Guide to Val Thorens, France
What We Love about Val Thorens
We love the snow-sure, high-altitude, on-the-doorstep skiing of Val Thorens. It really does have some of the very best skiing of the Alps in my opinion.
Getting to Val Thorens
Val Thorens is located in the 3 Valleys ski area at the top of the Belleville valley. The transfer time from Geneva Airport is around 2 and a half hours.
The Skiing in Val Thorens
The skiing is what it’s all about in Val Thorens. Firstly there is the convenience of being located directly on the piste. Step out of your chalet and glide away. No long tiresome journeys to get to the slopes each morning.
Kids ski school meeting point? No problem. It’s just there in front of the resort. Forgotten your sunglasses? No problem. Just pop back to get them.
The next thing to know about Val Thorens is the altitude. The resort itself is high. Sitting at 2300 metres altitude, Val Thorens is one of the highest ski resorts in Europe. You wont see any trees up there. It’s well above the tree line.
The result of the high altitude is that the snow conditions are about as reliable as you can get this side of the Arctic. Mid-season this is not such an issue, but if you like to ski at Easter, you are most probably sliding on nice snow in Val Thorens, whereas other lower resorts are more likely to experience icy/slushy conditions.
Being at a higher altitude also means that the season is longer than most resorts so you have more choice of travel dates.
The resort sits in a large sunny bowl, with high mountains all around. You therefore have pistes facing different directions to choose from which is useful to find good snow conditions.
The skiing options in the Val Thorens valley alone are extensive and varied. The altitude of the upper pistes goes up to 3200 metres, so you can spend much of the day’s skiing above 2500m.
Guests staying in Val Thorens also have easy access to the whole of the vast 3 Valleys ski area. Just head up and over the ridge behind the resort and you can drop into the Meribel valley. You have 600km of pistes to explore so you needn’t ski the same slope twice all week.
Best Places to Eat in Val Thorens
For a bit of lunch time indulgence, try Chalet de la Marine whilst up on the mountain. Just off the Dalles piste, this bistro serves local French fare done well. On a sunny day the huge sun terrace is worth the trip by itself. On a bad weather day, warm up around the cosy fire.
For something more refined, try the Michelin-starred Les Explorateurs restaurant at the Pashmina Hotel. One of Val Thoren’s newest 5 star hotels, there is a rather more contemporary ambiance.
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