We came across this video on YouTube the other day and thought, WOW we can’t wait until the season starts!
If you are in the same boat then this video might wet your appetite.
Ken Block (the famous mad car driver and pretty good at it) takes a Raptortrax pickup to the slopes and brings along a couple of handy snowboarders for the ride.
Enjoy!
As part of Val Thorens’ ongoing quest for performance and innovation, SETAM (the company that runs and owns the ski lifts in Val Thorens) is continuing to modernise its ski lifts by investing €20 million into the ski area.
This video shows how they winch chairs lifts up into location, the ski lifts that are being upgraded for this season are:
La Portette chair lift has now been replaced with a 6-seater detachable chair lift which will improve its role as a link to the ski area’s northern pistes. The bottom of the lift has been been moved 100 metres down the mountain which will position it more central to the areas skiing traffic.
The Boismint ski area has been redesigned to provide improved skier traffic flow through-out the area. The Plan de l’Eau chair lift has been replaced by another 6 seater detachable chair lift. If you have used this lift in the past then you will know it needs replacing and this will make a huge difference. The new lift will take skiers up higher than the old ski lift and will serve a greater vertical drop and also open up a direct link to the Caron area.
For previous visitors of Val Thorens you would have most likely come across the big Club Med Hotel at the bottom of the resort, or in fact you may have even stayed there. Well Club Med have decided to replace this Hotel with a brand new Resort (it’s really a Hotel but they call it a resort so we best go along with it) and have called it Val Thorens Sensations.
Val Thorens Club Med Sensations 2014
At the end of last season it didn’t look like it was quite ready to open its doors, but they said it will be complete in time for the December 2014 opening.
CLICK for the latest review and information about the Club Med Sensations Hotel
Club Med is extremely elated and proud to announce that it will open new purpose built ski resort Hotel, Val Thorens Sensations, in December 2014. Situated in one of the most sought after ski destinations in the French Alps – Val Thorens in the Trois Vallées – the brand new ski-in and ski-out Resort will have an amazing view of the breathtakingly beautiful snowcapped mountains, perfect and immediate access to the slopes and mouth-watering cuisine by a Michelin Star chef.
Val Thorens is at an altitude of 2,300m — the highest ski resort in all of Europe. It is designed to offer an unforgettable experience to guests and skiers of all age groups and skiing capabilities. There are more than 330 ski slopes that offer various activities, some of which include an on-ice driving experience and winter mountain biking to name a few.
Continuing with the rich tradition of personalising its holidays for guests, Club Med have designed Val Thorens Sensations by taking into consideration the choices and suggestions of its 1.3 million Facebook users. They were asked to vote on a wide range of features such as the name of the resort, its logo, all its design features and other activities. Based on the results gathered from about 13 different countries, the complete resort along with the skiing arrangement, the catering, wellness and other innovations were perfectly designed.
This brand new Hotel in Val Thorens from the famous Club Med, designed and built based on user preferences and choices, is located in the heart of the Trois Vallées. In addition to the superb skiing adventure, the Val Thorens Sensations also offers some of the most exciting après-ski facilities. The hotel is designed to strike a chord with the young and youthful users; it is modern and sophisticated, complete with all amenities. The architecture is designed by Studio Arch and the interior design is done to perfection by Sophie Jacquim. It strikes a balance between modern and traditional, keeping the local Alpine-spirit intact. Moreover, the rooms have huge windows that overlook the mountainous landscape.
In addition to the memorable skiing experience, guests can also indulge in a plethora of food choices. There will be three different fine dining restaurants that serve local, gourmet and delicious food all through the day. Visitors can enjoy the different experience of dining from 7.30 in the morning until midnight, and there will also be a fresh buffet inspired by local cuisine. In addition to this, you will find a self-service takeaway for your daily travels.
Epicurus, Val Thorens Sensations’ main concept based restaurant, will have menus designed and developed by the Michelin star chef and French Master Eduoard Loubet. And being native to the Val Thorens, he is a big fan of local produce.
The Val Thorens Sensations has exhaustive state-of-the-art wellness, fitness and sportive activities. Along with skiing in the Alps, guests can also enjoy the well-decked training facilities and courses. As requested by the Club Med users on Facebook, this modern ski resort is also said to feature an adventurous climbing wall in the centre of the Hotel, a spa and free access to a super-sophisticated Turkish bath.
This Val Thorens Hotel is also said to feature a new set of digital innovations to provide the guests with a seamless communication experience. Guests can check in on their mobile, enjoy interactive screens, in-room TVs and digital kiosks. The hotel will also provide real-time information to people about surprise events, activity schedules, social media news and menu choices. And you’ll find high-speed internet connectivity everywhere — including the slopes! Moreover, the dedicated app provides easy booking and other information about the resort to anyone, anywhere.
And this is what it will look like once complete
According to Madeleine Clow, the General Manager of Club Med Australia and New Zealand, the Val Thorens Sensations is a revolutionary addition to their ever-evolving European snow holiday offering. By providing a customised experience to their guests, the resort’s innovations, excellent ski conditions and unique resort features, the resort will offer a memorable experience to everyone.
If this is something that interests you for the coming season they are offering some early doors discounts over on their website.
The summer is coming to an end which means only one thing, it’s time to think about this years ski season!
The ski resorts of the 3 Valleys have released their opening and closing dates for this season, here they are:
Val Thorens: 22nd November 2014 to 10th May 2015
Les Menuires: 6th December 2014 to 24th April 2015
Mottaret: 6th December 2014 to 24th April 2015
Meribel: 6th December 2014 to 24th April 2015
La Tania: 13th December 2014 to 24th April 2015
Courchevel 1850: 6th December 2014 to 24th April 2015
Courchevel 1650: 6th December 2014 to 24th April 2015
Courchevel 1550: 6th December 2014 to 24th April 2015
Courchevel 1300: 6th December 2014 to 24th April 2015
There you have it, if you would like to see what apartments are available to stay in head over to Apartments for Rent page!
What better way to start off a new website than to announce the opening dates for the coming season in Meribel.
At the start of season the lifts open at 9am until around 4:30pm, as the season continues they open the ski lifts longer.
Meribel Ski Lifts will open on 6th December 2014 and will close on the 24th April 2015
The summer is coming to an end so time to start thinking about booking your ski holiday!
We know we are all in the swing of summer and not really thinking too much about this coming winter ski season (unless you are like us when we are counting the days!).
We have have been quiet over the last couple of months working on new things for this season but when something important happens we have to break our silence.
Every year Eurostar release early-bird cheap tickets for the coming winter ski season, these are often a lot cheaper and get bought up VERY quickly! The time is upon us once again so get prepared and get up early to buy your cheap Eurostar tickets, here are the details you need:
Date of Ticket Release: 31st July 2014
What do you need to do?:
You don’t have a lot of time (going by the previous few years) so if you need confirmation from friends/family to see if they are going, you should have this sorted in advance!!
Now that you have the travel sorted don’t forget to look at our early bird prices for accommodation for Courchevel Apartments, Meribel Apartments and Val Thorens Apartments.
Our new website and service is coming very soon so follow us on Twitter, Facebook or this blog and we will keep you informed.
Here is the all important link to the Eurostar Ticket website and good luck! :
Today sees the last day of skiing for this season, Val Thorens closes shop for another term and already we are looking forward to next season.
Even though the lifts are closing down for a well earned rest the snow continues to fall! Yes as we write outside is a complete white-out!
Val Thorens Last Day of the Season
BUT never fear snow fans you can still enjoy the mountains over the summer as all the resorts in the 3 Valleys will open their ski lifts for a number of weeks. This is a great chance to get to see those fantastic views you can see in season but this time without any snow on it!
We have created a quick run down of each of the resorts in the 3 Valleys with their schedule on our 3 Valleys in the Summer page.
But if you can’t wait until the snow is available again you only need to wait 195 days and the season 2014/15 opens for business!
The team at SkiGB.com would like to thank our readers for all their great comments through-out the season and hope to meet many of you next season. We will now have a little break from Val Thorens and the 3 valleys and find a sunny spot to start work on next seasons service.
Speaking of which next season our service is EXPLODING! oh yes. There will be more news, more data and more ways to read, watch and experience next season!
If you would like to be kept up to date follow our Twitter or Facebook account or keep popping back to our blog and we will keep you informed.
Enjoy the sun everyone!
Just because most of the snow has left us for a while (the glacier will still have some snow on it but sadly not enough to ski on) the 3 valleys is still a wonderful place to visit. In fact in July the sun is out and it’s a beautiful place to be.
Many of the SkiGB.com staff visit Val Thorens and Meribel over the summer to get a tan (oh yes that’s possible!!), relax and take in the stunning views.
If this is something you would like to experience yourself here is a run down of the each of the resorts opening dates:
Val Thorens, Les Menuires and Courchevel
All three of these resorts will be opening their lifts from 6th July until 29th August 2014.
Meribel
Meribel will be opening their lifts from 29th June until 29th August 2014.
Details on links about lift passes can be found here on our Val Thorens Lift Pass page.
This Sunday the 6th April the 3 valleys plays host to the annual 3 Valleys Enduro!
The What?
In case you haven’t heard about this fantastic day, the resorts of the 3 Valleys from Courchevel to Val Thorens plays host to individual events. Whether you would like to try Slalom skiing, have ago at producing shapes on the big air or feel inspired by the Olympics and want to try the Downhill, all are available.
It doesn’t matter what age you are, all are welcome!
How does it work?
Each of the resorts play host to one or more event, you register by this SATURDAY for the events you wish to enter.
It is a team event of 3 people and 3 categories, Pros, Amateurs and Families.
You can race in many of the events but do not need to race in all of them.
If you are interested go to your resorts Tourist office by Saturday (inc) and put your name down, you will love it!
More info found here on their website!
Black Diamond have released a new avalanche air bag which doesn’t use gas but batteries instead. This really sounds like a brilliant idea.
We all know how important it is to practice using new equipment, especially emergency equipment to ensure you are familiar with what you need to do when you REALLY need it.
In case you are not aware of avalanche air bags, they are essentially a large rucksack which has a packed away inflatable bag. If you are unlucky enough to be caught in an avalanche and you have time to do so you can pull a toggle and WOOSH!! the bag inflates faster than Matthias Mayer out of the starting gates. The idea is whilst you are being thrown all over the place by the avalanche the large amount of air attached to your back keeps you near the top which makes it easier to be rescued.
These bags all use a gas canisters with compressed air (we think air anyway, a gas of some kind) which empties when you use it. You can only use them once and they can be quite expensive to replace and in some resorts hard to find a replacement.
Using batteries instead of the expensive gas canisters it allows you to inflate the air bag and deflate it as many times as you like.
An interesting development with this bag is that because it is using a fan to inflate it, after 3 minutes of inflating and keeping the bag inflated (I think we have used the inflate word enough now) the fan is turned in reverse and sucks out all the air from the bag. This might sounds like a silly thing to do but there is a reason for this. The idea is if you are buried, by deflating the bag you all of sudden have room (200 litres) to move some of your body around. When the snow sets after the avalanche it is like concrete and you can hardly move at all so having this room should help considerably. Not only will it provide more room but there will be more air to breath.
Our only concern with this is we are not sure that 3 minutes is long enough, but I guess they have done the sums.
Each bag can deploy the air bag 3 times per charge so there isn’t any problem pulling the cord if you are concerned with the slope you are on. There is also a self-tester when you switch it on so you know all is well before you leave the apartment.
As you would expect there is a cost to this bag but it isn’t any more expensive than an ABS type bag, they will range from $1000 – $1200 with 11L, 28L and 40L sizes.
As with the probe, transceiver and other avalanche equipment you should practise as much as possible and this new bag could help save lives. Around 15 minutes buried in an avalanche and your life expectancy reduces considerably.
If you are thinking of buying an air bag check this one out, video below with the guy from JetForce who can explain the benefits much better than me! We don’t think it is available quite yet in the UK or Europe but it won’t be long.
The Airbag in Development:
SNCF (the French national rail service) have warned that they plan to strike tomorrow (1st March 2014) and Sunday (2nd March 2014). This could affect many ski resorts including ones in the 3 Valleys.
This would be a great disruption to skiers travelling to and from ski resorts on one of the busiest weekends of the season, but I guess that it why they have picked this weekend!
It is not 100% for sure to happen, we will keep you informed what they decide. Follow us on Twitter or Facebook for updates.
50,000 skiers will be travelling this weekend to the Alps so we do hope they don’t go through with it.
At this years Sochi Olympic games Chloé Trespeuch battled and won to win bronze in the Snowboard Cross competition. Chloé is part of the Val Thorens Ski Club and trains in the resort. If you are in the resort and would like to meet or have a photo with Chloé then come down to the Place de Caron (by Tourist Office) this Friday 28th February at 17:15.
There will be:
Later on around 18:15 there will be more activities at the bottom of Castor carpet which includes:
We will see you there!
This years Sochi Olympics saw Val Thorens ski club member Jean Fréderic Chapuis win Gold in the Ski Cross. This Wednesday (26th) the resort will be celebrating his win next to the Tourist Office in the resort.
The following will take place at 17:30:
If you are in Val Thorens why not pop down and have a photo with him!
Read our post about the Val Thorens Snow Park which is where Jean trains.
New for this season (2013/14) Val Thorens Snow Park has a camera which will film your tricks and possibly falls.
Simply go to the start gate to identify yourself, they will then film you over two jumps. You can view your ‘air time’ on a big screen at the bottom. If you like what you see you can also download onto your smartphone or if you prefer watch again online.
This is a nice touch from Val Thorens which will hopefully encourage more people to use the park, which is one of the best in the 3 valleys.
Date: March 25th until the 27th
Time: 18:30 – 20:30
Location: Place de Caron
What is it? Electro music from DJs from around the world
Why go? Something new to experiance
Will I find it ok? Oh yes you will find it, just follow your ears!
Is it ok for Kids? Yes it is very safe and children friendly
If you would like to book some accommodation for this event here is a good place to start: Apartments for rent in Val Thorens
If you would more here is a link to their website: Link to website (Beware their site plays music automatically, just in case you are at work not working)
Ever wondered how and when the roads are cleared to allow cars and buses up and down the mountain?
Well if you have this video should answer all of your questions. it’s quite interesting to see the amount of infrastructure invested in just to make sure we can actually get to the resort.
Val Thorens have created a ZIP wire ride between two of it’s peaks!
Yes you have read this correctly, we are not talking down in the resort, oh know! This is right up the top!
For 50€ (ok a little steep – excuse the pun) you can travel at 105Km/h with 250 metres of “nothing” under you!
We have not see this in any other European ski resort so if you don’t mind heights, give it ago!
If you would like to know more about this, click on our Val Thorens Zip Wire page.
Due to the cancellation of the two heats of the Ski Cross World Cup in Megeve and Bischofswiesen due to bad snow conditions the FIS have decided to host these in Val Thorens instead. Val Thorens is the highest resort in Europe and Guarntees snow therefore it made sense to mode it there.
Here is the schedule for these heats of the Audi Ski Cross World Cup now hosted in Val Thorens (Times are local time):
Tuesday 14th January 2014
10:45 – 13:45 Training
Wednesday 15th January 2014
Women
08:15 – 08:45 Inspection
09:00 – 09:30 Training
09:45 – 10:25 Qualification
Men
10:40 – 11:10 Inspection
11:25 – 11:55 Training
12:15 – 13:30 Qualification
Thursday 16th January 2014
10:15 – 10:45 Inspection
11:00 – 11:30 Training
12:00 – 13:40 Final races for Women and Men
13:45 Prize Giving Ceremony
Friday 17th January 2014
Women
08:00 – 08:30 Inspection
08:45 – 09:15 Training
09:30 – 10:10 Qualification
Men
08:00 – 08:30 Inspection
10:35 – 11:05 Training
11:20 – 12:35 Qualification
12:45 – 13:00 Training
13:30 – 15:11 Final races for Women and Men
15:15 Prize Giving Ceremony
Val Thorens is lucky enough to have a Club Med Hotel in the resort. It is located at the lower end of Val Thorens and boasts one of the nicest balcony’s in the resort. However this will all change very soon as Club Med are now building a brand new Hotel. It will be located just behind the current one and is well on the way as you can see by these recent photos. The Hotel is due to open its doors to the 750 beds in December 2014, as you can see by these photos they have a long way to go!
The new Val Thorens Club Med Hotel will be called “Club Med Village”.
Once again Val Thorens didn’t disappoint with their fireworks, light show and DJ set on the Place de Caron in the centre of the resort. If you were unable to attend, here is the official Val Thorens highlight video, enjoy!