Val Thorens, the top of the Three Valleys

Val Thorens is a ski resort in Savoie, France, at the head of the Belleville valley, and at 2,300 m it is presented by Les 3 Vallées as the highest resort in Europe. It sits in the highest part of the Three Valleys, opens first and closes last each winter, and its slopes run up to the Cime Caron at 3,200 m. Most people go there for one reason: snow that holds when lower resorts are struggling.

It is also part of the same lift network as Courchevel, which is why so many of our guests ski Val Thorens without ever sleeping there. This page is written from that point of view. It covers what the Val Thorens ski station is like, which dates it is the only place in the area to ski, how to do a full day there from a Courchevel chalet and get home on skis, and when it makes more sense to stay in Val Thorens itself.

For the size, passes and the seven resorts of the area as a whole, see our guide to the Three Valleys ski area; we do not repeat it here.

The argument for Val Thorens is altitude, and the figures make it plainly. Across the whole 3 Vallées, 85% of the ski area is above 1,800 m. In Val Thorens, 1,800 m is the bottom: the lowest lift, at Plan de l’Eau, starts where most of the network is only beginning. Above the village, the Thorens and Péclet funitels reach close to 3,000 m and the Cime Caron cable car 3,200 m, and the tourist office calls the nearby Pointe du Bouchet the highest skiable summit of the Three Valleys.

In practice, this means two things for a guest. Early and late in the season, Val Thorens is where the snow is, and it is the reason the resort opens two weeks before the rest of the area and stays open two weeks after it. In midwinter, the same height brings colder, drier snow on the north-facing runs, but also more exposure. There is no forest up here to give definition in flat light, and the wind finds the high ridges first. A grey, windy day is usually better spent on Courchevel’s wooded lower slopes; a cold, clear one is the day to go high.

• Glacier scenery, high runs. The red Christine run passes beneath the west face of the Péclet glacier, and the Thorens sector looks out over the Chavière glacier and the Maurienne.
• Long vertical without leaving the resort. The reds from Boismint down to Plan de l’Eau drop almost 1,000 m; the tourist office suggests skiing them in the morning.
• North faces for the best snow. La Médaille faces due north and is described as keeping very cold, dry snow; it continues onto the Rhodos red.
• Steep options for experts. The black Combe de Caron opens with a steep section and a narrow bottleneck, and the black Goitschel starts at 2,900 m in the Plein Sud sector.

From Courchevel, the tourist office counts four lifts to Val Thorens, crossing the Méribel valley on the way. The route is long rather than difficult, and the whole day turns on one rule: you must be back over the ridges before the links close, or you return by road. Here is how our guests usually plan it, and how the concierge supports the day. If you would rather stop in the middle valley, our page on skiing Méribel from Courchevel covers that shorter day.

1. Choose the day the evening before

   Look for a cold, clear forecast with little wind. Check that the links between valleys are open on the 3 Vallées live openings page or app, because a closed ridge lift can turn the outing into a long detour.

2. Start with the first lifts

   A chalet with ski-in ski-out access, such as Chalet Erise or Chalet Sally in Courchevel, saves the morning walk. From Chalet Dace in Courchevel, the Ariondaz gondola nearby connects directly into the Three Valleys.

3. Go high while the snow is cold

   Ride the Cime Caron cable car for the view, then ski the north-facing reds while they are at their best. Strong skiers can add the Combe de Caron; mixed groups will be happier on the long, wide blues such as Blanchot and Tetras.

4. Lunch early, on the far side

   Lunch in Val Thorens or on the sunny Orelle side, which the resort calls the fourth valley of the 3 Vallées. A late lunch is the most common reason for a rushed ski home.

5. Turn for home in good time

   Agree a departure time from Val Thorens with the whole group and keep a margin for queues and tired legs. The route back crosses two valleys before you reach Courchevel’s slopes.

6. Keep a road plan in reserve

   If someone tires or a link closes, the day can end by car. Chalet Flys in Courchevel has a resort driver available across the Three Valleys, and for other houses our concierge arranges a car on request.

Not everyone in a group wants a full day on skis, and Val Thorens has more to do above the snowline than most resorts. The area lists the longest toboggan run in France, a descent of about 45 minutes, and a zip wire 1,800 m long that flies up to 65 m above the ground. On some evenings, two runs stay open after the lifts would normally close, for night skiing on the blue Tête Ronde and the red Christine; times are published by the resort.

For non-skiers based in Courchevel, these are a full outing rather than a quick visit, and are best organised with a car there and back, or combined with a pedestrian lift ticket where the resort offers one. Nathalie Nguyen and Adam Haddad can book the activities, the transport and a time to meet the skiers of the group, so that everyone ends up at the same table for lunch. For children’s lessons on the home slopes while the adults head to Val Thorens, see our page on private ski lessons.