Skiing Holidays in Meribel

Got all the basics out of the way and feeling pretty confident on the slopes? Meribel is perfect for intermediate skiers and boarders, with too many blue runs to contemplate! In the early mornings you are better off skiing the Tougnète (2434m) side of Meribel. It catches the morning sun, so in early season will not be as cold and in later season will not be as icy, as the Saulire side before 11am. Jump on the very first lifts on the Tougnète side and you'll find soft velvet runs for at least an hour. You can also take the two stage Olympic chair to the top of La Face. All the runs at Saulire are usually great in the morning early season but are in the shade at first. When a fall of fresh powder hits, try the raft of safe off-piste to the side of the main blue pistes. Pic Noir from the top of Col de la Loze is probably the hardest blue run you'll find in the Three Valleys area! It's often closed at the beginning and end of the season due to lack of snow. But if the snow's good, definitely give this beautiful run through the trees a try. All the other reds on this side are all okay for intermediate skiers with no nasty surprises.

Meribel has nine black and 23 red runs, some beautiful powder chutes, tough moguls and two sweet snow parks to keep the show-offs in the group occupied. The red Combe Vallon is one of the longest runs in the valley, starting at Méribel's highest skiing point, the Mont Vallon (2952m). Mainly north facing, it keeps excellent snow on it all season. Starting out steep and narrow, it twists and turns, widens, and then just keeps on going for a total 1000m drop. The black run La Face was created for the 1992 Olympic Ladies' downhill. It's very steep and sometimes moguled, and it's hard to believe that people could straight-line it without dying in the process. Combe Tougnète is a black that runs from the top of the Gondola of the same name right down to Chaudanne. This is an awesome run in new powder as it never gets groomed. The same applies to the "Les Bosses" black run directly under the Plan de L'Homme chair lift. Once every few winters there is enough snow to ski all the way down to Brides les Bains. The lower part of the descent is an un-patrolled itinerary, so go with a guide. Start at the top of the Saulire (2738m) and end up at 600m after a long run through forests, terraced fields and orchards. Have a big lunch in Brides, and then take the Olympe gondola back up.

The Meribel ski area boasts 11 ski and snowboard schools, plus many private instructors. Our pick is:

Parallel Lines
They are a British Ski & Snowboard School based in Meribel.  All of the Parallel Lines Team are British Instructors holding the highest British and European qualifications.  Whether you're a beginner or advanced, skier or snowboarder, adult or child, they can help to take your enjoyment of the mountains to the next level. They offer a small, friendly and flexible service, in group lessons or private lessons. 

Contact numbers:
UK office 0844 811 2779
In-resort +33 479 00 32 21
www.parallel-lines.com

 

 

When you shoot down the last run of the day, your mind is usually on one thing - a drink in the afternoon sun. In the last few seasons Méribel has become very popular and now offers a lot more choice in the way of après-ski. Whether you feel like just soaking up some sun with friends or dancing wildly in ski boots, there's plenty of options. The liveliest spots are Le Rond Point up above Méribel 1600, Jacks Bar in Méribel main town and LDV in Méribel Village. Many swear Le Rond Point is best place to have après, especially towards the end of the season. You can sit and relax on the large sun terrace enjoying the famous toffee vodka. Weather permitting the live bands play on the terrace, the bar is great and dancing with ski boots is a must. Jacks Bar is the local for many, a bustling bar with a pool table, Sat TV showing all the major football games, ski-surf videos and good music. After dinner it's usually pumping. If you're after something a little more refined, drop into Le Poste (de secours), Méribel's most cosmopolitan bar. Then wander out to savour patisseries and hot chocolate served from silver jugs by uniformed French waiters at Le Grand Coeur. Later on Dicks Tea Bar is open until 4am with DJ sets, live acts and shows. Le Loft is Méribel's most distinguished night club, made up of two areas, the largest being the busy dance floor and the smaller area at the back bar with its cosy atmosphere and comfortable surroundings. This is the biggest and most popular nightclub in Méribel, where they play a mix of the most popular dance hits. It's worth trying the local specialties at the restaurants here - you won't be disappointed. Try La Galette, a delicious little Savoyard restaurant serving fondue, raclette, savoury galettes and hearty regional red wines. Le Cro Magnon is also a local favourite, a family run restaurant with picture postcard views of snow-capped trees and virgin white slopes.

Even a skier or boarder that's only hit the slopes once knows the satisfying but painful ache that invades your body afterwards. Méribel knows this all to well and has some great spas to help you relax. Try the massaging armchair, sauna, steam bath, Jacuzzi, sports massages, essential oil massages and hot stone massages at the Spa de L'Hotel Grand Cour; you'll leave feeling completely stress-free and ready for another day. They've also built a huge modern wellbeing and fitness area, the Espace Détente & Forme du Parc Olympique. From the south-facing leisure and relaxation area and its herbal tea bar you can enjoy wonderful views of the Mont Vallon, one of the most beautiful panoramas in the valley - even exercise can't be too much of a chore when you're taking in that view. Take a day off and shop up a storm at the 36 shops hawking the latest fashion, photos, food, wine and local produce. Relaxed enough now for a little more adventure? Try the absolutely breathtaking panorama of glacier walking, helicopter tours, paragliding and even piste basher driving. Yes, you heard right, you can get behind the reins of the big machines and leave enormous caterpillar tracks behind. Mirabel is so beautiful that it's also a good idea to stop for a minute to take it all in. The winter walking trails are a spectacular way to do it - You don't need any particular equipment, just a pair of sturdy boots and layers of warm clothing that you can take off or put on as necessary.

Getting to Méribel is relatively easy, with lots of options available - there are five airports nearby and many train choices, so you should be able to organise your trip simply. The airport transfers here are also very good.

Méribel is close to five international airports; Geneva (137km), Chambéry / Savoie (97km) which receives flights on Saturday from Brest, and numerous European cities, Annecy/Haute-Savoie (101km) with regular flights from Paris, Lyon St Exupéry (177km) and Grenoble / Isère (121km).

Travelling between the airport and Meribel, you have a wide choice of transport - figure our whether a scheduled bus, shared shuttle, hire car, tour operator, taxi, private helicopter transfer or train is right for you.
Bus:
From Geneva Altibus run eight buses per day on Saturday and three or four on other days. The journey takes around three and a half hours and costs €64 one way. From Lyon St. Exupéry Satobus run four buses on Saturday and two or three on other days. The journey takes three to four hours and costs €57 one way (phone +33 (0)4 72 35 94 96). From Chambéry Altibus run two or three buses per day at weekends (phone+33 (0)4 79 08 54 90). The journey takes two and a quarter hours and costs €40 one way. On weekdays there is a 'collective taxi' service which is more expensive, costing 215-227€ per person. It's often simpler to take a taxi to Chambery train station, then a train to Moutiers and a bus or taxi to the resort.
Further bus options:
Geneva
Regular connections by bus.
Transfer: 3 hrs.
Tourisbus 04 79 68 32 96
One way 70 € -
Return ticket 118 €
Chambéry/Savoie
Connections by bus.
Transfer: 1 hr 15.
One way: 40 €
Return ticket: 70 €
Transdev Savoie: 04 79 68 32 96
Lyon St Exupéry
Regular connections by bus.
Transfer 3.30 hours
One way: 64 €
Return ticket: 97 €
Satobus Alpes 04 79 68 32 96
Grenoble / Isère
Bus transfer to Moûtiers - 2 hrs
One way: 45 €
Return ticket: 65 €
AGBus 0825 825 536 (0, 15 € /mn)
Shared Shuttle:
Chamonix-based company ATS (Airport Transfer Service) run shared minibuses which take you door-to-door. From Geneva the cost one way is €89 (journey time 2 ¼ hours) and there are four scheduled shuttles per day. They also operate some shared shuttles from Chambery (€64, journey time 1 ¼ hours) and Lyon (€89, journey time 1 ¼ hours)
Taxi:
A taxi for up to 4 people will cost approximately €275 (Geneva), €215 (Chambéry), €300 (Grenoble) and €335 (Lyon St Exupéry). For more than 4 people the cost will be higher for the vehicle and probably cheaper per person.
Car hire:
Car hire can be arranged from each of the airports above and if there are several people travelling this may be an inexpensive option. Pre-booking is highly recommended if not obligatory. Try using Holiday Autos for the best searches and prices.
Helicopter:
A helicopter can transfer up to 5 people (without much luggage) to Méribel airport for the following total price. Geneva €1311, Chambéry €912, Lyon St Exupéry €1545. In bad weather conditions the helicopter cannot fly and it must arrive in Méribel in daylight hours. Phone SAF on +33 (0)4 79 08 00 9.

Méribel is 19km from the Moûtiers-Salins train station. TGV trains connect from Brest, Le Havre, Lille, Nantes, Paris, Poitiers, Tours, Quimper, Rennes, Rouen, Versailles, Cherbourg, Bruxelles with Thalys and London with Eurostar.     During the winter season Eurostar runs both a direct daytime and a direct overnight train from London or Ashford to Moûtiers-Salins station (fares from £179). The night service leaves London/Ashford on Friday evening and arrives in the French Alps early on Saturday morning (returns Saturday night/Sunday morning) while the day service leaves early Saturday morning from London/Ashford and arrives late afternoon (same for return). A second option is to take a Eurostar to Paris or Lyon and take a French train (perhaps overnight from Paris) to Moûtiers-Salins. A third option is to take the overnight Snowtrain. Travel from London or Ashford International on Friday afternoon and change platforms at the Gare du Nord in Paris to board the Snow Train. There is a choice of six destinations in the French Alps, serving more than 25 resorts. The Snow Train gives you 8 days on the piste, and an onboard disco/bar carriage, plus accommodation in a 6-berth couchette. Prices start at £219 return per person. Ski-mad, budget travellers have long used the Ski Méribel overnight sleeper coach from Victoria Station in London to Méribel centre, with return prices starting at £109. Alternatively, Eurolines offers return London to Moûtiers coach travel for as little as £66 (30 day advance fare). Both coach services offer 8 days' skiing by travelling overnight on Friday and returning overnight on Saturday.

From Calais the journey takes from 7 to 10 hours depending on your speed. There's motorway or dual carriageway from Calais all the way to Moûtiers and then a further 18km (12 miles) of single carriage road. The better route is via Reims and not via Paris. Try using ViaMichelin to plan your route. If you click the 'Options' button on the second page before finalising your route, you can add precision to the route planner. Once you are close, take the 43 motorway to Albertville, then the RN 90 to Moûtiers. Finish up on the D 90 to Méribel. The distance from Genève to Méribel is 120km, Lyon to Méribel is 201km, Paris to Méribel 635km, London to Méribel is 1070km.