Val Thorens
Encyclopedia
Val Thorens, located in the Tarentaise Valley
, Savoie
, French Alps
, is the highest ski
resort in Europe
, at 2300 m altitude. It is located in the commune of Saint-Martin-de-Belleville
in the Savoie
département. The resort forms part of the 3 vallées
linked ski area which, with over 600 km of piste, is the largest linked ski area in the world.
(3220m) and Cime de Caron
(3200m), with its cable car of the same name, one of the biggest in the world with its capacity of 150+1 passengers.
Many of its slopes face north and north-west, providing for good snow conditions. This means that the slopes are not as sunny, so the resort tends to attract a crowd more interested in skiing than "terracing." However, the resort itself faces south, and many people enjoy sitting outside in the sunshine when they have finished skiing. As well as a combination of 68 marked runs, Val Thorens also has 5 terrain parks giving access to bordercross tracks, quarter pipes and jumps.
Val Thorens is the most international ski resort in France
: more than 70% of its visitors are foreigners. While one will find people from all over the world in Val Thorens, British
, Scandinavia
n, Belgian
, Dutch
and German
tourists make up the majority.
Val Thorens is part of the 3 vallées
ski domain, which is connected by a common ski pass. Jean Beranger set up the first ski school in Val Thorens: The ESF, and the Club des sport and the Tourism Office in 1972. Beranger is a former coach of the French women's ski team. He is now deputy mayor and president of the tourist office, and one slope in Val Thorens is named after him.
s; the Bouquetin, Péclet and Grand Fond. The Péclet Funitel was built in 1990 and was the first in Europe.
you find the biggest concentration of ski resorts in the world. The most well-known neighbour systems are Paradiski
(Les Arcs
, La Plagne
) and Espace Killy
(Val d'Isère
and Tignes
). A weekly lift ticket in Val Thorens/Les Trois Vallées provides the choice to ski one day in each of the other two systems mentioned. There were once plans to interlink all systems and resorts to create the largest ski area in the world. However that vision was ended with the creation of the Vanoise National Park
.
stage finish in 1994
. Nelson Rodriguez of Colombia won the stage, which had the second highest elevation for a stage finish in the history of the Tour de France.
Tarentaise Valley
The Tarentaise Valley is a valley of the Isère River in the heart of the French Alps, located in the Savoy region of France. The valley is named for the ancient town of Darantasia, the capital of the pre-Roman Centrones tribe.-Description:...
, Savoie
Savoie
Savoie is a French department located in the Rhône-Alpes region in the French Alps.Together with the Haute-Savoie, Savoie is one of the two departments of the historic region of Savoy that was annexed by France on June 14, 1860, following the signature of the Treaty of Turin on March 24, 1860...
, French Alps
French Alps
The French Alps are those portions of the Alps mountain range which stand within France, located in the Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions....
, is the highest ski
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
resort in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, at 2300 m altitude. It is located in the commune of Saint-Martin-de-Belleville
Saint-Martin-de-Belleville
Saint-Martin-de-Belleville is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.Despite being in the world famous Trois Vallées skiing area it has managed to keep its traditional French character, consisting of many alpine chalets with beautiful window boxes...
in the Savoie
Savoie
Savoie is a French department located in the Rhône-Alpes region in the French Alps.Together with the Haute-Savoie, Savoie is one of the two departments of the historic region of Savoy that was annexed by France on June 14, 1860, following the signature of the Treaty of Turin on March 24, 1860...
département. The resort forms part of the 3 vallées
Les Trois Vallées
Les Trois Vallées or The Three Valleys is a ski region in the Tarentaise Valley, Savoie département of France, above the town of Moûtiers and have areas within the Vanoise National Park...
linked ski area which, with over 600 km of piste, is the largest linked ski area in the world.
Resort
In the 1960s the potential of Val Thorens to be transformed from a small mountain village into a location for a purpose built ski area was noted. The first area to be developed was the lower area of Les Menuires beginning in 1967. In 1969 the access road was extended up to Val Thorens so that development of the resort could start. In 1971 the first of 3 drag lifts was installed, followed in 1972 by the opening of the first ski school. Like many 1960s purpose built resorts in the French Alps, Val Thorens suffered from a lack of architectural guidelines in the early days, leading to an over-dependence on concrete. New and renovated developments now have to meet much stricter design guidelines and the use of traditional materials is sought.Access
The nearest airports are Chambery, Lyon and Geneva. They have a transfer time of 2 hours, 2 hours 45 mins and 3 hrs 15 mins respectively. Alternatively the resort is nearly 1 hour from Moutiers for the snow train.Skiing
Given the high altitude of Val Thorens and the Glacier de Péclet the often large volume of snow means that the resort is usually open from mid-November until early May. The highest ski-able peaks are Pointe du BouchetPointe du Bouchet
Pointe du Bouchet is a mountain of Savoie, France. It lies in the Massif de la Vanoise range. It has an altitude of 3420 metres above sea level....
(3220m) and Cime de Caron
Cime de Caron
Cime de Caron is a mountain of Savoie, France. It lies in the Massif de la Vanoise range. It has an altitude of 3195 metres above sea level....
(3200m), with its cable car of the same name, one of the biggest in the world with its capacity of 150+1 passengers.
Many of its slopes face north and north-west, providing for good snow conditions. This means that the slopes are not as sunny, so the resort tends to attract a crowd more interested in skiing than "terracing." However, the resort itself faces south, and many people enjoy sitting outside in the sunshine when they have finished skiing. As well as a combination of 68 marked runs, Val Thorens also has 5 terrain parks giving access to bordercross tracks, quarter pipes and jumps.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
: more than 70% of its visitors are foreigners. While one will find people from all over the world in Val Thorens, British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n, Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
tourists make up the majority.
Val Thorens is part of the 3 vallées
Les Trois Vallées
Les Trois Vallées or The Three Valleys is a ski region in the Tarentaise Valley, Savoie département of France, above the town of Moûtiers and have areas within the Vanoise National Park...
ski domain, which is connected by a common ski pass. Jean Beranger set up the first ski school in Val Thorens: The ESF, and the Club des sport and the Tourism Office in 1972. Beranger is a former coach of the French women's ski team. He is now deputy mayor and president of the tourist office, and one slope in Val Thorens is named after him.
Lift System
Val Thorens has 29 lifts, which consists of a mixture of surface lifts, chairs lifts, gondolas and cable cars. In addition, Val Thorens also has 3 funitelFunitel
A funitel is a type of aerial lift, generally used to transport skiers. The name funitel is a portmanteau between the French words funiculaire and telepherique. Funitels have not only been used as a means to transport skiers; there is one used to transport finished cars between different areas of...
s; the Bouquetin, Péclet and Grand Fond. The Péclet Funitel was built in 1990 and was the first in Europe.
Tarentaise Valley Skiing
Within the Tarentaise ValleyTarentaise Valley
The Tarentaise Valley is a valley of the Isère River in the heart of the French Alps, located in the Savoy region of France. The valley is named for the ancient town of Darantasia, the capital of the pre-Roman Centrones tribe.-Description:...
you find the biggest concentration of ski resorts in the world. The most well-known neighbour systems are Paradiski
Paradiski
Paradiski is a ski-area in the Tarentaise Valley offering uninterrupted skiing in between the areas of Les Arcs, Peisey-Vallandry and La Plagne. The area is linked, since December 2003, by the Vanoise Express...
(Les Arcs
Les Arcs
Les Arcs is a ski resort located in Savoie, France, in the Tarentaise Valley town of Bourg-Saint-Maurice. Initially created by Robert Blanc and Roger Godino...
, La Plagne
La Plagne
La Plagne is a French ski area in the alpine valley of the Tarentaise . Since 2003, La Plagne and the neighbouring resort of Les Arcs form Paradiski's ski area...
) and Espace Killy
Espace Killy
The Espace Killy is a ski area in the Tarentaise Valley, Savoie in the French Alps, named after the skier Jean-Claude Killy. It covers the resorts of Val d'Isère and Tignes In Espace Killy there are 300 km of pistes:...
(Val d'Isère
Val d'Isère
Val d'Isère is a commune of the Tarentaise Valley, in the Savoie department in south-eastern France. It lies from the border with Italy. It is on the border of the Vanoise National Park created in 1963. The Face de Bellevarde was the scene of the men's downhill race as part of the 1992 Winter...
and Tignes
Tignes
Tignes is a commune in the Tarentaise Valley, Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It is also a ski resort near Val d'Isère, that are linked together as the "Espace Killy" region...
). A weekly lift ticket in Val Thorens/Les Trois Vallées provides the choice to ski one day in each of the other two systems mentioned. There were once plans to interlink all systems and resorts to create the largest ski area in the world. However that vision was ended with the creation of the Vanoise National Park
Vanoise National Park
Vanoise National Park , is a French national park in the Tarentaise Valley in the French Alps, created in 1963 after mobilization from the environmentalist movement against a touristic project. It was the first French national park. This park is in the département of Savoie...
.
Tour de France
The resort hosted a Tour de FranceTour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
stage finish in 1994
1994 Tour de France
The 1994 Tour de France was the 81st Tour de France and included two stages in England , Stage 4, Dover to Brighton and Stage 5, around Portsmouth. It took place July 2 to July 24, 1994...
. Nelson Rodriguez of Colombia won the stage, which had the second highest elevation for a stage finish in the history of the Tour de France.