Final ski lifts open in Meribel making the slopes accessible for all skill levels
The season is officially underway, as the final ski lifts at Courchevel Village, Moriond and Le Praz opened this weekend, connecting keen skiers and beginners alike to the slopes around Meribel and the Three Valleys.
Naturally, the world’s largest ski area attracts winter sports enthusiasts after a skiing holiday in France, some of them professional, others at a novice level looking to tackle the piste for the first time. The beauty of Meribel is that it accommodates every member of the family, at all competencies and degrees of confidence.
With its luxury catered chalets and fun aprés ski scene, Meribel is a favourite with people travelling out to the French Alps to take advantage of its prime slopes and key lift connections slap-bang in the centre of the Three Valleys.
Meribel’s own ski area offers 150km of varied action for all skill levels and abilities. Families can take advantage of Rond-Point’s small nursery slope. Three ‘Zen Zones’ located around the resort are dedicated to beginners, encouraging them to develop their moves in a safe space away from experienced skiers. While much of Meribel is above treeline, the run near to the Altiport forest offers less experienced skiers a chance to practice under shelter when the weather turns bad.
Intermediates are particularly well catered for in Meribel; the area is ideal for skiers building up from beginner to the more advanced. North-facing pistes such as the one accessible from the second station of the Plattieres gondola are perfect for efficient skiing, with smooth conditions likely the majority of the time. Aside from this run, Meribel excels in offering transitional skiers a challenge whilst remaining comforting.
Experts won’t go unrewarded either, as Meribel provides advanced skiers with multiple opportunities to challenge themselves or perfect specialist aerial tricks. Mont du Vallon, in particular, is an excellent starting point when you arrive in Meribel, with its long decline that seems to go on for miles. For the truly accomplished, not to mention brave, Roc de Tougne is a demanding route encompassing numerous moguls to test even the keenest skier’s agility.
Newcomer to old hand, now that the complete lift service is accessible, Meribel is the perfect holiday destination for your next big ski adventure, whether you’re learning yourself or teaching the pros a thing or two on the peaks.
Image Credit: Leo-seta (flickr)