You might be wondering if it’s possible to ski from Meribel to Val Thorens, and you’ll be happy to know that it is! Linked by the vast 3 Vallees network of lifts, you can ski across almost all of the resorts without every unclipping your skis. For an epic expedition like that, along with the best route, you’ll also want to check out the best ski pants and the best ski jackets for the job, too, right?
Meribel to Val Thorens route
Skiing from Méribel Centre to Val Thorens isn’t exactly easy. Despite being in neighbouring valleys, because they’re at such different altitudes, you’ll need to ascend almost 1,000 m just to get level with Val Thorens’ centre. The fastest way to get there is by taking the Tougnète 1 gondola and Tougnète 2 chairlift up to the Tougnète peak at 2,437 m.
From here, ski down Dahu (a red), and then at the top of the Combes 2 lift, head right onto Martre (a blue). Follow this to the Châtelet chairlift, then take the traverse across to the Côte Brune chairlift. At the top, you’ll be on the Col de la Chambre at 2,850 m. From there, you’re right above Val Thorens, with direct access to its centre and the entire valley.
Alternatives for beginners
If red runs are a little beyond you, from the top of Tougnète, you can head down Grosse Tougne on the Les Menuires side (over the ridge). Take this all the way to the green run called Violette, then keep an eye out for the Stade lift on your left. Head down Petit Creux (a blue run) to find the Montée de la Chambre lift, which will take you right up to the top of the Côte Brune lift at the Col de la Chambre high point at 2,850 m.
From there, you can take one of the blue traverses across and find either Pluviomètre or Mont de la Chambre—both blue runs that lead down to the resort. Just remember to bear left at the crossings or you’ll head toward the Bruyères 1 gondola in Les Menuires. Not to worry if that happens, though, because you can simply ride Bruyères 1 back up to the Col de la Chambre to continue on your way.
Skiing back to Meribel
When you’re ready to return home, the easiest way back is to take the Bruyeres gondola to the top. To access this from the resort, take the Cairn blue trail down the valley to Bd Cumin, and stay on it until you pass the VT36 Plan de L’eau chair on your left, bearing right towards the gondola station.
Alternatively, if you’re already in the resort centre, you can take the VT3 Plein Sud or VT2 Pionniers lifts to the mid-station, then get on the 3 Vallees VT4 or VT5 to Col De La Chambre and then ski dow Lac de la Chambre back into the Meribel Calley. This will take you all the way down into Ours (a near-flat trail that runs back to Meribel). You can stay on this until you hit Mottaret, and then change to Truite to get back to Meribel centre.
Other routes
When you’re ready to return, the easiest route is to take the Bruyères gondola up. To access it from the resort, follow the Cairn blue run down the valley to Bd Cumin, and stay on it until you pass the VT36 Plan de l’Eau chair on your left. Bear right toward the gondola station once you see it.
Alternatively, if you’re already in the resort centre, you can take either the VT3 Plein Sud or VT2 Pionniers lifts to their mid-station, then switch to the 3 Vallées VT4 or VT5 to reach the Col de la Chambre. From there, ski down Lac de la Chambre into the Méribel valley. This run leads to Ours, a near-flat trail that connects to Mottaret, where you can change to Truite and cruise all the way back to Méribel Centre.
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