Once there you are in the highest resort station in France. It's Custom built in a giant snow bowl and the skiing is absolutely superb. It can be freezing over here at anytime in the season so go prepared. It can also be a fabulous suntrap, so take high-level sun cream and good quality sunglasses.
Most visitors head straight for the Cime de Caron (3200m). It really does have a spectacular view of the whole French/Italian Alps and is well worth the trip.
Be prepared for long queues at the cable car but with a carrying capacity of over 150 persons every ten minutes it is not quite as bad as it first appears. Try to avoid Fridays when All the world and his uncle seem to arrive at the same time.
There is also a fourth Valley now, La Maurienne. This was a favourite off piste jaunt but is now well pisted and has had extra lifts installed.
Val Thorens, highest ski resort in Europe at 2300 m altitude is also the summit of the 3 Vallées, very easy links between the different resorts. Thus, anyone can ski the 3 Vallées.
And concerning off-piste possibilities, there's just no limit... Here are a few figures in order to give you a good idea of how exceptional the 3 Vallées are : Altitude minimum: 1300 metres -
Altitude maximum: 3230 metres 16 villages and resorts: more than 600 km of mapped-out pistes 328 pistes (56 green, 120 blue, 115 red, 37 black) on 400 km2 200 ski lifts, 25 summits which can be joined on skis, 6 glaciers 124 km of cross-country skiing, 1,500 ski instructors 1 500 snow cannons, 75 grooming machines 50 nationalities represented, 3 altiports |
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