Val Thorens, Les Menuires & St Martin
Part of the three valleys (along with Meribel & Courchevel), these resorts all stretch along one valley from 1300m to 3200m ! At the higher end of the valley you have the purpose built resorts of Val Thorens / Les Menuires and Reberty and lower down is the old village of St Martin de Belville .
As you may imagine the purpose built resorts that sprang up in the 1960/70’s can look just a tad ugly , but wow do they serve a purpose , skiing to the door is what these resorts are all about and if you want to click your skis/board on at the front door of the apartments then these resorts are for you .St Martin lower down the valley retains its true Savoyard style and has a village atmosphere too.
The whole area can feel quite treeless and bare , so in bad weather you might want to poop over into the Meribel valley ( just don’t get stuck there !)
Jobs in Val Thorens
Not quite so many opportunities here as there are a lot of apartments and Dutch ski companies here , that said there are still the usual big tour operators and a handful of chalet operators.
Merinannies
Dec, 28
Jobs in Les Menuires
Chefs of all abilities
Full-time
European Pubs Ltd
Jan, 08
Sous Chefs - Jacks
Full-time
European Pubs Ltd
Dec, 28
Jobs in St Martin
No job listings found.
Slopes
Several must ski areas are the Cime de Caron at 3200m where you can drop over into the fouth valley or back into Val Thorens . La Masse is a great area to ski , the snow is always in good condition as it mostly faces north east , once you have skied here then head down to St Martin and have a spot of late lunch in the sunshine .
If you are looking for an easy step into powder then the powder fields just in between the pistes on the runs down to St Martin can be a great way of building confidence .
Top Tips
Pierre Lory from the top of the Col chair into the Maurienne Valley can be superb in the right conditions plus La Masse to Lac du Lou & La Masse down Vallée des Encombres all great in the right weather , you do have to think about the wather up here though as it is wide open and offers no shelter , so plan ahead.
If you are up to it and can go with someone who knows their way ( or a guide ) then from the Vanoise glacier you can drop down eventually to Pralognan La Vanoise , be prepared for a hefty taxi back or bribe someone to drive round to pick you up ( good 90 minute drive)
Bars
Val Thorens:
- Le Saloon is massive for après ski and the party will be in full swing until the early hours
- Frog & Roastbeef is a bit of a classic and always a good meeting point
- Grotte du Yeti is wild if you like your europop dutch style
- La Folie Douce is an institution , if you have see this in Val D’Isere then you know what to expect , if not then either take a couple of stubbies and watch from the slopes or take your platinum credit card and hit the champagne bar !
Les Menuires / Reberty:
Challenge bar is great for live music at Apres Ski and fills up quickly
- Crazy Bar does what it says on the tin , guaranteed party at Apres ski
- Skilt , Good sized terrace for some Apres action and gets busy with brits looking for sport later.