What You Need to Know About Les Menuires
There’s nothing quite like a skiing holiday.
Taking to the slopes and enjoying stunning mountain views is always a wonderful experience, and one you cannot get from any other type of trip. With this in mind, selecting the right location to ski is always extremely important.
The Alps is Europe’s biggest mountain range and sees thousands of people visiting each year. However, the range is jam-packed with a plethora of resorts all of which boast their own amenities, facilities and experiences.
One of these popular destinations is the resort of Les Menuires.
In this article, the team here at Alpine Fleet regularly helps visitors to the resort with leading transfers that transport people directly from the airport to the slopes.
With this in mind, we’ve put together a comprehensive guide that outlines everything you need to know about Les Menuires.
In this article, we’ll take a look at every element of the resort, examining the benefits of visiting this sensational location.
Where is Les Menuries?
The first thing you need to know about Les Menuries is where it is.
As previously mentioned, it can be found in the heart of the Alps, but the mountain range is extremely vast. More specifically, Les Menuries is on the French side of the Alps and can be found nestled between Saint-Martin-de-Belleville and Val Thorens in the beautiful Belleville Valley.
It is in a central location in one of the world’s largest skiing areas, and makes up part of the iconic Three Valleys region.
The history of Les Menuries
The Three Valleys is well-known for being one of the biggest skiing areas in the world, and Les Menuires makes up a prominent part of this region.
Many people mistakenly think the ‘three’ refers to the three resorts of Meribel, Courchevel and Val Thorens with Les Menuries often overlooked. This means that the region is a tad less touristy than the others, and it was actually the great success of Courchevel that initially saw Les Menuries become the success it is known as today.
It was in 1964 when Les Menuries was officially created, initially with just three drag lifts to get people to the peaks and pistes. Unlike some ski areas, Les Menuries was purpose built for skiing, with not a great deal going on in the area prior to this. Therefore, the resort really put Les Menuries on the map and in 1967 the first accommodation opened which welcomed tourists from all over the world. As well as this, a cable car opened its doors which offered people with a different way to climb the peaks while offering spectacular views.
In 1969 the first hotel opened its doors as well as Les Menuires’ own tourist office which remains in place today. 1973 is often regarded as one of the most pivotal years in the history of Les Menuries, as this was when the Allmands drag lift was opened which provided guests with access to the pistes at Meribel and Val Thorens also began to start being constructed. The interconnectivity between the resorts has gone on to become a big draw of Les Menuries and the early 70s saw the first origins of this.
In the mid-1980s, the area started to curb its impact on the environment after many years of heavy development and construction. The idea for satellite resorts was completely abandoned and the number of tourist accommodation options was reduced to ensure the area remained sustainable.
Instead, a small tourist village at Saint-Martin-de-Belleville was created, providing a place for visitors to gather without having to dominate the entire region. Now, the village is a hub for the region with 48 restaurants, 39 ski lifts and 62 trails to enjoy. And while thousands of visitors arrive each year, the ethos of being environmentally friendly and sustainable remains extremely important to Les Menuires.
How high is Les Menuries?
Whenever you go skiing, the altitude is going to be one of your first questions. While higher doesn’t always mean better, with Les Menuries you don’t need to worry about this.
You can reach an overall height of 1,850m (6,070ft) with more than 85% of the area located at heights that exceed 1,800 metres.
Is there snow in Les Menuires?
Going hand in hand with height is snow.
Whenever you go skiing you’re going to want to experience plenty of the white stuff, and it’s fair to say you’d be pretty disappointed if it was scarce. While the area is typically dry, it experiences an average annual snowfall of 312cm with around 29 days a year seeing heavy snowfall.
The average snow depth at Les Menuires is 134cm, and the resort also has excellent snow canons that help to give the region excellent coverage. In fact, more than 50% of the area has these canons in place so you can rest assured that you’ll never be short of snow!
How to get to Les Menuries?
Once you’ve selected Les Menuries as your resort of choice, you’re going to want to know how to get there.
Despite being based in France, flying into Switzerland’s Geneva Airport is perhaps your best option when it comes to travelling to the destination. From the airport, the drive to the resort is around 2 hours and 40 minutes, but it can take more than 3 hours depending on the conditions on the day. While this might seem long, many of the ski resorts in the Alps are located (understandably) in more remote areas and you’ll soon see the journey fly by thanks to the wonderful mountain views you’ll encounter on the trip.
While you can hire a car and drive to Les Menuries yourself, we’d always recommend getting a transfer. This is because driving on the mountain roads can be tricky if inexperienced, and being a passenger will allow you to better enjoy the wonderful views the area has to offer.
You can choose either a shared or private transfer, with regular journeys being made from Geneva Airport on a daily basis. Alpine Fleet offers its own transfers which can be catered specifically to you and your needs.
Is Les Menuries good for beginners?
Les Menuries is home to a whole host of different pistes, with the vast area offering up to 600 kilometres of skiable slopes.
With this in mind, it means that there are plenty of opportunities for beginners to get to grips with skiing for the first time. There are also 89 different ski slopes, with options available for people of all abilities.
Many of the easier slopes provide widths and layouts that are suitable for beginners and give people the time and space to practice at their own pace. In addition to this, there are several ski schools and lessons available with some of the most experienced ski instructors in the world. If you’re a complete novice, it is always worth booking in a lesson with one of these instructors to master the basics before tackling the slopes yourself.
Furthermore, on top of the range of beginner slopes, the atmosphere in and around Les Menuries is always very friendly and good-spirited. This means that if it is the first time you’ve ever spent in a ski resort, you can comfortably spend your time without having to worry about being an expert.
Can you ski from Val Thorens to Les Menuires?
As previously mentioned, Les Menuries is in the Three Valley ski area meaning it is connected to other ski resorts in the region. This include Val Thorens, another extremely popular location.
It is easy to ski between Les Menuires and Val Thorens by travelling through the beautiful Mont de la Chambre. You can ski from one to the other with ease, taking in the spellbinding views as you go.
Is Les Menuires family friendly?
If you’re considering going on a skiing holiday with your family, Les Menuires is a wonderful choice.
Since 2006, the resort has been Famille-Plus certified, an accreditation that is only awarded to ski resorts that provide leading family-friendly facilities. This includes kid-friendly slopes, childcare options, activities for the kids and much more.
Accommodation options can also be catered specifically to you and the unique specifications of your family.
Heading to Les Menuires?
If you’ve decided to head to Les Menuires on your next skiing holiday, Alpine Fleet is here to help. We offer private transfers and shared transfers that can get you from Geneva Airport to Les Menuires, making the entire process seamless and easy for you.
This means you will not need to worry about getting yourself to the resort, and focus only on enjoying your holiday.
For more information or to order a transfer, get in touch with our expert team today.
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