FranceFebruary 21, 2020, by Bart's Booklet

We need to tell you about winter sports in Les Menuires

Winter sports
France, February 21, 2020, by Bart's Booklet

We need to tell you about winter sports in Les Menuires

Dear winter sports enthusiasts, the moment is here. We are going to discuss it. We're going to talk about Scheveningen under the slopes: Les Menuires, in Les Trois Vallées in France.

Welcome to Scheveningen

Welcome to Scheveningen

Why do we hear you think: 'Scheveningen among the slopes'? Well, Les Menuires (in France, not The Hague) is - just like the beautiful coastline of Scheveningen - full of high-rise flats. Flats that deprive you of the view of the beautiful mountain peaks. Flats built in the 1970s. So no, definitely not the nicest flats. And certainly not chalets, as we like to see in winter sports areas. So what makes Les Menuires worth it?

The charm of Les Menuires

The charm of Les Menuires

Good question. We wondered that too. Because we admit: when we arrived in Les Menuires it was a bit of a shock. With our skis under our arms, ready to zip past the snow-covered trees of the mountain, what really stood out were the white, bare slopes. With those ugly, gloomy high-rise buildings at the bottom of the mountain. No trees, no forest, no view. The view at the foot of the mountain would have you believe that it is like skiing through a residential area.

So again, what's the charm of Les Menuires France? You will have to go up there, because it is clear at a glance: the phenomenal view over the mountain peaks. This ski area is surrounded by mountains. You go up via Le Mont de la Chambre (2.850 meters) and Pointe de la Masse (2.804 meters) and once at the top you can look out over the sea and mountain peaks of the French Alps. Mountains, mountains, mountains, you see nothing but mountains. So what is the charm of Les Menuires? Not necessarily the foot of the mountain, but the top.

About Les Menuires

About Les Menuires

But there is more. Because what also makes Les Menuires charming is the price. It is precisely thanks to those flats at the bottom of the slopes that Les Menuires is one great affordable winter sports destination. In fact: it is the most affordable village of Les Trois Vallées. And for the winter sports enthusiasts among us, Les Menuires has everything you could want: green, blue, red and black slopes, après ski, tobogganing, spas and swimming pools.

That may sound massive, but rest assured, it is not as bad as Scheveningen. Les Menuires has 3.500 inhabitants and has room for 65.000 tourists (count your group during the après ski!). These 3.500 inhabitants live across five neighborhoods: Preyerand, La Croisette, Les Fontanettes, Grand Rebery and Les Bruyères.

These neighborhoods are scattered throughout the valley, so it feels and acts like five different mini-villages (they are also colloquially referred to as 'ski resorts'). Anyway, together they form Les Menuires. And very charming: thanks to passorels, paths and bridges you can easily walk from one neighborhood to another. Each neighborhood has its own restaurants and shops with local products, but of all the neighborhoods, La Croisette is the epicenter of Les Menuires. Whether you walk left or right: you will quickly get that cozy winter feeling during your walk.

What we are also charmed by: at the ski area of ​​Les Menuires there are many opportunities to go off-piste. So actually we are not charmed by that at all, because we find the green and blue runs scary. But we understand the idea – and from the ski lift it looks beautiful, such a daredevil outside the poles!

We'll round it off with a conclusion, and it's a nice one: from Les Menuires you can ski to Val Thorens, loved by our teenagers, and to Saint Martin de Belle Ville, loved by the celebrity locals. Win-win. And for a change, Les Menuires is remarkably affordable, for sets and for the whole family. Anyway. On to Les Menuires in France, we would do it.

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