Detailed off piste information - Val Thorens Valley

** Off-piste skiing and snow boarding is dangerous **

Usual warnings apply - Shovel, probe, transceiver (and know how to use them - especially how to use a grid search with the analogue types). Ski or board with someone who knows exactly what they're doing and remember that simply going down marginal areas one at a time and waiting for that person to move to a safe area will save lives.
Meribel Valley	Courchevel	Belleville Valley	La Tania

Val Thorens

Val Thorens used to have some of the best skiing in the Three Valleys. In those days it was the quietest resort in the area and usually had the best snow. The snow is still there, but these days the resort is much, much more crowded. I regret that I don't have much to say about the skiing here.

Running down to the resort from either side of the Aiguille de Peclet are two courtesy blacks, Beranger and La Moraine. Neither are particularly difficult. Beranger is accessed from the Funitel de Peclet (a not to be missed machine apparently stolen from Darth Vader just prior to the destruction of the Death Star). This could be a very exciting fast piste if prepared as a downhill. Unfortunately the capacity of the Funitel turns it into a slow slalom (round the bodies of struggling intermediates). Boy racers should consider getting up early to catch the first lift in the morning. In my foolish youth I used to do this, its where I learned to curve the racing line. Running parallel with the bottom of Beranger and served by its own chair lies a very attractive bumps field, Cascades. This is a genuine hot dogging field with the bumps pointing down the fall line. Frequent skiing by the very best bumps skiers have turned the moguls into a nightmare for the rest of us. Still one keeps going back, that elusive rhythm is somehow almost there... and one last run might just catch it for ever.

The best off-piste skiing is off the back of the glaciers on Peclet. These give access to seriously long runs. Starting on glaciers with difficult crevasses they are dangerous and certainly need a guide. My recommendation would be the route down the Glacier du Borgne.

The final run in the guide is the famous Retour Val-Thorens. At one time this long (14 Km) black itinerary was the most famous and most sought after run in the Trois Vallées. Now it has been demoted to the status of a red piste. It is still long and is most frequently skied late in the afternoon after a tiring round trip from Courchevel or Meribel to Cime de Carron and Val Thorens. It is therefore still not to be taken lightly by intermediate or weak advanced skiers. Do not leave it till late to leave Val Thorens. The upper stages of the twin Trois Vallées lifts are a notorious bottleneck and you can queue here long enough to make the descent a race against time. Avoid this by setting off home early. Those from Courchevel are in the greatest danger they still have to catch the Bruyeres Gondola in Mottaret. Be warned that the lift company does not always clear the queue before closing the lift. It is common to be refused passage here after closing time and this will involve a very long bus trip down to Moutiers then back to Courchevel or an expensive but quicker taxi ride. Returning to La Tania requires a further lift to gain access to the ridge above the resort. From 1850 take the Chenus gondola or Plantrey chair (or Coqs chair from the lake). From Meribel take the Rocher de La Loze slow 4-man char at the bottom of the valley - accessed from the Gondolas out of either Mottaret or Meribel.

A guide to black, off-piste & difficult skiing in the Trois Vallées
Copyright © Dennis Summerbell (1995)

Disclaimer: These notes were produced originally as light entertainment for myself and as an aide-memoir for my old age. They are idiosyncratic and do not pretend to be an authoritative or accurate description. If they are useful to others as a way of encouraging an imaginative approach to skiing then you are welcome to read them. My only advice is that you consult with the pisteurs, avalanche control, tourist office, ski school or authorised mountain guide before attempting anything. The great majority of skiers essaying these runs would probably enjoy them most under the guidance of a local professional or expert.

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