Courchevel (Trois Vallees), France -- Mar. 10-13, 20

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Wow. That's about the only word that I can come up with: wow. The size of the Trois Vallees is almost incomprehensible -- 4 times the size of Whistler-Blackcomb, and 6 times the size of Vail. Nearly 200 lifts. We skied to Val Thorens and back, and our guide estimated that we'd covered 100 km (62 miles) on skis that day.

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The whole opposite ridge in Mirabel Mottaret is covered with lifts

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Courchevel

We skied this chute in Val Thorens:
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Val Thorens chute

Plenty of snow above, say, 1600 meters, and sunny and 50-60 degrees every day -- perfect for those European lunches out on the sun deck. Try finding this in an on-mountain restaurant in the States:

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Canadian Salad at Cap Horn in Courchevel

Accomodations are first-rate, although if I ever return on my own I think that I'd have to stay practically down in Moutiers to be able to afford it. Courchevel is the Dear Valet of Europe, and the prices are reflected in it. It's the first time I've seen a bottle of wine for over $22,000 on the wine list. Rumor has it that they sell a bottle or two a year to the Russians, who then proceed to cut it with Coca-Cola.

Never was able to hook up with Chromer. Called his hotel, but they didn't recognize his name (the real one, of course). Tried for two days on the FRS, but in a place this size it was like finding a needle in a haystack. <BR> <BR>Finally, if you ever get the chance to fly business class on Swiss, do it. They actually matched the level of service that we enjoyed in Courchevel. Five-course meals, and my feet couldn't reach the seat in front of me. The seat reclined to nearly a horizontal position, perfect for catching z's on the long flight over the pond. <BR> <BR>Our story, more photos, and an original video presentation will follow between now and the summer.
 
Some other folks migrated the "Ultimate To Do List" thread in the Eastern US & Canada section to a topic on the Trois Vallees. I'll continue that discussion here, for proper thread's sake.

Patrick asked:
Marc, when were you there?
As the title of this thread indicates, I was on the ground from March 10-14.

Tony Crocker asked:
When skiing Trois Vallees does it make sense to stay in Meribel or Mottaret, which are in the central of the 3 valleys? It should cut down the traversing/catwalks to go from one end to the other.
True, a central location would be beneficial for many reasons, but possibly be a negative for others.

Courchevel 1850 is easily the most charming...and most expensive. It just doesn't have that "purpose-built" feel of most French resorts, even though it is. Don't expect to hear a lot of English, although there are a few Brit hangouts in town. Expect to hear much more Russian than English. If money is no object, 1850 is your choice.

Meribel, while central, ain't exactly charming. In many ways, I found it to be rather homely, actually. A big advantage here from the language perspective is that it's very popular with Brits on holiday, and significantly less expensive than Courchevel 1850.

From a skiing perspective, though, Val Thorens seems to top all. Quite honestly, I found the terrain there to be the most interesting of the bunch. The village is not exactly homely, but it is stuck out in the high alpine without a tree in sight.
 
One more thing: of the first two pictures in the message that started this thread, the first one is the Meribel valley, and the second one is in Courchevel.
 
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