Les Trois Vallées
Encyclopedia
Les Trois Vallées or The Three Valleys is a ski region in the Tarentaise Valley
, Savoie
département of France
, above the town of Moûtiers
and have areas within the Vanoise National Park
Since 1973, it has been possible to ski the interlinked valleys using a single ski pass. Thus, Les Trois Vallées is the largest ski area in the world which is connected solely by ski lifts and slopes. It has more than 600 km (372.8 mi) of ski slopes, resulting in 18.5 km² of groomed runs. In addition, there are 120 km for cross-country skiing. Les Trois Vallées has 183 ski lifts, which can transport 260,000 skiers per hour. Other equipment owned by the operating companies include 1,920 snow cannons and 76 piste bashers. Employees in the area include 424 ski patrollers and 1,500 ski instructors.
As implied by its name, the area originally consisted of three valleys: Saint-Bon, Allues, and Belleville. The skiing area has since been extended into a 'fourth' valley, the Maurienne valley. It is adjacent to Val Thorens, but can also be accessed using a long gondola lift
from Orelle
. The following ski resort
s are in Les Trois Vallées:
you find the biggest concentration of world-class ski resorts in the world. Most well known neighbour systems are Paradiski
(Les Arcs
, La Plagne
) and Espace Killy
(Val d'Isère
and Tignes
). A weekly lift ticket in Les Trois Vallées gives you a choice to ski one day in each of the other two systems mentioned. There were once plans to interlink all systems and resorts to create the - by far - largest ski area in the world. However that vision was ended with the creation of the Vanoise National Park
.
Tarentaise Valley
The Tarentaise Valley is a valley of the Isère River in the heart of the French Alps, located in the Savoy region of France. The valley is named for the ancient town of Darantasia, the capital of the pre-Roman Centrones tribe.-Description:...
, Savoie
Savoie
Savoie is a French department located in the Rhône-Alpes region in the French Alps.Together with the Haute-Savoie, Savoie is one of the two departments of the historic region of Savoy that was annexed by France on June 14, 1860, following the signature of the Treaty of Turin on March 24, 1860...
département of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, above the town of Moûtiers
Moutiers
Moutiers and Les Moutiers is the name or part of the name of several communes in France:*Moutiers, in the Eure-et-Loir département*Moutiers, in the Ille-et-Vilaine département*Moutiers, in the Meurthe-et-Moselle département...
and have areas within the Vanoise National Park
Vanoise National Park
Vanoise National Park , is a French national park in the Tarentaise Valley in the French Alps, created in 1963 after mobilization from the environmentalist movement against a touristic project. It was the first French national park. This park is in the département of Savoie...
Since 1973, it has been possible to ski the interlinked valleys using a single ski pass. Thus, Les Trois Vallées is the largest ski area in the world which is connected solely by ski lifts and slopes. It has more than 600 km (372.8 mi) of ski slopes, resulting in 18.5 km² of groomed runs. In addition, there are 120 km for cross-country skiing. Les Trois Vallées has 183 ski lifts, which can transport 260,000 skiers per hour. Other equipment owned by the operating companies include 1,920 snow cannons and 76 piste bashers. Employees in the area include 424 ski patrollers and 1,500 ski instructors.
As implied by its name, the area originally consisted of three valleys: Saint-Bon, Allues, and Belleville. The skiing area has since been extended into a 'fourth' valley, the Maurienne valley. It is adjacent to Val Thorens, but can also be accessed using a long gondola lift
Gondola lift
A gondola lift is a type of aerial lift, normally called a cable car, which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel cable that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate supporting towers. The cable is driven by a bullwheel in a terminal,...
from Orelle
Orelle
Orelle is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It is connected by the longest télécabine in the world to ski slopes that are part of the 3 vallées the largest linked ski domain in the world. From there one can access the Val Thorens ski...
. The following ski resort
Ski resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing and other winter sports. In Europe a ski resort is a town or village in a ski area - a mountainous area, where there are ski trails and supporting services such as hotels and other accommodation, restaurants, equipment rental and a ski lift system...
s are in Les Trois Vallées:
| Valley | Resort | Established | Skiable range (m) | Sub-resorts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint-Bon | Courchevel Courchevel Courchevel is the name of a ski resort located in the commune of Saint-Bon-Tarentaise in the French Alps, in the Tarentaise Valley, Savoie, Rhône-Alpes region. It is a part of Les Trois Vallées, the largest linked ski area in the world... |
1946 | 1300 - 2738 | Courchevel-Le Praz, Courchevel 1550, Courchevel 1650, Courchevel 1850 |
| Saint-Bon | la Tania La Tania La Tania is a ski resort in the Courchevel area of Les Trois Vallees at 1400m above sea level. It was developed for the Albertville Olympics of 1992 and can be reached by road, being about 25 minutes drive from Moutiers.-Overview:... |
1990 | 1400 - 2305 | - |
| Allues | Méribel Méribel Méribel is a ski resort in the Tarentaise Valley in the French Alps, situated near the town of Moutiers.Méribel refers to three neighbouring villages in the Les Allues commune of the Savoie département of France, near the town of Moûtiers , called Méribel Centre, Méribel-Mottaret and Méribel Village... |
1939 | 1400 - 2952 | Meribel-Village, Meribel, Meribel-Mottaret |
| Allues | Brides-les-Bains Brides-les-Bains Brides-les-Bains is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It was an Olympic Village for the 1992 Winter Games.... |
1992 | 600 - 1450 | Les Allues |
| Belleville | Val Thorens Val Thorens Val Thorens, located in the Tarentaise Valley, Savoie, French Alps, is the highest ski resort in Europe, at 2300 m altitude. It is located in the commune of Saint-Martin-de-Belleville in the Savoie département... |
1972 | 2300 - 3200 | - |
| Belleville | Les Menuires Les Menuires Les Menuires is a ski resort in the Belleville valley of Les Trois Vallées between Saint-Martin-de-Belleville and Val Thorens. Owned and operated by Compagnie des Alpes, It is in the Savoie département of France.... |
1964 | 1850 - 2850 | Les Menuires, Reberty, La Masse |
| Belleville | St-Martin-de-Belleville | 1983 | 1400 - 2434 | - |
| Maurienne | Orelle Orelle Orelle is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It is connected by the longest télécabine in the world to ski slopes that are part of the 3 vallées the largest linked ski domain in the world. From there one can access the Val Thorens ski... |
1996 | 900 - 3230 | - |
Tarentaise Valley Skiing
Within the Tarentaise ValleyTarentaise Valley
The Tarentaise Valley is a valley of the Isère River in the heart of the French Alps, located in the Savoy region of France. The valley is named for the ancient town of Darantasia, the capital of the pre-Roman Centrones tribe.-Description:...
you find the biggest concentration of world-class ski resorts in the world. Most well known neighbour systems are Paradiski
Paradiski
Paradiski is a ski-area in the Tarentaise Valley offering uninterrupted skiing in between the areas of Les Arcs, Peisey-Vallandry and La Plagne. The area is linked, since December 2003, by the Vanoise Express...
(Les Arcs
Les Arcs
Les Arcs is a ski resort located in Savoie, France, in the Tarentaise Valley town of Bourg-Saint-Maurice. Initially created by Robert Blanc and Roger Godino...
, La Plagne
La Plagne
La Plagne is a French ski area in the alpine valley of the Tarentaise . Since 2003, La Plagne and the neighbouring resort of Les Arcs form Paradiski's ski area...
) and Espace Killy
Espace Killy
The Espace Killy is a ski area in the Tarentaise Valley, Savoie in the French Alps, named after the skier Jean-Claude Killy. It covers the resorts of Val d'Isère and Tignes In Espace Killy there are 300 km of pistes:...
(Val d'Isère
Val d'Isère
Val d'Isère is a commune of the Tarentaise Valley, in the Savoie department in south-eastern France. It lies from the border with Italy. It is on the border of the Vanoise National Park created in 1963. The Face de Bellevarde was the scene of the men's downhill race as part of the 1992 Winter...
and Tignes
Tignes
Tignes is a commune in the Tarentaise Valley, Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It is also a ski resort near Val d'Isère, that are linked together as the "Espace Killy" region...
). A weekly lift ticket in Les Trois Vallées gives you a choice to ski one day in each of the other two systems mentioned. There were once plans to interlink all systems and resorts to create the - by far - largest ski area in the world. However that vision was ended with the creation of the Vanoise National Park
Vanoise National Park
Vanoise National Park , is a French national park in the Tarentaise Valley in the French Alps, created in 1963 after mobilization from the environmentalist movement against a touristic project. It was the first French national park. This park is in the département of Savoie...
.
See also
- List of ski areas and resorts in Europe
- French AlpsFrench AlpsThe French Alps are those portions of the Alps mountain range which stand within France, located in the Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions....
- 3 Valleys, Water Supply Provider in United Kingdom.