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The 3 Vallées on blue runsfrom Courchevel

Courchevel The place to be in the 3 Vallées

Ideal for young skiers, the Courchevel ski area is "The place to ski" on blue pistes. The topology is reassuring, as it's close to the villages, the slope is gentle and gets steeper the further you go. There's no need to take 14 lifts without skiing to get to the easy runs - everything is right at the foot of your accommodation. The view is unobstructed wherever you ski, and you never feel like you're stuck between 2 mountains.

Yes, but ... in Courchevel, you're also in the world's largest ski area, Les 3 Vallées. And "biggest" doesn't mean most complex and difficult, quite the contrary: you can ski on 142 blue pistes, with gentle slopes and varied surrounding landscapes. In fact, it's the color of the slopes that dominates. And no matter which Courchevel village you put your skis on from, you can access all the 3 Vallées resorts using only blue runs. Head for the glaciers of Val Thorens or the forests of Méribel's Aliport, thanks to easy, blue pistes accessible to all, to the delight of mountain lovers. You don't need to be an expert to reach the highest, clearest points with the best views!

3 custom routes

Le Wild EAST : Courchevel Moriond

Courchevel Moriond is THE blue run sector.

Courchevel Moriond: it’s an ideal spot to ‘find your ski legs’ or if you fancy a relaxed outing with very few people around, and on beautiful slopes.

As it is not busy, and because you ski on a plateau from which you can’t see the villages, in Courchevel Moriond you get the impression that you are ‘off the beaten track’, far from the busy slopes and junctions which can become crowded during school holidays. It’s almost like being at the end of the earth!

As for the landscape, it’s our most minimalist, uncluttered ski sector, where the geometric shape of the mountains is intriguing; Pyramids being the perfect example. Here, there are no pharaohs or Nefertiti, just contrasting colours that make the landscape poetic.

As for the ski runs, they are undulating, wide, long, and gentle… And not very crowded. Pure happiness, on all counts!

As a bonus, in summer, the slopes are mountain pastures where our cows graze quietly to make the milk that becomes delicious cheese, including the famous Beaufort. This means that you aren’t skiing over rocky slopes, which is reassuring, especially at the very start and end of the season.

Explore the 3 Valleys via our secret spots

We invite you to explore the 3 Vallées via its secret spots (Tania > Col de la Loze > Méribel > Saint Martin).

This itinerary is great for the hidden gems of the 3 Valleys, taking only easy, uncrowded blue runs. It’s the choice of locals and passes through idyllic spots and high points to get to the other end of the ski area.

En route for magical forest of ancient spruce, uncluttered, uncrowded peaks, wide blue runs: the landscapes are varied and the route isn’t busy: we love it!

All the way to the top, no need to be a pro

The idea behind this route is to take you to the iconic summits of the 3 Valleys without needing to be an expert on your skis. A high-altitude, all-mountain itinerary only on blue runs, with a stop off in Val Thorens – which should definitely be on your bucket list in the largest ski area in the world!

Top tip: this route is best outside the school holidays.

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Courchevel Moriond

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Courchevel Moriond

Courchevel route | Marked

Wild East

Take Verdons then Vizelle gondolas: not forgetting to stop for a photo by the sculpture! What will you find this year ? King Kong, a giant panda.. ? The artworks change frequently and we never tire of taking selfies with them. Take a moment to admire the Alpine panorama: Mont Blanc in the distance, and the Aiguille du Fruit just in front of you, with its very (too!) steep ‘couloirs’, where you might even see local experts skiing.
Head down the blue run Creux: it’s gorgeous in the mornings, freshly pisted as it’s usually groomed last thing at night, so the snow stays soft and doesn’t have the time to harden. If you get to experience this, you’ll remember it forever! The bottom part of the piste among the trees is sublime: wide and undulating, we just love it!
Roc Mugnier chairlift then you must take a ride on the vintage double drag lift Pyramides, one of the few remaining button lifts in the 3 Valleys! Do you know which is the quicker one? Have a race with your kids and see who gets to the top first!
Up at the top, you have a choice of runs, but we highly recommend the slope called Montagnes Russes – Russian mountains! This slope is great for making perfect carving turns. Continue onto Grandes Bosses: another wide run, you feel like a professional skier, this slope is so perfect. Next, head down the Canyon de Yepa. Following in the tracks of Yepa, the young Sioux, who will show you the 5 elements of her tribe on the easy, fun activities, or simply enjoy the unusual terrain of this canyon.
A little pause on the Ariondaz gondola. Look below you on this lift and you might see crazy people flying down the Moriond Racing toboggan run, which is open in the afternoons.
Next, take the Signal chairlift. At the top the atmosphere is relaxing. You will have a view of the Brêche de la Portetta and Mont Blanc, which are pointed out on the orientation table. Take some photos, chill out on the wooden loungers or tuck into your snack on the picnic tables… Up here, you can take some time out, unless you’ve lost track of it!

Guetting back : The slopes Ariondaz, Grandes Bosses, Petites Bosses, Gravelles then the Aiguille de Fruit chairlift. (Pssst, look down into the forest, and you might see one of our ‘mountain chickens’, the Tétras Lyre, who like to nest here – skiing is prohibited in this spot because it can scare the birds who take flight and then can’t find their nest again.).

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Courchevel

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Courchevel

3 vallées route | Marked

Secrets spots

Start in any of the Courchevel villages (from Moriond, get yourself to Courchevel 1850). Ski down to Plantrey chairlift. It makes a change to start from a descent! From the summit, take a moment to look at the Éclipse run, a black slope on which the world’s best skiers will experience at the World Ski Championships 2023.
Next take Arolles piste, in the direction of La Tania, compulsory for our nature trail. You’ll join the Folyères piste, a hidden gem of the 3 Valleys, which winds through immense pines and the spruce forest. It’s definitely one of our top 5 slopes in the area!
Once you arrive in this cute village, take the Tania gondola, then Dou des Lanches chairlift, to get to the famous Col de la Loze, which sees Tour de France cyclists arrive in the summertime, paragliders floating into the air, and a 360° view of Méribel and Courchevel… In short, a great spot to hang out for a while…
Next destination: Méribel, whose architectural development makes it very photogenic!
We then embark onto the blue run of Boulevard de la Loze to avoid the Pic Bleue run, which is a bit steep, or “dark blue” as we say around here (unless you fancy the challenge, of course).
A little détour via the Altiport, with its forest and pistes among giant épicea spruces. Don’t miss: Piste des Animaux which displays the local fauna in life-sized sculptures. Take the Altiport chairlift, and watch the take-offs and landings of the small aircraft that rise up to altitude to admire the birds eye view of the mountains from the sky.
At the summit of the Altiport chairlift – ideal in a group because you can all sit together! – we head down into Méribel centre via Blanchot, Marmotte and Doron.
Legends chairlift now, with its heated seats, some of which feature the names of ski champions, then the recently-updated Cherferie chairlift, which takes us to a quiet spot, up high, which we just adore. Here, take a deep breath of fresh air, and off we go for the run called Jerusalem, which is named in homage to the victims of World War II, who were hidden from the Nazi occupiers by the inhabitants of the Belleville valley. Jerusalem is one of the unmissable 3 Valleys runs: a beautiful, wild, undulating blue leading to the resort of Saint-Martin de Belleville, a very pretty mountain village. After this long and sublime descent, you can have lunch in St Martin on the terrace or in a cosy interior, the choice is wide! We recommend the Lodgi, which has refined dishes on the menu and a warm ambiance inside.
Head back to Méribel by the gondola and chairlift Saint Martin.
Take the route towards Méribel Mottaret to avoid retracing your steps, to make a circular trip, via the Faon piste, with its fun terrain, then Perdrix and the end of the Yeti Park, the kingdom of Yooni the Yeti, the adorable, abominable snowman who will show you around his Himalayan home!
Pas du Lac gondola will take you to the top of the iconic Saulire summit, with one of the most impressive views of the Vanoise glacier, Mont Blanc, and the Grande Casse (the highest peak in the Savoie!).
Next we take the Creux piste which leads to the Altiport. Stop here to see the legendary Courchevel altiport, where you’ll see tiny tourist planes as well as helicopters. It is renowned worldwide for its short runway (537m), high altitude (2008m) and its slope gradient (19%): the steepest in the world for an international airport. Uphill landings, downhill take-offs: makes for an impressive display!
Head back to Courchevel 1850 on the Bellecôt piste, a gentle green run to end this spectacular day out in the 3 Valleys.

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Courchevel

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Courchevel

3 vallées route | Marked

way to the top, no need to be a pro

From any village in Courchevel head to the top of Saulire via the Verdons and Vizelle gondolas. Usually, we’d advise taking the iconic Saulire cablecar which will reopen in December 2024.
At the top of Vizelle, stop to capture the majestic panorama with the 360° view of the Alpine summits of Mont Blanc, Grande Casse, the Glacier de la Vanoise, and even the Ecrins in the distance, when the skies are clear!
Take Piste de la Biche, Marmotte and Doron down to Méribel’s snow front, known as La Chaudanne. In front of you is the Roc de Fer piste, which is welcoming the world ski champions in February 2023.
Relax on the heated seats of Legends chairlift, then ski towards Méribel Mottaret to take the Combes chairlift then Châtelet chairlift. Make the most of this lift to check out the expert freestylers in the snowpark on your left.
We then get to Côte Brune chairlift, soon to be replaced by a more modern, quick and comfortable chair. Now you’ve reached Mont de la Chambre, which is a jonction between Belleville and Val Thorens valleys, and you’re already at 2850m altitude!
Now it’s a descent straight to our target destination: Val Thorens, on Pluviomètre making sure to take the passage on the left which leads to Val Thorens! The run threads through the resort before bringing you to the snowfront of Val Thorens.
It’s time to head up to 3000m altitude on the Moutières chairlift and Grand Fond gondola. Did you notice that here, the pylons are white? As if you’re levitating! You’ll arrive at the summit of Col de Rosaël to admire the view into Maurienne, which you can also ski down to on a blue run. The Aiguilles d’Arves et Ecrins aren’t much further beyond… Yep, the 3 Valleys is vast! Try the slopes of Chamois, Eterlou and Fond and you’ll feel as though you’re on the moon!
Time to head back: take Plein Sud and 3 Vallées chairlifts. On this first one, you’ll pass the infamous Folie Douce and on the second, you’ll spot the dare-devils who have braved the black run “Goitschel”, it’s not easy!
At the top of Col de la Chambre, take Lac de la Chambre, a pretty and isolated piste which curves and undulates to reach Plan des Mains lift. Here, you might be lucky enough to spot a marmot, poking its nose out from late March onwards! Now we take Sitelle, alongside the snowpark we saw earlier when we took Chatelets chair. Then we go back over into Courchevel on the vintage Pas du Lac gondola.
It’s all the way down into Courchevel on the Creux piste to relax by the fireside affer your adventure to 3000m altitude!

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