Charming Meribel

In the middle of the “3 Vallées” connected skiing area, Meribel is probably the most charming ski resort in France.

Meribel is bourgeois, Meribel is active, Meribel offers fun for all kind of snow lovers, Meribel is just beautiful with only slendid wood and stone chalets of reasonable size and no concrete buildings devoted to massive tourism. The resort is actually divided in 2 main locations: Meribel itself and Meribel-Monttaret. Meribel-village and Les Allues are further away and less connected to the skiing area.
Meribel attracts many foreigners and English is fluently spoken there. Accommodation is expensive though in this glamorous corner of the Alps. But you won’t get bored there: a large choice of restaurants and bars, night clubs, spa and fitness centers, ice karting and skating, bowling….
The scenery is wonderful along the 8 green (the easiest), 36 blue, 21 red and even 9 black runs (2 Olympic runs and 2 slalom stadiums). The skiing area is ideal for all levels. On top, Meribel has one of the best snowparks of the Alps for snowboarders: the new Moonpark with 4 runs (comprising a sequence of jumps, rails and boxes) and the snowpark at Monttaret with 2 half-pipes.There are guided off-piste skiing, 33 km of cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and 25 km of walking trails.
Of course, Meribel is linked to the other resorts of the 3 Vallées skiing area and its 600 km of runs (in Courchevel, La Tania, Les Minuires, Val Thorens).

To sum up, Meribel worth’s the extra euro to enjoy the best of your winter trip in the Alps.

Agenda:

1. Dec 18th 2008, Meribel organizes the first competition of the Freestyle ski World cup.
2. March 28th - April 10th: The very british Meribel organizes the English ski championship in spring.

The pros: Lovely village with lots of charm, part the large connected skiing area of the 3 Vallées, one of the best snow parks for snowboarders, very lively at night. Ski lifts are high quality and the runs are fantastics with very nice panoramas. Meribel is well adapted for kids. Free shuttle within the resort.
The cons: Expensive and very busy during school holiday.

• Tips and advice: The Altiport area is well indicated for beginners to practice. Staying in Meribel is expensive but for a much cheaper option, you may consider staying at Les Allues or even Brides-les-Bains since both are connected to Meribel by cable car (25 min from Brides-les-bains). It’s less fun without snow garanteed in town (for Brides-les-bains) but so much cheaper.