Isère or Tignes?
The resorts themselves are very different in style and design.
Val d’Isère is a traditional alpine village - here’s where you’ll find the rich and beautiful people of Europe
staying in boutique hotels and 5 star properties, including beautiful chalet and luxury apartments.
Unsurprisingly then, there’s plenty of trendy restaurants and bars in addition to a whole host of designer
shops.
But look around and you’ll see this is only one side of Val - there’s also some great value apartments
and a banging nightlife that draw in a younger crowd who are committed to spending more time on the
hill and less money in Louis Vuitton.
Tignes on the other hand is purpose built, designed with the skier in mind. Much of the accommodation
here is right on the piste or within sliding distance of the nearest ski lift - the whole village is very much
thought out around skiing and boarding.
You’ll find chalets, apartments and large hotels ranging in style and star rating to cater for just about
everybody’s needs. Tignes is seen as a fun loving resort with a fantastic party atmosphere and a huge
choice of activities on offer.
The UK’s number 1 for ski holidays
Skiing in Espace Killy
Three reasons to ski in Espace Killy:
• T he skiing is simply brilliant - with 300km of piste split over 2 resorts providing a great range and
variety to suit just about everyone.
•It’s a high altitude ski area and home to 2 glaciers with skiing up to a height of 3,456 meters
(meaning there’s always plenty of good quality snow).
•For beginners and skiers who just want to take it steady, full advantage can be made of the 4 ‘ski
tranquil’ areas. These marked out areas are specifically designed to group together the easier runs
resulting in a steadier more relaxed pace.
Top tips for skiing in Espace Killy
• T o beat the queues at the busy times, head over to Le Fornet in Val d’Isère. You’ll find practically
untouched pistes, limited queues, a brilliant glacier and the best chair lift you’ve ever seen. You can
also head over to the right hand side of Tignes Valley to the l’Aiguille Percée area; here you’ll find
wide red runs, fun blues and again, lots of uncrowded slopes.
•If you’re a confident skier try taking the first lifts of the morning to the top of the men’s Olympic run
‘le Face’ in Val d’Isère - definitely not to be missed for something a little more demanding. Or for the
‘Adrenaline Junkie’, a great run is the 10km long ‘Le Sache’ from the top of Aiguille Percée down the
valley to Tignes-les-Brévières.
•Visit the two large snow parks, easily accessible in each resort. They are brilliant fun and cater for
everyone. There’s even a green run complete with mini jumps and boxes running to the side of the
larger half pipes, jumps, boxes and rails for the snow-park novices. The Tignes snow park has a giant
inflatable air bag to land on which is great fun and even beginner park-goers can give it a try without
the fear of hurting yourself if you don’t quite get things right. And best of all, it’s free to have a go.
The UK’s number 1 for ski holidays
The après ski in Espace Killy
At the foot of the slopes of both resorts you will find some fantastic bars to enjoy a bit of après, but
when it comes to mountain après locations you will fail to find a place better in the Alps than the Folie
Douce.
The simplest way to describe it is a club up the mountain, on the side of the piste. It’s a brilliant
experience where pretty much anything goes - DJs on the roof top and saxophone players dancing and
playing on tables with the end result being one huge party. This experience is not to be missed.
Events and things to do in Espace Killy
When it comes to activities and entertainment both resorts really do have it all.
The Aqua leisure centre in Val d’Isère has a swimming pool and a leisure pool with currents, water
cannons, massage jets and a paddling pool. There’s also a climbing wall and sports centre within the
complex.
The Val calendar is packed with all sorts of events going on at the foot of the slopes which is great fun
for everybody.
There are weekly events including their Air Star night where the village centre is beautifully illuminated
and filled with traditional market stalls.
The UK’s number 1 for ski holidays
ESF have a weekly moonlit descent from top to bottom on the ‘Le Face’ black run which is an absolute
must-see.
And if that isn’t enough, Val d’Isère likes to celebrate pretty much everything with fireworks displays
galore.
New Year is also celebrated in style in Tignes. It is host to the biggest piste party in the Alps with an
amazing line up of bands and DJs to bring the New Year in with a bang.
The UK’s number 1 for ski holidays
Tignes has a brilliant leisure complex called the Lagoon centre with a swimming pool and leisure pool
area - a great place to visit after a day on the slopes. There are so many activities to choose from for
everybody in Tignes, including: ice skating, bowling alley, cinema, husky dog sledding, ice driving,
bungee trampoline, snow-kiting, paragliding and more.
Tignes also plays host every year to one of the most famous events on the ski calendar, The Winter X
Games, where the world’s best free style skiers and boarders compete against each other.
With a world class ski area and two fantastic resorts, Espace Killy offers just about everything you could
ever need to make the most of this exciting winter playground.
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