The Ski Holiday Blog

Tag Archives: Three Valleys

End of the Season – Val d’Isere Beckons!

By David Froom | Published: April 12, 2011
 It’s been a funny old season in the ski industry this year. Early season snow was excellent and peak week bookings strong; all the signs pointed to another season of superb ski conditions and a bouyant industry. The first couple of weeks after Christmas were paradise for the lucky ones who had booked that date as they offered good snow, blue skies and sunshine. After that though, we all started to get a little worried. By the end of January there had been no fresh snowfall all year in most major French resorts and this continued into mid-February for some places.

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Brand New Super-Tarentaise Gondola Plans Released

By David Froom | Published: April 1, 2011
A new lift development costing almost 200 million Euros and linking the major ski areas of the Tarentaise was unveiled yesterday to widespread excitement among the ski industry. The new gondola, named the “Super-Tarentaise” will start in Le Praz (Courchevel 1300) and cross the Bozel Valley to La Plagne, before rising above the Bellecote Glacier, over to Les Arcs and finally liaising with Tignes via the spectacular Aiguille Rouge peak. The journey time between Courchevel and Tignes will be just under an hour, thanks to the revolutionary new technology being used in the construction, which will give the gondola a top speed of 50kph between stations.
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Fresh Snow Across the Alps

By David Froom | Published: February 16, 2011

It’s been a while. According to an old pal who still lives in Chamonix and posted on facebook this morning, it’s been 36 days. Some resorts might even claim a longer drought, but what we do know is that the worst is over and that there is fresh snowfall in most major resorts right now. The whole ski industry has been nervously checking weather forecasts, looking to the sky and I’ve seen a few videos of snow dances being performed in various resorts since the New Year. Happily, I’m glad to be able to say the Guardian’s article yesterday, predicting the possible end to the entire season in mid-February is nothing short of a scaremongering fabrication. Even if it didn’t snow again between now and Easter, all major resorts have excellent infrastructures in place to ensure that the vast majority of their pistes remain open all season long thanks to their numerous snow cannons and creative use of piste bashers. Read More »

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Skiing off the Beaten Track

By David Froom | Published: February 15, 2011
So you think you know everything there is to know about skiing in Europe? Done the Three Valleys? Of course you have. Val d’Isere and Tignes? Without a doubt. Les Arcs, La Plagne, La Rosiere? We cover all of these resorts time and time again in our blog posts and for the majority of the holidays we sell. Some of the more niche destinations are also becoming well travelled roads amongst the UK ski package holiday market. Chamonix, Morzine, Zermatt and Verbier have all become popular destinations in recent years and whilst a blog with this title would have featured them a few years back, these days we send so many people to such destinations that they simply no longer qualify as anything other than mainstream. Not that there’s anything wrong with the mainstream resorts, mind you. They all have superb modern lift systems, large ski areas, established ski schools and the altitude to ensure good conditions all through the season.

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Flora and Mike Ski the Three Valleys

By Mike Woodruff | Published: January 27, 2011
For early season snow and bluebird skies most people wouldn’t dream of mentioning Meribel. At 1400 metres, it doesn’t have the makings for good early conditions. But on our recent trip here, we were pleasantly surprised.
 

Flora and I had the pleasure of staying in the beautiful chalet Phoebe in Meribel in early December. The chalet was absolutely fantastic and we had to be dragged (literally in some cases!) out of the front door when it was time to leave. After starting off getting on the wrong plane and blagging my way to Val Thorens, I was eventually met by our rep Haigham, who showed us around two brilliant ski in/ ski out chalets – the Catherine and the Olivier. The lovely terraces overlook the piste, and the warm welcome of coffee and cake was much appreciated after the journey. The chalets are a short walk into the town centre of Val Thorens and its nightlife. They offer a short ski down to the Plein Sud lift, giving us a head start on the fresh powder. Comfortable bedrooms and a sauna will give you a good rest after a day on the slopes. Read More »

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The history of Val Thorens in the Three Valleys

By Holly Waddell | Published: August 6, 2010

From St Martin de Belleville through De Bettaix and Les Menuires all the way up to the breathtaking heights of Val Thorens nestled at 2300m above sea level, the Val Thorens Valley and its neighbouring resorts of Meribel and Courchevel make up Europe’s largest and most popular ski area. So how did it all come about…?

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Eurostar to the Alps on sale this morning

By David Froom | Published: July 13, 2010
Although a majority of our clients tend to book a package with flights and transfers included, a growing number now make their own travel arrangements to the Alps and the direct Eurostar services to the Tarentaise are always very popular indeed. This year there will be the usual two direct services, one leaving London St Pancras on Friday evenings, arriving in the Alps early on Saturday morning, and one leaving on Saturday mornings which arrives on Saturday afternoon. Sadly the Snow Train via Paris, with its famous disco carriage, will not be running this year.

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A Brief history of Courchevel, France

By David Froom | Published: June 29, 2010

Courchevel in France is one of Europe’s premier ski resorts, sitting at 1850 metres above sea level and forming part of the Three Valleys, the world’s largest fully linked ski area. Courchevel is split into 4 villages, each named after their altitudes. They are Courchevel 1850, Courchevel 1650, Courchevel 1550 and Courchevel 1300 (also known as Courchevel Le Praz). The history behind the creation and development of this alpine gem is a fascinating story and having spent 2 whole seasons in Courchevel myself I found my eyes opened by learning the stories behind the modern day resort. This is the first of what will become a regular feature on the history behind all of our major resorts.

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Holly’s view of skiing in Val Thorens

By Holly Waddell | Published: May 13, 2010
  • Wednesday 14th April: Volcano erupts in Iceland.
  • Flight departure time to Val Thorens: 05:50 Saturday 17th April.
  • Actual Coach departure: 12:45 Saturday 17th April.
  • Arrival time in Resort 10:00 Sunday 18th April.

Carrying on from Mr. David Froom’s superb depiction of the week that was…..  Read More »

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The Interactive Resorts Ski Trip to Val Thorens

By David Froom | Published: May 5, 2010

The build-up was big, top billing in the office for weeks before we were due to leave. Pre-departure was littered with nerve jangling worries over how we’d get there, and whether we’d even be able to. In the end, it all went relatively smoothly and we’ve been back in the office for a few days recovering from one of the best ski trips in recent memory. Our Val Thorens ski trip 2010 was a rip roaring success and this is the tale of how it all went down!

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