Les Menuires

Les Menuires, a ski resort in the picturesque Belleville valley, is part of the famous Three Valleys, with a total of 600 km of pistes and 200 lifts. Les Menuires has three ski areas in all. The first is the pistes on the slopes of Le Mont de la Chambre (2,850 m): varied, suited to different ability levels, leading on to Val Thorens and Meribel and, importantly, accessible from the very centre of Les Menuires. The second is La Pointe de la Masse (2,800 m), a famous peak whose pistes and freeride terrain (Lac du Lou, Col de la Fenetre, Valle des Encombres) are mainly for experienced skiers. The third ski area, Tougnète, is reached from the village of St. Martin de Belleville. Les Menuires is an extensive (160 km of pistes) and wonderfully sunny ski area. Skiers of every ability level will find suitable pistes here. The resort is also excellent for family skiing with children. Les Menuires holds the P’tits Montagnards label, awarded by the Ski Club of France to resorts that specialise in family holidays. Besides many activities for young children on and off the slopes, the label guarantees slopes and lifts adapted to children's abilities and professional help from ski kindergartens and ski schools. Les Menuires is also very attractive for snowboarders. Besides lots of pistes and freeride terrain well suited to snowboarding, there are two snow parks with a wide choice of features. The main villages in the area are Les Menuires, a typical (and therefore charmless) "test-tube" ski resort built in the 1960s, and the far more atmospheric St. Martin de Belleville, whose old centre was once a Savoyard village that over the years gained modern buildings and turned into a ski resort. A big advantage of the resort is its very convenient access to the slopes. Until recently the lift network was not very modern, but for several seasons it has been steadily upgraded, as have the pistes, the snowmaking systems and the accommodation. Efforts have also been made to restore the traditional look of the area's buildings. The architecture of new buildings echoes the farmhouses once built of logs and stone. The resort's range of sports away from skiing is very wide. A recently built sports centre, divided into four sectors (multisports, aquaclub, keep fit, wellbeing), offers active pastimes and many ways to relax. Nightlife is not the resort's strongest point, although there is no shortage of restaurants, bars and even discos. But people come to Les Menuires mainly to ski. Despite some shortcomings, one thing that may attract visitors to Les Menuires is that it has the most affordable prices of all the Three Valleys resorts. New for winter 2006/2007: * Le Chalet Hotel Kaya: the first 4-star hotel in Les Menuires. Set at the foot of the pistes in the heart of the Three Valleys, the Kaya has everything needed for a comfortable stay: comfortable rooms with mountain views, a restaurant, a swimming pool, a library, a spa and a sports shop. * The 3-star Latitudes Les Bruyères hotel, renovated in a style that blends tradition and modernity. In the leisure area: a spa and fitness. * Expansion of the snowmaking network in the Les Menuires/Saint Martin ski area. From the events calendar: * 6 to 13 January 2007: Winemakers' Week. For the fifth year running, the resort offers a chance to discover different wine-growing regions. * 1 March 2007: the 11th Trophy of Hope. Held under the patronage of David Douillet, the event raises funds for the departmental Association of People with Physical and Mental Disabilities. * 9 April 2007: the Three Valleys Challenge (3 Vallées X Wing Rally), open to everyone (professionals, amateurs, families), with sports competitions in each of the Trois Vallees resorts. LES MENUIRES also means: * "White weeks": 16 to 23 December 2006, 6 January 2007 to 10 February 2007, 17 to 31 March 2007, 14 to 22 April 2007. Preferential prices for accommodation and ski passes (from €150 per person per week in an apartment for 5/6 people plus a 6-day ski pass for the Les Menuires/Saint Martin ski area). Packages: accommodation in a mountain chalet or hotel plus a Three Valleys ski pass.