You may or may not, depending on how much of a skiing fan you are, know about the big changes that are afoot in the Trois Vallées. This huge area which includes the very best of the European ski resorts including Meribel, Courchevel and Val Thorens is the largest in the world but the last thing the powers that be want to do is rest on their laurels; they want to keep their place at the top of the tree, or mountain.
Meribel has brought even more fame to the area by being the first French ski resort ever to be chosen to host the Alpine World Cup Finals in 2015. This prestigious event which is what every professional skier aims to take part in during their long and gruelling season has put Meribel well and truly in the spotlight across the globe. Millions of viewers are expected to tune into Eurosport to see the often death defying exploits by virtuosos of the piste.
“Over €60m are being invested in the area between now and 2022”
One of the best known skiing areas of Meribel is Mottaret and it is here the biggest changes are being made. Over €60m are being invested in the area between now and 2022 and when completed its fair to say that the Trois Vallées will be leaving the rest of the world trailing even further behind.
So what are these big changes?
The first one is the creation of a new area dedicated to beginners which is directly adjacent to the resort itself. Over the next 2 years the Mont de Challe area right next to Meribel will be completely transformed with a brand new chairlift, a green piste for beginners, floodlighting and a sled zone.
Both the Table Verte and Arolles chairlifts will be disappearing from the landscape forever and be replaced by the very latest Combes chairlift which serves the entire area. This new lift will have a station mid way to allow beginners to disembark at the top of their new green run. The toboggan run is bound to be hugely successful as those who want their thrills in another way will be able to hurtle around the track without the edge of danger which is always present for the serious skier.
Night time skiing is coming to Meribel thanks to the planned floodlights, so Après-ski, for some anyway, in the resort may actually be skiing! The last change to Mont de Challe will be the creation of an entire new beginners zone that will be equipped with both a draglift and magic carpet lift.
“Night time skiing is coming to Meribel”
There are more major improvements planned for the Mottaret ski area which haven’t been revealed yet. Hervé Lenoire is the director of S3V, the premier ski lift company, and he has spoken about the €60m investment being made with understandable enthusiasm. Some of the planned changes we do know about is the modernisation and renovation of the Chalets Gondola which will take place in 2016/17. The replacement of the double Roc de Tougne draglifts with a new and much faster chairlift will also be taking place in time for the 2016/17 season.