Simon’s Season: Courchevel and the 3 Valleys

At Erna Low HQ we’ve been asking our team members to write guest blog entries on anything ski related!  Simon in the sales team was happy to oblige and here he gives us the low down on where to ski and be seen in the ever stylish Courchevel and the 3 Valleys… with insider tips like these you can’t go wrong! 

Courchevel
After working a couple of seasons in Courchevel, I cannot recommend this resort highly enough.  One of the great advantages of this little piece of heaven on Earth is not only the variety of skiing, but also that it has extensive slopes for beginners as well as intermediates and advanced skiers and boarders.

Courchevel 1850
I worked my first season in Courchevel 1850 and though it has changed significantly since then, it provides a great base with immediate access into the main skiing area and into the 3 Valleys beyond.  This is the most expensive part of the resort, as the designer shops and Porsche 4×4’s will testify to – but there are still some good value options available – for a premium residence try Les Chalets du Forum, which sell out quickly due to their excellent location or for more value Les Ecrins, which is still in the centre of the action.

There are great off slope diversions in 1850, including a bowling alley, climbing wall and amazing tobogganing course which descends to Courchevel 1550, 300 m below.  You can rent toboggans in the sports shops and do as many laps as you can handle, returning to 1850 via the Grangettes bubble lift (included in your lift pass)

There is some excellent advanced skiing to challenge you here, including the couloirs on the Saulire as well as some long black pistes down to Le Praz, which are also normally very quiet.  The pistes down to La Tania are also excellent and a good stop for a quick drink before returning to the adventures above.

Cable car to top of Saulire, Courchevel 1850

Some other favourite runs include Marmottes, an undulating and very long run all the way down to Prameruel (which is the main link to Courchevel 1650) and Suisses, a real leg burner!

Fields of powder all to ourselves – Courchevel (Loze sector)

For beginners, the excellent Jardin Alpin area allows access to a varying length of green runs which allow good progression and the chance to feel like you are really skiing the mountain.  By the end of your first week, because of the excellent linked skiing, you should be able to ski over to Courchevel 1650 for lunch and back again.

Courchevel 1650
I am a big fan of Courchevel 1650 – it offers a more relaxed and ‘village’ feel compared to 1850, as well as some great value accommodation.  If you have a large group, Les Montagnettes – Les Chalets de la Mouria are a great option.  For smaller families, couple or small groups of friends, great value can be found in the Maeva Le Moriond apartments.  For those wanting to splash out, Le Portetta Lofts offer amazing luxury (but with a price tag to match).

There is a great array of blue and red slopes here and I would always find myself skiing here more than any other part of the valley as it was always so deserted.  The Signal and Chapalets are both modern lifts and allow to you ski various runs endlessly – I never bored of this area and the views over to the Vanoise Parc National will take your breath away.  There is also an excellent restaurant at the top of the Ariondaz bubble lift called the Bel Air, by Courchevel standards it offers good value and has a much appreciated 3 tier terrace, perfect for lounging in the sun with a beer.  Another great little restaurant/bar in the centre of Courchevel 1650 is La Boulotte, which offers great fresh food and hospitality.

Empty slopes in Courchevel 1650

Courchevel 1550
The smallest of the 3 Courchevel resorts but also the best value.  It is linked straight into 1850 by the Grangettes bubble lift and has a great local bar, called The Bar, which is a very popular and entertaining place for a night or two.  We have two good value residences in 1550, Les Brigues and Les Grangettes as well as a lovely family run hotel Les Ancolies.

Further afield
From Courchevel, you have two access points into the 3 Valleys, the largest linked ski area in the World.  I generally always accessed the other parts of the 3 Valleys via the Saulire, as this gives you the option of heading into either Meribel Mottaret or Meribel Centre, which is where the main onward lifts depart from.  Also the pistes from the top of the Saulire are great fun too!

Some of my favourite areas of the 3 Valleys, outside of the Courchevel Valley are:

Meribel
Mont du Vallon – 2 mega red runs descending from the highest point in Meribel.  I always warmed up on the piste to the right of the lift as you look up, before the main event to the left.  There is also some amazing off-piste around here (always hire a guide!).

Olympic/Tougnette – an under visited part of the Meribel valley – quiet blue and red runs with good snow conditions.

Cote Brune – similar to the Mont Vallon area – great fast red runs and the main return route from Val Thorens – leave some energy in the tank for the return.

Venturing further afield - Top of Mont du Vallon, Meribel

Val Thorens
Pointe de Thorens – the highest point of the Val Thorens resort, offers a fantastic red and generally good snow as it is on a glacier.  Watch out for the high winds!

Cime de Caron – an amazing journey to the top by cable car and even more mind blowing descents.

Grand Fond – various fast red pistes.

La Folie Douce – the only need for ski or board boots here is for dancing on the tables.  If you have been to the Val d’Isere version – this is much more fun (remember your fancy dress).

Orelle – the magic 4^th Valley.  I always accessed via the Grand Fond lift as the pistes from here to the Plan Bouchet, where the Orelle lifts head up from will made you scream for joy.  The highest point in the 3 Valleys (or should we say 4 Valleys) is here and is a must for any strong intermediate/advanced skier.

La Folie Douce, Val Thorens – a great place for friends, music, beer and bananas!

Les Menuires / St Martin de Belleville
Jerusalem – this red run into St Martin just keeps on going and giving.

There are a lot of great cruising runs in Les Menuires that are fantastic for the afternoon sun, but the one stand out area for me is La Masse – a huge hulking piece of mountain that nobody seems to bother with (so keep it quiet).  Long red and black runs are the order of the day here and some great off piste opportunities too.  Just beware the run back towards Les Menuires gets narrow and moguled towards the bottom.

La Masse – don’t tell anyone

Spring skiing special offers

Don’t delay the snow will soon be gone for another winter so grab yourself an offer and head to the Alps now!

Morzine for £175 per person
Save £83 per person on a week’s self-catering board in Residence L’Aiglon de Morzine, sleeping 8. Includes return Eurotunnel crossing with Free FlexiPlus upgrade, departing 14^th April.

Val D’Isere for £149 per person
Save £80 per person on a week’s self-catering board in Residence Eureka Val, sleeping 6. Includes return Eurotunnel crossing with Free FlexiPlus upgrade, departing 14^th April.

Eureka Val - Val D'Isere

Courchevel for £132 per person
Save £47 per person on a week’s self-catering board in Residence Les Montagnettes – Les Chalets de la Mouria, sleeping 8. Includes return Eurotunnel crossing with Free FlexiPlus upgrade, departing 14^th April.

Plagne Soleil for £155 per person
Save £54 per person on a week’s self-catering board in Residence Sun Valley, sleeping 6. Includes return Eurotunnel crossing with Free FlexiPlus upgrade, departing 14^th April.

8 blissful days in Val Thorens…

Victoria returned brown faced and a little bruised back to the office this Monday after a week of adventure on the slopes of Val Thorens, below she recalls her trip for our Erna Low blog…

A leisurely journey…
Leaving home at 5pm Friday afternoon we caught the train to London, after arriving at St Pancras we settled into the Eurostar queue and worked our way through to the departure lounge ready for our overnight journey.  When you know you have a designated seat on the train, there is none of the hustle and bustle we had normally experienced on budget airlines which made a nice change for us!

Once boarded we settled into our Standard Premier seats which we had booked via Rail Europe (Erna Low’s rail partners) with our complimentary on board magazines and were soon enjoying a delicious meal and glass of red wine before dozing off for the night.  Waking the next morning to a tasty breakfast and cup of tea we disembarked at Moutiers and were heading up the mountain on the local bus service www.altibus.com and arrived into Val Thorens at 7:30am.  Paying that little extra for the Standard Premier seats was well worth it for a rested and relaxing journey ready for the slopes that day.

An early morning start on the slopes…
We grabbed a cheeky pain au chocolat (when in France!) and headed to the nearest Skiset shop, Goitschel Sport 2, to hire our equipment.  The staff were extremely helpful and at that time in the morning we had the shop pretty much to our selves.  We then picked up our 3 Valleys lift passes and we were off…. Saturdays are changeover days for most and staff are usually busy working, so the slopes are surprisingly quiet with only a few locals and other lucky holiday makers out on the mountain.

A place for some much deserved rest…
After a day exploring Val Thorens we headed back to the residence for 5pm, grabbed our bags from the luggage room and found our small but perfectly formed studio in the Belambra Residence Les Olympiades.  Yes it is a basic apartment, but it has all you need to get by for a week and is well situated in the middle of the shops, restaurants and is pretty much ski in ski out – what more can you ask for at a bargain price!?

The v.large ski area…

Getting blinded by the white out

With our 3 Valleys ski passes we were able to visit the Meribel and Courchevel ski areas, although we found ourselves mostly sticking to the Belleville Valley, Meribel Mottaret and our home turf of Val Thorens, it was a pass worth having for that extra freedom.  There is so much on offer for everyone, from excellent beginner areas and tranquil pistes to black mogul fields.  It is just as easy to get around on just blues with a red thrown in for a quick thrill as it is if you are hardcore and just want reds and blacks in your life!

The resort…
Val Thorens is quite the party resort and the students and seasonnaires very much out did us every evening!  It is broken up into different zones and with a little exploring you can find restaurants and bars to suit all tastes, plus a club or two for those late night revellers!  The resort also has a sports centre, which was packed every evening and a bowling centre with pool/snooker tables for hire which we made the most of while waiting for our return bus on the Saturday evening.  It certainly has a lot going for it, not just a high resort in the huge 3 Valleys – there is no chance of being bored in this resort!

The après ski…

Cheers!

The après ski on offer is pretty unique too, with two rather special bars La Folie Douce and 360 degrees bar up the mountain banging out tunes with (mostly neon coloured) skiers and boarders chilling and dancing the afternoon away!

The activities…

More cheese please!

One evening we booked a meal in a mountain restaurant with Prosneige (a ski school company we work with in Val Thorens).  It included snow shoeing up to the restaurant and a sledge down afterwards with a three course meal and local Savoyard wine all for about 50€ per person.  It was such a lovely evening and after devouring a huge slab of raclette cheese I could barely move after eating so much!

We also gave the 6km long toboggan run a go on the Friday afternoon, my husband can be quoted as saying it was one of the best experiences of his life, while despite my initial enthusiasm and having begged him to do it with me, I think i’ll be giving that kind of speed a miss in the future!!  I have many a bruise to remember the experience!

Excited to hit the taboggan run - little did I know...

The journey back…
Day 8, we packed our bags and left them at reception, then hit the slopes and made the most of the sunshine and quiet runs once again.  After killing some time with a crepe and a pool game or two we were on the bus heading back to Moutiers before we knew it.  We waited until the hoards had gone though the Eurostar check in and cruised through with no queues with about 20 minutes to wait before the train arrived and took us back to Blighty.

Eurostar served up yet another lovely meal and we got our sleeping kit out (a nice blanket, eye mask and ear plugs supplied by Eurostar) and settled down for the night.  Waking up our breakfast was served and we were home by 11am on Sunday.

Travelling by train is by far the best and most leisurely way I have travelled to the Alps, it is all just so easy, no hassle – I would highly recommend it!

Snowfas – the new ‘must have’ for your skiing holiday

Snowfas are definitely the new ‘must have’ for your ski holiday.

So what is a snowfa? It’s a perfectly designed sofa in the snow, what else?   Currently available to test on a Consensio Holiday in Chalet Aurore in Meribel…

What better than to sit on a snowfa by the swimming pool with the background of panoramic mountains -  after an epic day of skiing the glories of Meribel and Courchevel with huge dumps of snow and bathed in sunshine?

Holly and I were the lucky ones to test out the Snowfa and you can see us relaxing above after a hard day’s skiing!

More French ski resorts opening this weekend…

In case you hadn’t noticed, the snow has eventually arrived.

It has been snowing since early this week, and it should carry on until the end of the week, to bring up to 40 centimetres of fresh snow on the slopes of the Savoie Mont Blanc region in France, as well as across the Alps.

Snow in La Tania this week

Five resorts have already opened in the last few weeks: Courchevel, Tignes, Val d’Isère and Val Thorens for alpine skiing, as well as Bessans for cross country skiing.

More than 10 other resorts are opening this weekend: Les Arcs, Bourg Saint Maurice, Avoriaz, Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, Châtel, Flaine, Les Menuires, Méribel, Montriond, Orelle, Peisey-Vallandry, La Plagne, La Tania and Valloire

For more information on holidays please go to our website or call 0845 863 0525

If ski resorts were football teams…

If you’ve been following our Tweets recently, you’ll realise that there’s been some discussion about French ski resorts and their English football club equivalents (mainly with journalist Chris Madigan, to whom we are indebted for most of the suggestions below).

It all started with a Les Arcs blog post, comparing La Plagne to Everton and Les Arcs to Spurs. Then it grew on the Twittersphere. Here’s the current league table of ski resorts as football teams:

Spurs?

2. Méribel- Norwich City, as English as mustard.

3. Courchevel – Chelsea, obviously.

4. Flaine – Arsenal: built on strong aesthetic principles, now needs major investment, overrun with French kids.

5. Megève – Man City, rolling with money, a visit this season could be costly.

6. Chamonix – Man United, the ever-better neighbour…

Let us know what you think. Either on our Facebook page, or with the hashtag in Twitter #skiresortsasfootballteams

Half way there… a season in Val Thorens!

I’m sat in The Frog and Roastbeef Val Thorens in the 3 Valleys during apres ski and enjoying a fabulous hot chocolate with brandy and whippy cream. Mmm mm mmm! Nothing like a strong tasty wee number to warm the cockles after a chilly day on the mountain!
It’s been a rather unusual season so far. Cold, cold, cold weather with regular snow falls. Whoever believed all the hype about global warming? – I’m into my 21st season and I don’t think I’ve ever felt it colder on the hill! That’s been the fantastic news this season for all us snow lovers. You don’t have to go to Canada to find yourself some of the most fantastic snow conditions on the planet. On piste there’s groomed runs with soft perfect snow, whilst off piste there’s lots of the light white fluffy stuff to roll around in!
Normally by this time of the year we’ve had some seriously hot days and that makes the snow melt. When it becomes cold again, we’re left with solid hard icy pistes. Not so much fun unless you have Bode Miller tuned race skis on and you know how to handle them!
The added bonus this year is the fact that with the recession came a dip in the holiday market, and it means great deals to be had in some of the best resorts in the world and really quiet pistes for us to charge around. Even this week as the February holidays kick in, there’s hardly a lift queue in sight.

Simon at the Frog's Karaoke fundraiser!

It’s my first season in Val Thorens so I’m not sure how things normally are here, but this season just keeps getting better and better! Regular snow falls, followed by amazing blue sky days, followed by ripping the turn down to the new apres ski hotspot to hit the mountains – Le Follie Douce! It’s the same recipe as the one in Val d’Isere that’s been pumping out loud tunes with brilliant musicians and entertainers for years. Our new party place has all the same ingredients but with a bit extra thrown in at every turn. The terrace is brand spanking new and the inside has been extended and totally refurbished. Add to that a high quality state ot the art stereo system and you have yourself a noise that’s almost capable of starting an avalanche – Whoop whoop whoop!

The night life here is as good as it gets in France with bars and clubs everywhere. Once you come off the mountain from a hard day on the slopes and a couple of drinks at the Follie Douce,  you ski straight into the Frog and Roastbeef to a warm welcome from the English staff who work there. You can chat about your days entertainment up the hill whilst watching any of the top sporting events on the big screens they have on every wall. If you decide not to return back to your apartment you can stay and taste some of the best burgers ever made. I truly believe that if the boys at the Frog ever wanted to open a world wide global burger establishment, they’d absolutely wipe the floor with the competition! I find myself eating there almost every evening!
If you fancy a more rocking atmosphere après ski then there are several bars including The Tango, Sneskos or The Saloon that have live music on most days of the week. I tend to avoid these places however as the years haven’t been kind to me and as I’m now knocking on the door of the big four zero, I’m becoming more of a Victor Meldrew than a hard core party animal!

I’m actually considering buying a ski property in the mountains at the moment because with the dip in the English market for purchasing apartments has come a massive drop in prices. This more than compensates for the poor strength of the pound to the euro with a good property now available from between 70-100,000 euros (or even less if you want a shoe box!). I’m actually considering building a property empire out here just now and retiring to a life of fresh mountain air within a stress free environment which is a million miles away form life back home! What makes this prospect even more appealing are companies like CMS Maintenance who are based in the Belleville Valley. It’s taken a long time to happen, but these guys are all English tradesmen who can carry out every aspect of any renovation works or re-decorations to an extremely high standard and will be totally reliable and cost effective too. Add to that no language barrier and therefore no communication issues and you can see why the CMS boys are doing really really well for themselves. I’ll be booking them for my first project!

The skiing in this area is absolutely awesome as anyone who’s been out to the 3 Valleys will testify to, but when that’s combined with perfect snow conditions and a good number of blue sky days, you’re guaranteed to return home from your holiday with a smile on your face that’ll be difficult to remove for some time to come!

Hurry! Snow (and prices!) are falling in the Three Valleys!

We are overjoyed with the recent news that the 3 Vallees – generally renowned for its expensive prices – has had a change of heart by adapting their food and drink prices to better represent the current economic market. The prices of beverages, snacks, and meals in various resorts around the French ski area are becoming more competitive, making it possible for skiers to not only enjoy the thrills of the slopes, but also the comfort of a hot chocolate or warm meal at the top of the mountain without breaking the bank! Such resorts participating in this new ‘low price’ campaign include favorites like  Les Menuires, St Martin de Belleville, La Tania, Courchevel, Méribel and Val Thorens. With so many options to choose from, skiers can now take fantastic ski holidays to the 3 Valleys with prices to suit all budgets and tastes. The process is ongoing and is still only in its initial stages, but prices have already fallen exponentially with 27% of 3 Vallees resorts having lowered their prices for this winter season! Val Thorens has persuaded 85% of bar and restaurant owners, so far, to change their coffee prices from €2,20 to less that €2.00; though this may seem minimal, we all know how quickly money adds up, and with all that saved change, why not purchase a beer – now less than €3 in 40% of the restaurants! Méribel, too, sets a good example for other resorts, with restaurant owners now applying VAT cuts on at least 8 leading products, such as pasta, fizzy drinks, coffee, children’s menus, and dishes of the day! Furthermore, half of the resorts participating in the price cuts are charging only €10 (or less!) for each main course, and 35% of restaurants will be applying the VAT reduction. With all these fabulous deals, skiers are given yet another excuse to enjoy a family lunch overlooking the snowy mountain tops. Seems that they have the right idea and hopefully other resorts won’t be far behind! Happy skiing!

mine's no longer a tap water!

Get the most out of your ski pass and discover other Alpine resorts

Taking advantage of the quiet January weeks, Tim Wilson, our rep in La Plagne heads over the 3 Valleys with a friend for the day…

With our Paradiski season passes we get 2 free days in the Three Valleys (Courchevel, Meribel, Val Thorens) and two in the Espace Killy (Val d’Isère/Tignes). There is a reciprocal arrangement between these three domains allowing people with a six day full area pass to use one of those days in another domain. Just ask the lift pass office for a special card which will then be stamped when you get your day pass in the other area.

We set off at 8am from la Plagne and got to Brides les Bains within 45 minutes, only a short drive up the Bozel Valley from Moutiers.

Me at top of Orelle overlooking Maurienne valley

The Olympe gondola from Brides les Bains gets you to to Meribel in about 30 minutes, from where we headed for Val Thorens. Having worked seasons in VT a while back, we both had our favourite spots to aim for. The “Boismint” red piste off the top of the chair with the same name had perfectly groomed snow, leaving our legs burning by the bottom.

Another old friend was the “Tete Ronde” from the top of the Funitel Peclet which used to be a red run but is now designated a blue.

As one of the highest ski areas in the Alps, Val Thorens is blessed with very good snow quality, but we had to keep one eye on the clock and start making our way back to the Meribel Valley in good time.

Stunning panoramic views from the top of Val Thorens

On our way up the Plein Sud chair we saw the new Folie Douce mountain restaurant just getting into gear with a house DJ and live musicians accompanying. The legendary Val D concept has found a welcoming crowd in Val T!

It seemed a shame to leave behind such a great party vibe, but the last gondola down is at 5pm so we made the most of the final descent with a beautiful late afternoon light over the mountains.

Quiet slopes on the way back down to Mottaret