www.doitnow.co.za | Adventure • 29

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Snowboarding in Méribel

THE SIGN AT THE TRAIN STATION IN MOUTIERS READ, WELCOME TO

ARGUABLY THE BIGGEST SKI AREA IN THE WORLD. IT WAS PRETTY

AWESOME TO BE HERE, AT SUCH A IMPRESSIVE LANDMARK, AND I

HAD GREAT EXPECTATIONS FOR THE WEEK AHEAD, THE SECOND OF

OUR THREE-WEEK SKIING HOLIDAY IN EUROPE.

FRANCE

26 • DO IT NOW April | May 2012

inH2O: Words by Francois FlamengoPhotos by DO IT NOW

MERIBEL INFORMATION

Currency Euro

Altitude 1400 metres

Winter season December to April

Summer season July to August

Lyon Airport 2 hour transfer

Grenoble Airport 2 hour transfer

Nearest train station Moutiers (18km)

Méribel

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www.doitnow.co.za | Adventure • 27

In the previous issue I spoke about snowboarding

in Lech and what you can expect from the fantastic

après-ski scene related with the sport. In this article,

I'll tell you about our magical few days in Méribel, near

the town of Moutiers in the French Alps, and why

you should seriously consider adding this amazing

destination to your DINList.

Méribel refers to three neighbouring villages in the Les

Allues commune of the Savoie département of France,

called Méribel Centre, Méribel-Mottaret and Méribel

Village. The villages are located within the Vanoise

National Park and are a part of the famed Trois Vallées

interlinked ski system, an area that shares 335 marked

runs (over 600 kilometres of terrain), 198 lifts and

more than 130km of cross country tracks, making it

the largest ski area in the world. The Trois Vallées was

expanded about 10 years ago to incorporate a fourth

valley, but the area has kept the name Trois Vallées.

Ski resorts in this area include Méribel, Courchevel,

La Tania, Les Menuires-Saint Martin, Val Thorens and

Orelle. Méribel has hosted many world-class events,

including the 1992 Winter Olympic Games, ice hockey

and women's alpine skiing events. These activities

have helped to develop the popularity of this ski

destination and it is easy to recognise the sense of

adventure that is available here.

John, a very friendly fellow from the UK who works in

the area, picked us up from the Moutiers train station

in a very UK'ish Land Rover 110. This is not the usual

mode of transport for transfers, but due to heavy

snow fall in Les Allues, the village where we would

be staying for the next five days, our taxi was stuck

in the snow. As we drove through the falling snow to

the village, we were greeted with a picture-perfect

view that looked like something you would find on a

I-wish-you-were-here postcard; the mountains were

covered in a deep layer of pristine snow and the trees

reminded me of white, glittering Christmas trees, with

little evidence of any green. Everything was covered

in a lot of glorious snow!

Méribel-MottaretLounging with a view

One of the many chair lifts

On top of the world Popular Bubble liftsA Burton snowboard

28 • DO IT NOW April | May 2012

As we entered Les Allues John gave us a quick rundown

of the place. "Right, so this is the main road, that there is

the local shop for anything you need and down this little

road is the local pub. Don’t worry about any language

barriers, almost everyone speaks English as most of the

people working here are from England. And this here is

your house." The Landy turned into a steep and narrow

road and parked in front of a multi-level chalet made out of

wood, with a trickle of smoke escaping from the chimney

and the roof covered in … you guessed it, a thick layer of

snow. Lee and Christina, our hosts, introduced themselves

and quickly made us feel at home with a delicious cup of

hot, fragrant coffee. While enjoying our coffee, Lee gave us

a quick overview of the house, a Piste map each, explained

where we can store our kit for easy access every morning

and discussed the menu for the week. Once everyone was

happy and acquainted with the rules of the house, Lee

offered us a ride to Méribel's main ski area, so we could

familiarise ourselves with the village and get a closer look

at the slopes.

The main village of Méribel is about a 10-minute drive from

Les Allues. It's incredibly pretty and totally different to Lech,

as it has a more commercial feel because of the many

different shops you can buy kit from. All the big labels are

available and if you can't find what you're looking for in any

of the shops, then it simply doesn’t exist.

We decided to study the local Piste map in one of the pubs

close to the main gondolas, whilst sampling and thoroughly

enjoying some of the local brew available on tap. Demi-

pêche, a lager served with peach syrup, was an instant hit

with the ladies. With so many route options available we

decided to take Lee’s advice and start with the runs that

were interconnected with the starting point labelled Saulire.

There were plenty of Blue and Green slopes on offer, which

covered a distance of around five kilometres from start to

finish. But more about the slopes later.

When we arrived 'home', we immediately realised that

our hosts took their culinary duties very seriously and

proceeded to serve a Moroccan Lamb Shank dish that was

truly superb, turning us all into greedy gluttons. Absolutely

stuffed, I could barely pick up my glass of wine, next to

the fireplace, because I had no fingers left from the meal

;-). This was the start of a sublime gastronomical affair,

and the daily, very generous three-course suppers were an

occasion not to be missed.

The next morning we were up early and extremely eager to

put our new-found skills, acquired on the slopes of Lech,

to the test on the slopes we'd targeted for the day. A van

transported us to the main village, where we quickly sorted

out our ski passes and jumped into a gondola destined for

Saulire. As we climbed up the mountain we were treated

to a magnificent aerial view of the area and many different

routes running down the mountain in various directions. The

gondola stopped and we made our way down the stairway

and strapped on our boards. The plan was simple; start on

the Green run marked on the map as Blanchot, aim for the

bottom, remember what we learnt in Lech and survive the

first run. The plan was a simple and good one, or so we

thought. Giggling like nervous school children we set off,

ready to conquer the white powder and mountain, but a silly

navigational error soon had the group split up and following

some 'unplanned' runs solo. This early lesson helped me

to become more accustomed to the less glamorous side

of snowboarding, aptly named 'snowfalling' by my wife.

But once we had figured out how the run worked it was

awesome, with many variations to challenge different skill

levels. I ended up doing about 10 runs, and by the end of

the day I could feel my body asking me if I was on a suicidal

path of complete destruction. We finally called it a day and

stopped at the lively Rond Point bar, where we exchanged

our stories of the day and nursed our injuries with a few

cold antidotes - for the pain of course ;-)

The next few days turned out to be some of the finest

snowboarding of our entire trip - it was alpine action at its

best! I loved combining the Saulire run with the Golf Course

run as it included many wide slopes with enough space

to commit to bigger turns and feel the edge of the board

cutting through the snow, spraying snow into the air like a

snowboard professional – a perfect Kodak moment.

The Truite run, from Mottaret to the main Méribel Village,

was a perfect beginner slope. It was also a great fun run

after a cup of coffee in the little village before heading back

to the main gondolas leading up into the mountains. But

what I liked most about this slope is that with everyone

trying to see how fast they could go, it was nice and wide

to avoid unexpected collisions.

For the more experienced riders, the off-piste options (skiing

that takes place on snow that has not been compacted into

tracks) were simply insane. Everywhere you looked were

freshly-carved tracks from the seasoned snowboarders,

as they worked their way down the mountain through a

massive amount of powder. I have to admit that I was really

envious of the skill demonstrated, especially by the riders

standing on the highest points at either Plattiers 3, Roc De

Tougneor or Mount Du Vallon. You could see the intensity

and excitement burning in their eyes each morning after

a fresh layer of powder covered over the mountain. And

when they got going it was like watching a painter creating

an abstract masterpiece, as they effortlessly engraved their

own lines and paths down the steep mountain. This is the

stuff that chokes you up with such longing, so that all you

are capable of is a tight-throated whisper – wait for me ;-)

AFTER A WEEK IN THIS ALPINE HAVEN, I FOUND

THAT MERIBEL IS PERFECT IF YOU ARE LOOKING

FOR A FRIENDLY VIBE, DIFFERENT SLOPES AND

A BIT OF ENGLISH CULTURE IN THE HEART OF

FRANCE. I HAVE A LOT OF UNFINISHED BUSINESS

HERE AND CANT WAIT TO HIT THE SLOPES OF

THE MANY OTHER ROUTES ON OFFER, WITH MY

SNOWBOARD, IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE. •

Some snowboarders ready to go

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