Les Menuires offers everything we seek for an unforgettable winter holiday. We can enjoy excellent skiing in Les Menuires, marvel at breathtaking views, and relax in one of the cosy mountain restaurants. The Les Menuires ski area is already large and challenging. But with the connection to Les 3 Vallées, a total of 600 kilometres of interconnected pistes await us. Let’s discover together what makes winter sports in Les Menuires so special.

Winter sports in Les Menuires: From farming village to ski resort

Les Menuires is relatively young as a ski area. In the 1960s, this resort was built from the ground up as part of an ambitious project. The villages in Vallée des Belleville underwent a transformation from poor farming villages to popular ski destinations. This didn’t happen without a struggle, as many farmers saw it as a hopeless path. Eventually, thanks to the efforts of the mayor at the time, Les Menuires and Val Thorens were created. With the connection to Les 3 Vallées, the largest interconnected ski area in Europe became a reality.

Tip: If you want to know more about the transformation from a farming village to a ski resort, visit the interesting museum in Saint-Martin-de-Belleville. It’s well worth the effort!

The architecture of the first buildings in Les Menuires was typical of that time: functional, austere, and with many high-rise buildings. There were plenty of critics. French newspapers called Les Menuires “The Bijlmer of the Alps”. The village has since undergone a metamorphosis. Nowadays, there are more cosy chalets and apartment complexes with an authentic appearance. Whether you find the centre beautiful is a matter of personal taste. It’s certainly practical: at the bottom of the slopes lies a shopping centre with all amenities together. No need to walk far.

Skiing from Val Thorens to Les Menuires

After exploring neighbouring Val Thorens for a few days, we move to Les Menuires. And we do this on skis, of course. We don’t need to worry about our luggage. It will be brought to our hotel later in the day. Once more, we take a descent from our apartment and ski to the Boismint lift. We’re one of the few skiers on the piste. This allows us to fully concentrate on our technique. And that’s necessary, because the red piste is challenging. Extra handicap: the piste basher didn’t go over it last night.

The last part is much easier. We glide into Les Menuires on a blue piste. We end up at a busy junction of lifts. Gondolas go to Pointe de la Masse, the viewpoint. Other lifts take skiers towards the connection to Les 3 Vallées. We take the Doron lift. Because this gets us to the ESF ski school the fastest. There we meet Karine. She will take us on an exploratory tour of the Les Menuires ski area today.

Discovering the Les Menuires ski area with Karine

It’s a beautiful sunny day. Our guide suggests following the sun all day. This way, we have perfect conditions all day. First, we go to Pointe de la Masse. This is the highest point on the north side of Les Menuires. At the top, we admire the Alpine giants from the viewing platform. We clearly recognise Mont Blanc. It towers above the other mountain peaks.

Then it’s time for the real work. We take the red piste Fred Covili. That name is a tribute to a local ski hero who won the giant slalom world championship in 2002. This Covili undoubtedly conquered the piste in a more fluid style than us. Because the red piste is challenging and quite steep in some parts. With the help of Karine’s instructions, we fortunately get into our rhythm more smoothly.

Lunch with violin concert

A morning of skiing makes you hungry. Therefore, Karine takes us to the Roc 7 restaurant, in the middle of the ski area. It’s a popular place, people are queuing to get a table on the sun-drenched terrace. Karine teaches us a good trick on the spot to prevent someone from accidentally or deliberately taking our skis. One ski of mine and one of my wife go together as a set in the ski rack. She makes two more pairs of different skis this way and places them in the next rack. Handy, never thought that this is the solution to always be sure you get your own skis back in busy places.

Aline also joins us for lunch. She is our contact person from the Les Menuires Tourist Office and arranges everything for us these days. Meanwhile, we indulge in delicious pasta. On the podium by the terrace, a violinist has started playing. Together with a drummer and percussionist, he provides a spectacular concert. Classical mixed with modern beats, it sounds great. We almost regret picking up our skis again.

To Saint-Martin-de-Belleville

First, we take the lift to the Col de la Chambre. At 2,850 metres, this is the highest peak in the Les Menuires ski area. At the top, there’s a connection to the Les 3 Vallées ski area. You can also ski to Val Thorens. Karine makes a different choice and we like it very much. We take the incredibly beautiful and quiet Pluviomètre descent. This long blue piste is nice and wide, and we have it almost to ourselves. We carve to our heart’s content, we almost feel like Fred Covili.

But Karine has even more beauty in store for us. She takes us to the Jérusalem descent. This starts at the top of Tougnette. It’s a long, blue descent that runs in the direction of the village of Saint-Martin-de-Belleville. Along the way, we enjoy breathtaking views. On this relaxed descent, we also have ample opportunity to look around, as this piste is relaxed and not difficult. We don’t go all the way to the charming village. Halfway, we take the Saint Martin Express back up. A nice chance to ask Karine how the descent got that special name Jérusalem. Karine explains that many Jews fled Nazi Germany in the run-up to World War II. Many were taken in in Saint-Martin-de-Belleville. The name of the piste is a reminder of that time.

At half past four, Karine drops us off at our hotel, right on the piste. We thank her for the beautiful day. She has given us an excellent impression of the possibilities for winter sports in Les Menuires. An area that pleasantly surprises us. It’s actually not busy anywhere, the pistes are great and the modern lifts take us up quickly without waiting time.

First Track: First on the mountain

This morning we get up early, because we’re participating in the First Track. We go up the mountain first with a number of professionals, including local ski greats. At sunrise, we descend on a freshly prepared piste. Around 8 o’clock, we step into the gondola that takes us to Pointe de la Masse at over 2,800 metres in eight minutes. It’s quiet, the world seems to be still asleep. Once at the top, we’re rewarded with an incomparable view. The sun colours the sky orange and pink, while the snow-capped mountain peaks surround us. The ultimate highlight of our winter sports in Les Menuires.

The descent feels magical. The piste is in splendid condition. We don’t make any effort to follow the professionals. They go down the red piste at dizzying speed. Our pace is much slower and we take the blue descent. It’s a shame that we arrive at the bottom again after a magnificent tour. There we go up again with the gondola. At the top, a delicious Savoyard breakfast awaits us in the mountain restaurant. Warm croissants, local cheeses, charcuterie and a cup of steaming coffee. This is enjoyment at the highest level.

View from Pointe de la Masse

After breakfast, we take another look at the viewing platform. Such a winter panorama never ceases to fascinate. Mont Blanc lies majestically in the distance, surrounded by a sea of snow-capped mountain peaks. Thanks to the pointing panels on the viewpoint, no one can miss that mountain. We experience the silence, as we are almost alone. At other times of the day, it’s very busy here. But now we have the view exclusively to ourselves.

The most beautiful pistes of Les Menuires

In the days that follow, we ski on our own over the sunny pistes. In total, the Les Menuires ski area has about 160 kilometres of descents. Of these 87 ski pistes, about 15% is green and almost half is blue. We mainly take the blue descents and occasionally a red one. We leave the black pistes well alone.

Our favourite pistes in the Les Menuires ski area are:

• Bouquetin. This blue descent runs from the Pointe de la Masse viewpoint to Les Menuires. On the way, we of course make a photo stop at the life-size statue of the ibex (bouquetin). After that, it’s kilometres of enjoyment on a wonderful piste.
• Pluviomètre. A wonderfully long blue descent that we almost have to ourselves every time. We don’t understand why, as it’s a fantastic descent.
• 3 Marches. From the top of 3 Marches runs this beautiful blue piste. The first bit requires caution, as it’s steep. After that, it’s all about smooth gliding. When it’s sunny, this piste lies nicely in the sun. This makes skiing even more pleasant.
• Jérusalem. We mentioned this one earlier in the blog. A nice piste towards the lovely village of Saint-Martin-de-Belleville.

All the descents mentioned above are blue pistes. There are also plenty of red and black descents in the Les Menuires ski area. We have no opinion on the black ones, we didn’t take them. We did take many red pistes, and they are all worth it. But they require, more than a red piste in Austria, some technical skill to be able to descend in a controlled manner.

Mountain restaurants during winter sports in Les Menuires

Along the pistes, we discover many cosy mountain restaurants. Some are nice and small, others a bit larger. But they all have one thing in common: they are incredibly atmospheric. Because we have the most beautiful weather we could wish for during our winter sports in Les Menuires, we sit on the terrace every time. But inside, every restaurant has also done its best to create a cosy ambiance.

These are our favourite places for a cup of coffee or a tasty lunch:

• Le Mont de la Chambre is located at the top of the Col de la Chambre. A great place to have a fantastic view of the entire Les 3 Vallées ski area.
• Another nice restaurant with an unparalleled view: Le 2800. This atmospheric restaurant is located at the top of Pointe de la Masse. Enjoy food and drinks in a romantic ambiance.
• Le Chalet du Sunny is located at the foot of the Sunny Express and offers a sunny terrace with panoramic views. In the afternoon, there’s often a fun après-ski party.
• Roc 7 is a hotspot on the ski slope. In this restaurant, you can enjoy delicious pasta, tasty pizzas and spectacular live music. If there’s no place on the terrace, you can relax in one of the many loungers and get a snack or coffee from the food truck by the terrace.
• Finally, there’s La Loy, along the descent to Saint-Martin-de-Belleville. This cosy restaurant serves regional dishes and has an intimate atmosphere.

There are even more mountain chalets and restaurants in Les Menuires. You can find them in this overview of restaurants in Les Menuires.

Advantages of winter sports in Les Menuires

After more than three days, we’ve gotten a good impression of the unprecedented possibilities for a great winter sports holiday in Les Menuires. These are the advantages of winter sports in Les Menuires:

• Excellent location in Les 3 Vallées, with access to an enormous ski area.
• Many varied pistes for both beginners and advanced skiers in Les Menuires itself.
• Quiet and relaxed atmosphere, without busy après-ski.
• Beautiful views from, among others, Pointe de la Masse and Col de la Chambre.
• Almost everywhere the possibility of ski-in/ski-out.
• Good facilities for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. We’ll write a separate blog about this.
• The price level is significantly more attractive compared to some other destinations in Les 3 Vallées.
• All amenities concentrated close together at the bottom of the slopes in La Croisette.

We’re happy to accept that the architecture is not to our taste everywhere. Winter sports in Les Menuires are certainly recommended for skiers who love challenging and long descents. Les Menuires is the perfect destination for those who want to enjoy a sporty winter sports holiday. We can ski wonderfully here and relax in one of the cosy restaurants on the piste. And if you’ve had enough of skiing, you can go snowshoeing or cross-country skiing. A separate blog will follow about this.

We enjoyed wonderful winter sports in Les Menuires at the invitation of the Les Menuires Tourist Office. We have written the blog independently and objectively based on our own impressions.

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