3 Vallees day routes

Five ways to spend a day across the biggest linked ski area in the world, with the times from every village.

Day routes

Each route is described once. Village pages add the first and last legs from that village, with its own total time and last safe time to head home.

Lift upSki down, in the grade colourFaded: your village's own legs

Saulire and the Grand Couloir

2 h 30Black runsGood skiers
  • Pas du Lac gondola
  • Saulire 2738 m
  • Grand Couloir
  • Back over Saulire
  • Marcassin, Sanglier, Niverolle, Grande Rosiere or Aigle

The Mottaret and Courchevel classic, built around two of our favourite runs. Drop into the Grand Couloir from the top of the Pas du Lac gondola, then come back over the Saulire and down the tangle of bumpy reds on the Mottaret side.

Do the Couloir early. By afternoon it is busy, bumpy and often icy. Intermediates can take a lift down instead.

Val Thorens and back

Full dayRed runsIntermediate and up
  • Plattieres gondola
  • Cote Brune
  • Col de la Chambre
  • Val Thorens
  • Same way back

The big crossing to the highest village in the area, with lunch in Val Thorens. It is the route that most often goes wrong, because the link is exposed and shuts in bad weather.

Check the afternoon forecast before you go. If the Mottaret link closes, the lower way back through Les Menuires often stays open. Queues are worst just after lunch.

Orelle and the highest point

Full dayRed runsGood skiers, sunny days
  • Val Thorens
  • Over the ridge to Orelle
  • Bouchet chair 3230 m
  • Reds to Plan Bouchet
  • Rosael chair back

Over the back of Val Thorens into what is really a fourth valley. Mostly long reds, not very steep but often icy and cold, and the highest lift-served point of the 3 Vallees at 3230 m.

Pick your weather. On a grey day it is cold and flat-lit; on a sunny one it is the best day trip in the area.

Col de la Loze, the scenic link

2 h 30Blue runsIntermediates
  • Rhodos gondola
  • Loze chair
  • Col de la Loze 2304 m
  • Down to Courchevel 1850 or La Tania
  • Back to the Col

A quieter, prettier way between Meribel and Courchevel than the Saulire, through larch forest on the Courchevel side.

The full 3 Vallees traverse

Full dayRed runsStrong skiers, long day
  • Courchevel
  • Saulire
  • Mottaret
  • Val Thorens
  • Optional Orelle
  • Back the same day

Courchevel to Val Thorens and back in a day, with Orelle if your legs and the weather allow. The size of the area hits you on this one.

The classic first-timer mistake is getting stuck on the wrong side of a ridge when the lifts close. Know your last lift home before you set off.

Map

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Drag to move, scroll or pinch to zoom. Highlighted: the lifts and runs named in each route. Pistes, lifts, forests, lakes and villages © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Terrain from Mapzen/AWS Terrain Tiles.