The quiet corner of les 3 Vallees : 14th February 2012
Courchevel 1650 is the place to be

During these busy half term weeks, choosing the right lifts and pistes can make all the difference between a fabulous day and a frustrating one. It is entirely possible to ski on quiet runs and avoid lift queues in the 3 Valleys during high season providing you know where to go and, just as importantly, when to set out.

Lift queues and overcrowded pistes make me thoroughly cross. ( I suspect Sartre said “L’enfer, c’est les autres” after a Parisian half-term ski holiday.) My current ski objective is to be where other people are not. To help you do the same, here is a quick summary of a skiing day in which we managed to steer clear of all but one lift line and enjoyed relatively quiet slopes.

We made sure we were at la Chaudanne by 9.00 am so we could jump on the first Saulire gondola before the morning queues built up. This early start gives you a second advantage: access to all the Saulire runs while they are deserted. Méribel skiers enjoy a 20 minute window during which we can tear up the empty, freshly- groomed Méribel or Courchevel Saulire runs before the Courchevel skiers reach them. We chose to whizz down the perfectly smooth Saulire red run and then the equally-delicious Creux before either of these popular runs became busy.

The main Courchevel 1850 runs quickly become teeming in high season, so we headed instead to Courchevel 1650 which is always much calmer. We spent all morning here, enjoying very good snow and skied straight onto almost every lift.

Although the sun was shining, it was still bitterly cold so we had to stop every few runs for a hot drink. At the Bel Air restaurant, we had a very disappointing hot chocolate followed by a much more superior affair in the lovely Portetta Hotel in 1650.

I love my regular mid-morning breaks at the Portetta Hotel: it’s very chic, in a modern Alpine style, with invitingly squidgy sofas and an open fire. It was a relief to take off ski boots and slip into fluffy slippers, curl up in comfy chair and feel our feet slowly defrost. In fact we enjoyed this place so much that we returned for lunch.

The pistes were scraped and harder in the afternoon. It’s currently worth doing as much skiing as possible in early part of the day to make the most of the superior conditions. Considering how long ago snow last fell, conditions are still generally very good. More snow is forecast to fall tomorrow, which should help keep the slopes in good nick.

On cold days, the return from Courchevel 1650 to Méribel at the end of the day is best made via the sunny Marmottes chairlift rather than the shady and freezing Suisses chairlift. Once you reach the top of Saulire, it’s like hitting rush hour traffic. There are always loads of people on the Saulire slopes above Méribel during the late afternoon as this area gets the last sunshine. To avoid the busy pistes, my favourite tranquil route home is to take Niverolle, cut across to Sanglier, then take the peaceful Chardonneret path then the steep red Cerf. This is much quieter than taking the alternative, Rhodos run into Méribel.

Now, please excuse me if I have a little rant. WHY DON’T PEOPLE RESPECT THE ******* RULES OF THE PISTE? There were people stopping in the middle of busy runs; people pulling out without looking uphill; people stopping to do up their boots at the unloading area of chairlifts. Can’t they see how much danger they are putting themselves in? I had an attack of piste rage when a Frenchman overtook me at 100km, brushing so close to me that I jumped. I’m sorry to say that the red mist descended and I chased after him in a fury. I caught up with him and informed him he should leave more room when overtaking. Only I didn’t use quite such polite terms.

Please, please, please, if you don't already know them, read the rules of the piste in order to reduce your risk of a horrible collision.

And for other suggestions on making the most of the ski area during the holiday period, please do read last Thursday’s snow report. Have fun and stay safe out there.

• Latest Conditions
  THURSDAY 16th of February: Light snowfalls in the early morning, then nice sunny spell are present. Sunny afternoon in spite of some high clouds. Maximal Temperatures: At 1000 meters: 7
• Depth of snow on lower slopes
  145
• Date of last snowfall
  28/01/2012
• Depth of last snowfall
  Plus de 30 cm
• Highest temperature
  -11
• Depth of snow on upper slopes
  205
• Number of pistes open
  85

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