The highest village in the area: open terrain, young crowds and the most famous après in the Alps.
Skied here
2300 mForecast at 2300 m today: low / high, modelled snow depth, and new snow in the last 24 hours.
If you like a party, yes. It is full of younger people having fun, and La Folie Douce is the most famous place to party on skis. The main piste is lined with restaurants, bars and après spots.
The skiing is more open than in the other valleys, with one central run that the others flow into. It is a great place even if you are not that into skiing. Prices sit above Mottaret and around Meribel.
3 day routes from here. Highlighted steps are specific to Val Thorens. Tap a profile to see it on the map.
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.
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.
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.
At 2300 m this is the snow-sure end of the area. In March and April it has the best snow in the 3 Vallees.
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.
Not sure Val Thorens is right? These neighbours share the same lift pass.
Fly to Geneva, Lyon or Chambery and drive up the Tarentaise to Moutiers, then up the valley. Trains reach Moutiers, but most people use a car or a transfer.