Les Menuires

Les Menuires

At a high altitude (1,815m) and with lifts up to 2,800m, Les Menuires has a good snow record. North facing slopes help the nearly 8m of snow the resort usually receives each year to stay in good condition for skiers to enjoy, and there are 400 snow cannons backing up nature's efforts. Good local lifts mean queueing is rarely a problem. Beginners are superbly catered for with the new Tortolet nursery slope area with its free lifts and a special beginners' lift pass. Intermediates have plenty of blue and red runs to head for on the west-facing slopes above the village. La Masse also has some runs suitable for intermediate skiers.

It's to La Masse also that experts should head, on a fast gondola, for runs of up to 660m vertical. There's a lot of very good off-piste skiing around the resort too, notably at the Vallon du Lou and the Liberty Rides. The BK Park off the Becca Chairlift is a three-zone treat for boarders, with escalating difficulty levels and a special area - Mini Rodeo - aimed at youngsters and their families. There are 28km of trails for cross country skiers, all free. Start your trip down to Châtelard and Saint Martin de Belleville from Les Bruyères Lake. It's a lovely ride along the banks of the Dolon River.

3 Valleys

This is the world's largest linked ski area, with some hugely impressive numbers: 600km+ of pistes, 39 of them black, 102 red, 105 blue and 53 green; 169 lifts in total; 120km of cross country skiing; nearly 2,000 snow cannons. That's an enormous quantity and variety of skiing. Around Meribel you'll find a good selection of red and blue runs that benefit from west-facing slopes. Try Le Serf for a good intermediate red descent. Bartevalle is one of the best red/black runs with fabulous snow cover. The best off-piste skiing is found around St Martin, running down into the resort. La Tania has some good challenges among the trees, where Folyeres is one of the best pistes. The Courchevel resorts are among the most glitzy in the world, and the slopes around the villages are beautifully groomed too. Jockeys and Jean Blanc are two of the best black pistes both in this area and the whole 3 Valleys.

Other activities

If you can legally do it on snow, you can probably do it in Les Menuires, which has a bafflingly large range of activities both in and around the resort. There's a tobogganing track, paragliding, dog sledding, snowshoe walks, air-bag boarding, snow mountain biking, skidoo trips, and more. Speed Mountain and Roc'n Bob are excellent sledging tracks for youngsters and families with serious distances and speeds involved. A sports centre in the main block, La Croisette, includes a large swimming pool, one of two in the resort. There's also a major league soft-play area in there.

Eating and Drinking

There's a good mix of dining in Les Menuires, including sophisticated French cuisine, among around 20 restaurants that major on decent-value family food. The K in the hotel Kaya is towards the top end of the scale. The Chouette is friendly and good value, and the Vieux Grenier is prized for its atmosphere. There are several pizza joints, including Pizzeria Freeride and Pizzeria Le Break. For more authentic French snacks, try Crêperie La Myrtille or La Sarrazine. On the slopes, The Grand Lac by the Granges chair lift is a good pit stop. The Alpage is also good, with a large dining room. The Sonnailles and Roches Blanches should also be tried. The Ferme at Reberty 2000 and Maison de Savoy around Reberty 1850 are the two most highly rated mountain restaurants. The other 3 Valleys resorts aren't out of reach, and they're showered in Michelin stars if you want to try some really haute cuisine.

Nightlife

Les Menuires is a family resort, and as such doesn't have a wild party scene. However, there are plenty of friendly bars. Le Challenge and Bar Le Tilbury are in the central Croisette block. Le Chouette in Les Buyeres can also be lively. Night clubbers have Le New Pop and Le Leeberty to choose from. While Les Menuires is fairly quiet, the brighter lights of Val Thorens are easily accessible, and include some serious clubbing options both as the slopes shut and into the night.

Ski Season

Lifts open as the slopes become skiable, as is the standard in the Alps. In 2015-16 the season ran from December 5th, 2015 until April 22nd 2016. Opening hours also start short and lengthen with the season to a 9am to 5pm day.

Lift Passes

There are a range of deals on passes both for Les Menuires and the 3 Valleys ski area. Deals are available for groups, families and couples, with cheaper prices for buying online before you travel. Passes are sold for one or two days, six days or the whole season.

Ski Equipment Hire

Les Menuires itself has about 30 ski and ski hire shops, most of them close to or even sharing blocks with accommodation. There's a big cluster of them in La Croisette, from big brands like Intersport and Skiset, to independent, local stores.

Lessons and Ski Schools

There are four ski schools in Les Menuires, and ESF has three branches in Les Menuires alone. They offer a range of lessons for everyone from toddlers to improving experts, and will brush up everything from your basic skills to freestyling, freeriding, télémark and handi-skiing. They also arrange guided outings up the mountains.

Childcare and Family Facilities

'In Les Menuires children are kings,' says the official guide, and they certainly have a lot to do, all of it listed in a special leaflet from the Tourist Office that is worth picking up. There is a nursery, Le Piou, in La Croisette, taking children from 3 months to 6-years-old. ESF runs ski lessons for young children and they can offer nursery care too. Off-slope fun includes the snow castle, tobogganing, ski racing, soft play, the Speed Mountain rollercoaster, sledge racing and much more. There's a good programme of regular events for youngsters in the resort too.

Parking

There is underground parking at La Croisette, which can be reserved via the resort's official website. It's Eur50 a week in the winter skiing season. The main outdoor carpark by La Croisette charges by the hour and is not designed for long-term stays. There all also free car parks and street parking opportunities scattered around the resort.