Valmeinier - slopes
The Galibier-Thabor offers plentiful high-altitude skiing, divided into two halves: the Valmeinier sector and the Valloire area. Valmeinier’s terrain is set on either side of a deep valley through which the Neuvache river flows discretely. The sunnier, village side is among the wide open slopes below the Col des Marches (2725m) and the lift-accessible Le Gros Crey (2594m), which offers some of the highest lift-served skiing in the Galibier-Thabor. Surprisingly, in addition to the expected red and black runs from here there’s also a choice of green-graded routes all the way back to the main villages, so novices also get to enjoy a top-of-the-mountain experience. There are also plenty of red and blue cruising runs, well-served by chairlifts.
Getting across the river to the opposite, shadier side means riding the Armera chairlift across the steep gorge – an incredible experience in itself, with stunning views – and transferring to the Grandes Drozes high-speed chairlift. Once there, a choice of blue or black runs will take you back down. Most skiers take the blue piste across to the Moneul chairlift (or the twin Plan Palais draglifts) for access to a wide range of tempting choices, including the epic Armera blue back down again and some gorgeous runs into and around the Valloire sector. You can also return via piste Combe Orsière, which oversees beautiful landscapes into the valley.
Stay closer to home, though, and you’ll often find Valmeinier’s own terrain blissfully quiet – as it has fewer tourist beds than Valloire.
Ski highlights for all levels
Beginners: Almost uniquely for the French Alps, novice and less-confident skiers in Valmeinier are offered the chance to ski from the top of the mountain (Le Gros Crey, 2594m) and all the way back to the village again, on the green-graded Lauzes, Petit Déjeuner, Chardons and Epilobes pistes.
What is more, the neighbouring blue pistes are relatively benign, making the transition a more straightforward, confidence-building affair than in other resorts. It’s a key point, as unless you can ski at least a blue you won’t be venturing across the valley, let alone to Valloire, as there are no green return runs to Valmeinier. There is, however, a beginner area above La Girodière, served by shuttle-buses and the Armera chairlift. Both Gros Crey and 1800 villages have their own beginner areas.
Intermediates: There are relaxed blues above the 1800 village, along with confidence-building reds from Le Gros Crey, and if you head across the valley early you’ll enjoy a whole lot more excellent, uncrowded scenic cruising. Le Crey du Quart (2534m) is the gateway to much of Valloire’s terrain (with blue and red runs right down to the village) and you can also drop onto Armera, one of our favourite scenic blues, for a long run through the forest, taking you to the Armera chairlift (which carries skiers across the gorge in both directions), or go via piste Combe Orsière.
If you stay in the Valloire sector, the blue-graded Selles will take you on a memorably long run around a deep valley below Le Grand Plateau (2524m), from which you can join Myosotis – a relaxed green for an onward cruise round to Moulin Benjamin, up the valley from Valloire. There are plenty of other options in this intermediate playground, too.
Experts: While there seem to be lots of off-piste opportunities nearby, many are not viable, due to the instability of snow-cover on steeper terrain. However, both Le Gros Crey and Crey du Quart are used by freeriders, the latter with the reassurance that you’ll eventually reach Combe Orsière – a long, blue-graded return run from Le Grand Plateau (2524m) down to the Girodière chairlift, which will allow you to ski back to the Armera chair to cross the valley.
Alternatively, you can peel off the Armera piste above the tree-line for a steep powder drop onto the Grapil Blue – and when avalanche risk is low there’s some interesting powder-skiing potential across in the Valloire sector near Les Verneys, where once-lift-served terrain on the slopes below Crey Rond (2667m) was handed back to nature in 2000.
Also above Valloire are Meregers and Dahu, both black-graded and normally left ungroomed - as are the Chamois and Edelweiss Reds, if you feel like getting in some mogul practice. The same applies to Cotérieux, accessed from Le Crey du Quart and feeding onto the Combe Orsière Blue.
Ski schools and guides
The ESF is the only choice of ski school in Valmeinier. Operating from three offices, there are meeting places convenient for the main tourism residences, and close to the lifts. They offer group lessons for children, plus group or private lesson for adults. You can book and pay for lessons via the website (available in English). ESF also offer a programme of handiski sessions (skiing for people with a disability) with qualified personnel. Contact the school direct to find out more and to reserve equipment.
Lift system
The whole Galibier-Thabor area has seen continued heavy investment in lift infrastructure in recent years. Virtually the whole Valmeinier sector is now served by chairlifts, the only exceptions being Saussette, a debutante area button-lift and the Crête and Plan Palais I & II draglifts in the Crey du Quart area. With a little planning, however, you can avoid them and take the modern chairs instead. Chances are you’ll get to know the Armera chairlift across the lower end of the Neuvache river, although you can cross the upper end of the valley rapidly and comfortably by taking the Inversins high-speed four-seater. Elsewhere in the Valloire sector things have been similarly upgraded in recent years, with few drag-lifts remaining and new powerful gondolas up from the village.
Snow reliability and snowmaking
The Valloire/Valmeinier area is one of the better performers in the natural snowfall stakes. On top of that, some 400 snow-cannon have been added, both to kick-start the season and to assure snow-cover from December-April. The investments look like continuing, with new projects confirmed to extend cover on lower sections of return runs.