Les Trois Vallées
Ski region in France / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Les Trois Vallées?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
Les Trois Vallées (French pronunciation: [le tʁwɑ vale]; "The Three Valleys") is a ski region in the Tarentaise Valley in the Savoie department of Southeastern France, to the south of the town of Moûtiers, partly in Vanoise National Park.
Les Trois Vallées | |
---|---|
Location | Savoie, France |
Nearest major city | Chambéry |
Coordinates | 45.5 N 6.5 E 45°21′N 6°36′E |
Top elevation | 3,230 m (10,600 ft) |
Base elevation | 600 m (2,000 ft) |
Skiable area | 600 km (370 mi) of runs |
Trails |
|
Longest run | 12 km (7.5 mi) Cîme de Caron |
Lift system |
|
Snowmaking | 2,300 cannons |
Website | www |
Since 1971,[1] it has been possible to ski the interlinked valleys using a single ski pass. Thus, Les Trois Vallées is the largest connected ski area in the world[2] which is linked solely by ski lifts and slopes. It claims to have about 600 km (370 mi) of ski slopes, resulting in 18.5 km² of groomed runs, while an independent expert measured about 493 km.[3] In addition, there are 120 km for cross-country skiing. Les Trois Vallées has 183 ski lifts, which can transport 260,000 skiers per hour. Other equipment owned by the operating companies include 2,300 snow cannons[4] and 73 snow grooming machines operated by 160 snow groomers who work in shifts during the night.[5] Other employees in the area include 424 ski patrollers and 3,000 ski instructors.[6]
As implied by its name, the area originally consisted of three valleys: Saint-Bon, Allues, and Belleville. The skiing area has since been extended into a 'fourth' valley, the Maurienne valley. It is adjacent to Val Thorens, but can also be accessed using a long gondola lift from Orelle. The following ski resorts are in Les Trois Vallées:
Valley | Resort | Established | Skiable range (m) | Sub-resorts |
---|---|---|---|---|
Saint-Bon | Courchevel | 1946 | 1300 - 2738 | Courchevel-Le Praz, Courchevel-Village (1550), Courchevel-Moriond (1650), Courchevel 1850 |
Saint-Bon | la Tania | 1990 | 1400–2305 | - |
Allues | Méribel | 1939 | 1400–2952 | Meribel-Village, Meribel, Meribel-Mottaret |
Allues | Brides-les-Bains | 1992 | 600–1450 | Les Allues |
Belleville | Val Thorens | 1972 | 1825–3200 | - |
Belleville | Les Menuires | 1964 | 1850–2850 | Les Menuires, Reberty, La Masse |
Belleville | Saint-Martin-de-Belleville | 1983 | 1400–2434 | - |
Maurienne | Orelle | 1997 | 900–3230 | - |