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France | _ | | _ | | | The oldest ski resort in France is really a quaint village of 10,000 people where the tradition of fine skiing combines with the diversities a town this size can provide. Five main ski areas through the valley offer 50 lifts and varied terrain for skiers of all abilities. Le Brevent cable car begins just above the town and climbs to over 8,000 feet. Les Houches, Le Tour and sunny La Flegere is where beginners and intermediates will find many trails to ski. Les Grands Montets is the most popular area for the intermediate and the more advanced skiers. Strong intermediate and above skiers will want to accept the challenge of the Aiguille du Midi, reached by a two-stage cable car. This 7,000 foot descent on and along the glacier of Vallee Blanche includes spectacular mountain scenery dominated by Mont Blanc, Europe's highest mountain. For non-skiing hours, shops brim with crafts, fine clothing and perfumes. Horseback riding, swimming, tennis and ice skating are available. The casino and a variety of night spots will fill your evenings. Your Mt. Blanc ski pass also includes Courmayeur, Italy, Megeve and Les Contamines, France.
| | | _ | | _ | | | Courchevel is a series of hillside villages created in modern French style. Saint-Bon and Le Praz are charming ancient savoyard villages from the 16th century. Le Praz (Courchevel 1300) is lift-serviced for convenience. At 1550 and 1650 are two lovely, sunny, family oriented resorts with direct access to all the slopes of the 3 valleys. Courchevel 1850 is haut cuisine and all night partying if you please. They even created "Villages des Enfants", a protected ski area, where everything is geared for children's safety and fun! Since Courchevel was one of the hosts of the 1992 Winter Games it benefited from accelerated construction projects for new lifts, snowmaking, grooming facilities, hotels and restaurants. The lift system includes the world's largest cable car and connects to the Trois Vallees areas. | | | _ | | _ | | | Meribel is a special case among big French resorts: it is a modern and well-equipped resort which has kept the charm of an old village in Savoy. The most recent buildings respect the rules of the traditional architecture perfectly fitted to the landscape. In the heart of the marvelous skiing area of the "Trois Vallees", perfect for the pleasure of people keen on sport and beauty, Meribel is a harmonious resort for skiing with the sun all day long. Your "Trois Vallees" ski pass allows you to ski Courchevel, Les Menuires,Val Thorens and La Tania in addition to Meribel. There are trails for all abilities from wide, gentle well-groomed slopes for the beginners, to steep trails with moguls to challenge the experts. The extensive snow making system guarantees good snow on major trails leading to the resort. For off-trail skiing, we recommend a guide who will take you to untouched slopes to ski your heart out. Cross country skiing is also popular in the 3 Vallees Region. A special 6-day nonskier pass including cable cards, gondolas and shuttle bus between Meribel, Courchevel and Brides Les Bains (featuring a casino) is a great feature allowing nonskiers to fully enjoy this beautiful region.
| | | _ | | _ | | | Situated mid-way between Mont Blanc and Lake Geneva, Morzine is stunning for Alpine scenery, nestled between forests and summits. Here life is leisurely, and the village has lost nothing of its original Charm and the Savoyard way of life.
Ideally placed right in the middle of the Portes du Soleil, Morzine is the gateway to a marvellous winter playground of 650 km of ski-slopes. In summer, these slopes become sign-posted footpaths for trekking and MTB. Not forgetting the miles of open spaces surrounding the ski-runs from where you can head off into the middle of nowhere.
Either for a few days or a longer holiday, both idlers and sports fans will find everything they need for a real break with family or friends - everything for a perfect, peaceful and pleasurable holiday. Sharing, laughing, playing, discovering, with loads of thrills, fresh air, great food and views. You'll have a ball!
ONCE UPON A TIME... MORZINE-AVORIAZ
THE BEGINNING OF TOURISM - THE BUILDING OF THE ® GRAND HOTEL ¯
It is often rumoured that Morzine's debut as a tourist destination was due to a few obstinate well-placed civil servants posted in Geneva, who succumbed to the charms of this old village huddled at the top of the Aulps valley, and its gentle curving mountains and sheer vertiginous cliffs.
The `Grand Hotel' (first tourist hotel built in the 1920's) and its owner Fran‡ois Baud opened up a new chapter in the village's annuls. The influx of summer tourists was a breath of fresh air for local inhabitants who lived a modest life based on agriculture and the already declining slate-mines.
1934: OPENING OF THE PLNEY CABLE CAR
Ever more intrepid, tourists were slowly seduced by winter in Morzine. The thick covering of snow was a pretext for games and hitherto unknown sports:
tobogganing, ski-j”ring (towed behind a horse), the beginnings of downhill skiing and even ski-jumping!
In 1934, the Pleney cable-car was officially opened with great pomp and ceremony. It was only used by hikers and those in search of Alpine views, as skiing was still a sport reserved for the reassuring prairies down in the valley.
1960:THE BUILDING OF AVORIAZ
Winter sports were developing at an alarming pace and Morzine locals were in search of higher ski-fields, having already built ski-lifts on Pleney, Nyon and ChamossiŠre.
In 1960 Jean Vuarnet became resort director, and his task was to develop Avoriaz. The building of this `little Savoyard Colorado' with its mimetic architecture was the decisive move that lead to the creation of the Portes du Soleil, thanks to close relationships formed with Champ‚ry and les Crosets. It also lent Morzine-Avoriaz its double identity which allies tradition with modernism.
MORZINE TODAY
Following in its ancestors' footsteps, Morzine today continues this tradition of charming hospitality and controlled development. Today the resort has conserved the village's old-world `look': wooden facades, sculpted balconies, slate-covered roofs. all of which are typical of Morzine. But its services and infrastructure are in line with the demands of modern tourism.
Photo Credits:
Photo 1 JP Bertin/ OT Morzine
Photo 2 JP Bertin/ OT Morzine
Photo 3 F. Reinhart/ OT Morzine
Photo 4 F. Reinhart/ OT Morzine
Photo 5 F. Reinhart/ OT Morzine
Photo 6 F. Reinhart/ OT Morzine
Photo 7 F. Reinhart/ OT Morzine
Photo 8 F. Reinhart/ OT Morzine | | | _ | | _ | | | Tignes offers fantastic world class skiing all year long. Dazzling sunlight and feathery crystalline snow are hallmarks here.Everything seems on a grand scale: the largest glacier, the highest golf links and a marvelous new funicular (underground express) enabling 300 people at a time to reach 3, 035 meters (9,995 feet) in a mere 6 minutes. Oh yes, the carving and cruising at Tignes is fantastic, especially if you do not want to do the same run twice, if you should manage to try every run at Tignes, you still have all of Val d' Isere on the same ticket! Life at L' Espace Killy is grand! If that is not enough there is: para-gliding, snow scooters, husky drawn sledges, under-ice diving, snow shoeing, ski touring and hiking.
| | | _ | | _ | | | Val d' Isere. "the authentic skiers' village", manages incredible harmony between modern tourism, local architecture and being part of one of the largest ski areas in France. As host to some events of the '92 Winter Games, more polish was added to an already magnificent gem. L' Espace Killy is so immense it seems the only way to see it all is from the space shuttle! This little village reaches to a dizzying height of 3,700 meters and encompasses over 10,000 hectares (1 hectare = 10,000 square meters) of light powder covered snowfields! If your paradise is perfectly groomed and a little gentler, the Solaise sector has the nicest beginner and intermediate slopes. The Bellavarde sector has superb access including the Funival, an underground express through the rock, to the top of Rocher de Bellevarde, with lots more great runs The Col de Iseran area provides access to the Glacier de Pissaillas. The entire region of Val d' Isere has some of the most breathtaking vistas and best skiing imaginable. | | | _ | | _ | | | VAL THORENS At 2,300 meters Val Thorens is the highest village in the Trois Vallees Region. This area is vast and varied; it has some of the best expert/advanced skiing on the planet! From La Masse (2,805 meters) or Cime Caron (3,200 meters) the steeps, the powder, and the solitude are the essence of skiing, the epitome of the experience! Intermediates can ski or board nearly everywhere due to the excellent escapes. Beginners will love the many trails available and will revel in the thrill of Trois Vallees as well! Most hotels are situated for ski in, ski out. You can also enjoy boarding, para sailing, tandem micro-light aircraft, trekking, snowmobiling or video arcades and dancing all night long. This place has the rhythm of Carnival all at your doorstep! In addition there is an immense indoor sports complex, with three tennis courts, squash courts, roller hockey, golf simulator, gym, indoor swimming pool, sauna and massage. | | | | | | |
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To speak with a knowledgeable
ski specialist, a real person,
Call 888 463 9676 before you book!
Rocky Mountain Ski Vacations
931
Blake Avenue · Glenwood Springs · Colorado (CO) ·
81601
Email:
info@rocky-mountain-ski-vacations.com
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