Maurienne Valley - Valmeinier

These are all thanks to its excellent location between the snowy Northern Alps, the sunny Southern Alps and the proximity of the motorway exit and rail station, 12km (seven miles) away at Saint-Michel de Maurienne.

Valmeinier (the name means “Valley of the mines”), has expanded up the slopes with a tasteful, low rise development at 1800m, above the original village.  This newer part of the resort dates from the mid 1980s, long after lessons had been learned about architectural design in the mountains.   This compact resort is therefore perfectly integrated with its beautiful surroundings. Its low rise chalet style buildings line the bottom of the main slope.  Looking out there are also splendid view of the peaks of Les Ecrins on one side and La Vanoise on the other. 

The resort is a fraction of the size of some of the Alpine giants that neighbour it, giving it an intimate and relaxed feel for most guests.  It is a small, quiet, sunny place that attracts mainly French families looking for hassle free time and undemanding slopes (although there are plenty of challenges for those looking for them).  The resort holds the French government ‘Famille plus’ label for its children’s facilities.

A free shuttle operate during the day and evening linking the old village at 1500 with the resort at 1800 so that village guests can take advantage of the facilities of both without needing to use the car after arrival.  If you prefer to just stay at 1800 however the facilities are more than adequate with about a dozen bars and restaurants in total, including a pizzeria.  There are a similar number of shops including bakery, deli and outlets for regional products. There’s also a newsagent, launderette, photographers, chemists, two 24 hour cash dispensers and a hairdressers.  For apres fun there are two cinemas, bowling, three pubs and a night club.

Why Valmeinier?

·          A 'real' French resort

·          With Valloire, it has 150km of piste – 70% of which is above 2000 m (6,500 ft)

·          Excellent for families

Children

Valmeinier has acquired the Famille Plus label for its childcare facilities. Please click here to view more information on the Famille Plus label.

·          Child minding from 3 months

·          Kids club and ski school from 3 years

·          Sledge runs (1800)

·          Playroom with inflatable games

·          Family snow shoe outings

La Galipette" nursery at Valmeinier 1800

Nursery with room from three months to three years. Has room for an afternoon nap, a games area, a safe outside playground and qualified staff.
Very young children can benefit from an hour's adaptation on Sundays (once per child).

From 3 months to under 3s
We strongly recommend booking ahead at least two weeks before your arrival. Children must be vaccinated (BCG and DT Polio).
Bring health records. You will need to bring nappies, favourite toys, warm clothing, and a change of clothes for indoors and outdoors.

Adaption hour - €9

½ day - €28 or €115 for the week

½ day with meal – 40 or €160 for the week

Full day with meal - €50 or €210 for the week

From 3 years to 10 years

For children who do not want to ski – indoor/outdoor games (skating, sledging, snow games, drawing, videos…)

½ day - €26 or €105 for the week

½ day with meal - €35 or €140 for the week

Full day with meal - €42 or €170 for the week

Open Sunday to Friday, 8.45 to 17.30.
Tel. +33 (0)4 79 59 53 69
E-mail: galipette@valmeinier.com

Activities        

Family snowshoe outings - family snowshoe walks: during the school holidays, special family outings are on offer, including nature walks (observe animals with a telescope), finding animal tracks and transceiver training (including searching for avalanche victims)

Toboggan run - near the residences, two groomed and protected toboggan runs. They are opened all the day long, and in the evening.

Snowshoeing

Microflights- to explore Valmeinier from above, c€50

Tel. 06 87 56 44 43
E-mail: ulm@wanadoo.fr

Paragliding - short flight: c€54, long flight: c€69

Enquiries and booking
Tel. +33 (0)6 10 82 91 69

Chairlifts for walkers - three chairlifts are open to non-skiers to facilitate high-altitude walks

Skating rink - at Valmeinier 1800. Open from Sunday to Friday from 14.00 to 20.00

Adventure trail - explore Valmeinier 1500 and the surrounding landscape by following signposts marking features of the terrain. The circuit is educational but can also be used for non-competition orienteering.
Valloire has six circuits for children (from two years) and adults.
Three maps, with routes of varying difficulty on sale at Tourist Board for €2.

Walking paths - 15km of paths around Valmeinier 1500 and Valmeinier 1800.

Orienteering course - explore Valmeinier 1500 and its natural riches, using special maps to criss-cross the orienteering area.

Ice climbing - the chance to climb frozen waterfalls. Climbing wall at Valmeinier 1500. Free access. Lessons available.

Heritage outings - explore the riches of Savoy in the company of a guide.
Excursions on foot or by coach

Tandemski - Now, even non-skiers can discover the joys of the sport! Thanks to the Tandemski, an articulated seat, ski instructors will be happy to show you around our ski area with its 150 km of runs!

Mont Thabor Farm - Cyril and Marie, who are both breeders and cheese makers, will introduce you to their herd and tantalise your palates by offering you the chance to taste their cheeses, which are refined in the heart of our mountains. Open and free access every day from 8 am to 8 pm. The farm is located in La Combaz, between Valmeinier 1800 and Valmeinier 1500

Sled dogs - half-day, full-day or introductory outings are on offer, for you to discover this magical activity and experience the atmosphere of the Great North. Courses and group rates available.

Luge courses - 3 luge courses with different difficulty levels have been built to delight young and old alike. And grown-ups can also slide down the mountain at night!

Eating Out and Après-Ski + amenities

Valmeinier 1500
3 bars-restaurants, pub, 3 sport shops, supermarket, tobacconists/newsagent, souvenir shop,  garage

Valmeinier 1800(where our accommodation is located)
11 bars-restaurants, pizzeria, deli/caterer, 3 souvenir shops,  tobacconists/newsagent, 8 sport shops, 3 supermarkets, bakers/tea room, launderette, photographer, chemists, nursery, 2 24/24 cash dispensers,  discotheque, 3 pubs, hairdresser, 2 regional products

Cinemas

100-seat cinema on the town square of Valmeinier 1500

2 screens (220, 80 seats) beneath the square of the tourist office at 1800

This shows the latest national releases in late afternoon and evenings

Bowling Hall and Amusement Arcade

4 Alley bowling hall and amusement arcade (pool, pinball, arcade games etc) in 1800

Free shuttles operate during the day and the evening
Valmeinier 1500 - Grand Panorama – Valmeinier 1800 – Top of the resort,
enabling you to benefit from services in both resorts and easy access to the skating rink, ski lessons and all the shops

Valmeinier Tourist Office

73450     

Tel +33 4 79 59 53 69

Access                        

By Road: Driving distance from Calais to Valmeinier 580 miles (8hrs30)

From Calais, take A26 Motorway towards Reims and Troyes, then Dijon, Lyon, then A43 Motorway or RN6 to St Michel de Maurienne…Follow signs to Valmeinier (12 km from the motorway exit).

By Rail: Saint-Michel de Maurienne/Valloire station. Shuttle to resort: + 33 (4) 79 05 01 32 (www.altibus.com)

Airports:

Chambery 100km +33 479 54 49 54

Geneva (130km) +41 22 798 20 00

For further information on car parking, transfers, etc: www.gva.ch/en (then select Transportation in menu)

Lyon Saint-Exupery 160 km +33 472 22 72 21

Access Plan

Valmeinier

Click on maps to enlarge

Resort Map

Valmeinier

The lightly wooded terrain is varied and some of the runs are as long as 1,000 vertical metres.  Trails for all standards include wide blue and red 'motorways' and tougher descents such as the excellent JMB down towards Valloire or the mogul field above Valmeinier 1500.

Beginners will find a well above average choice of runs, both for first timers and progressing. Runs include a gentle blue which heads down from Grand Plateau to Valmeinier 1800.

Advanced skiers will also enjoy the Cascade and Olympique pistes, two of the six blacks in the area as well as the long Grandes Droze back run to Valmeinier 1500 can present a challenge when the bumps build up and the area from Crey du Quart down into the Valmeinier Valley has some very decent off-piste.  There is also a terrain park and a half-pipe.

Skiers looking for tougher skiing can consider a day trip to Karellis (less than an hour away) or even to the famous Trois Valleys which is linked from Orelle to Val Thorens by what was until recently the world's longest gondola lift.   A heliskiing trip over to Italy is another possibility.

For the free-riding community Valmeinier provides a qualified off-piste sector, on the Gros Crey and Crey du Quart massifs. There is scope for untold fun there. They climb to 2,600 metres, bathed in sun, offering skiers a taste of more southerly climes. With its unsullied environment and friendly, modern villages, you will be nature's guests.

The snowpark is located on the Crey du Quart massif, beside the Château Ripaille draglift on the Valloire side. It consists of a preshaped half-pipe and boardercross course. Groomed everyday by professional crews. To vary the tricks, the number of big-air, hip and quarter-face features increases during the winter with each new snowfall.

First-time skiers can build up their confidence on the wide and gentle runs above the village that are served by the two village drag lifts.  The Jeux chair lift accesses further longer green and blue runs including the superb Petit Dejeuner and Reine des Prés runs which return to the village.

A selection of 51 varied blue and red pistes on the slopes above Valmeinier and Valloire make the area ideal for intermediates of all standards.  The Gros chair lift in the Valmeinier sector allows access to the Genepi and Elantiers red runs which descend to Valmeinier 1500 through a vertical drop of more than 1000m.  From here skiers can easily visit the skiing on the slopes above Valloire.

Advanced skiers and boarders will enjoy a choice of steeper reds and 14 black pistes throughout the area.  The most testing runs descend from the Crey du Quart and in Valloire on the Setaz parallel to the Olympic World Cup downhill run.  Throughout this immense and uncrowded system there are superb areas of safe and untracked off-piste that benefit from the resorts northernly aspect.

Handsfree Skipass and over 400 snow cannons.

Lift passes

Save Time in resort and budget ahead by pre-booking lift passes. See below for prices.

Pre-book your Galibier Thabor lift-pass with Peak Retreats

Pass covers Valloire and Valmeinier

When you purchase a 6 day lift pass, for an extra c €11/day - payable locally - you can ski in one of the 20 ski resorts of the Maurienne Valley.

Children under 6 and seniors over 75 receive a FREE lift pass.

*Proof of age will be required for reduced price passes.

Ski Schools

Call us to pre-book your group ski lessons

Please note that a booking fee of £9 per party will be charged

* Ski & Snowboard group lessons with English speaking instructors are afternoons only (Sun-Fri) - times to be confirmed. Between 2 & 2hrs30/day depending on dates. Ski lessons from 3 years old. Snowboard lessons from 10 years old.

Individual tuitions (07/08 prices)

Please note that prices are an indication only and are subject to change

Individual tuitions can only be booked directly through the ski school

Ecole du Ski Francais +33 04.79.59.23.70

Mountain restaurants

3

Free-ride

For the free-riding community Valmeinier provides a quality off-piste sector, on the Gros Crey and Crey du Quart massifs. They climb to 2,600 metres, bathed in sun, offering skiers a taste of more southerly climes. With its unsullied environment and friendly, modern villages, you will be nature's guests.

The snowpark is located on the Crey du Quart massif, beside the Château Ripaille draglift. It consists of a preshaped half-pipe and boardercross course. To vary the tricks, the number of big-air, hip and quarter-face features increases during the winter with each new snowfall.