Méribel
Encyclopedia
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:...
in the French Alps, situated near the town of Moutiers.
Méribel refers to three neighbouring villages in the Les Allues
Les Allues
Les Allues is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.The commune contains Méribel and the ski resort Méribel les Allues.-References:*...
commune of 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 of France
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...
, near the town of Moûtiers
Moutiers
Moutiers and Les Moutiers is the name or part of the name of several communes in France:*Moutiers, in the Eure-et-Loir département*Moutiers, in the Ille-et-Vilaine département*Moutiers, in the Meurthe-et-Moselle département...
(45.401°N 6.5655°E), called Méribel Centre, Méribel-Mottaret and Méribel Village. The villages are within 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...
and a part of the Les Trois 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...
interlinked ski system.
History
Méribel Les Allues is a ski resortSki resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing and other winter sports. In Europe a ski resort is a town or village in a ski area - a mountainous area, where there are ski trails and supporting services such as hotels and other accommodation, restaurants, equipment rental and a ski lift system...
that was developed adjacent to the traditional hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Morel, with its centre situated at about 1400 metres above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
. It was founded by a Scotsman, Colonel Peter Lindsay, who was looking for a new site for Winter Sports away from the ski resorts of Austria and Germany, because of the growing strength of the Nazi regime. In 1936, he visited the town of Les Allues for the first time. He then imagined how the town could become a ski resort. Firstly, he decided to create a property company in order to develop finances strong enough to build the resort. In 1938, the first lift was placed above Les Allues. A year later, he began the construction of the first chalets and hotels in the hamlet of Meribel. Three years later, the war would stop the development of the resort, but when it was over, development continued. Lindsay used specialized architects, Paul Grillo, Grand Prix de Rome (1937), and his partner Christian Durupt, so that all buildings would be in harmony with the Savoyard style. For this to be realised, wood and stone must be used for the walls, with slanted slate roofs. In 1950, the Burgin-Saulire gondola was built to link the resort to Courchevel. Peter Lindsay's family continue to hold a financial stake in the resort, and his grandchildren still ski in the resort to this day. Peter Lindsay's ashes and those of his wife are scattered on the Burgin mountain.
Méribel was home to the 1992 Winter Olympics
1992 Winter Olympics
The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 8 to 23 February 1992 in Albertville, France. They were the last Winter Olympics to be held the same year as the Summer Olympics, and the first where the Winter Paralympics...
(Albertville). It hosted the ice hockey
Ice hockey at the 1992 Winter Olympics
Ice hockey at the 1992 Winter Olympics was held at the Méribel Ice Palace in Méribel, a ski resort about 45 km from host city Albertville. The competition, held from 8 to 23 February, was won by the Unified Team.-Final rankings:# # # # # # #...
and the women's alpine skiing
Alpine skiing at the 1992 Winter Olympics
Alpine skiing at the 1992 Winter Olympics consisted of ten events at three venues, held near Albertville, France. Val-d'Isère hosted the men's events, except the slalom, held at Les Menuires; all five of the women's alpine events were held at Méribel...
events. Until 2011, Méribel was the host to the acclaimed Altitude Festival, with prestigious acts such as KT Tunstall, Marcus Brigstocke and Omid Dijalili performing in the bars and nightclubs around the resort. For 2011, it has been announced that the festival will be moved to Austria, with the organiser Richard Letts citing a reduction in support from the Meribel Tourist Office.
The ski resort is part of the Trois 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 area. The Three Vallees area comprises 180 lifts, 335 Marked Runs (over 600 kilometres) and over 130 km of Cross Country Tracks. The Three Vallees was expanded about ten years ago to incorporate a fourth valley, though the area kept the name 3 Vallees. The area comprises the resorts of Courchevel, La Tania, Meribel, Les Menuires-Saint Martin, Val Thorens and Orelle
Meribel resort offers a broad range of holiday accommodation from large tour operators to more personal independent chalet
Chalet
A chalet , also called Swiss chalet, is a type of building or house, native to the Alpine region, made of wood, with a heavy, gently sloping roof with wide, well-supported eaves set at right angles to the front of the house.-Definition and origin:...
companies.
The resort comprises the sub villages of Meribel-Mottaret, at an altitude of 1750m towards the head of the Allues valley, and Méribel Village at 1400m on the road to Courchevel
Lift System
| Name | Type | Persons per Hour | Year of Construction | Manufacturer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Table Verte | Chairlift Fixed 4 Places | 1250 | 1981 | Poma |
| Burgin 1 | Gondola 6 Places | 1700 | 1982 | Poma |
| Burgin 2 | Gondola 6 Places | 1700 | 1982 | Poma |
| Plattieres 2 | Gondola 6 Places | 2200 | 1983 | Poma |
| Plattieres 1 | Gondola 6 Places | 2200 | 1984 | Poma |
| Plattieres 3 | Gondola 6 Places | 2200 | 1984 | Poma |
| Arolles | Chairlift Fixed 4 Places | 1800 | 1985 | Skirail |
| Rocher de la Loze | Chairlift Fixed 4 Places | 1500 | 1988 | Poma |
| Mont-Vallon | Gondola 12 Places | 3400 | 1988 | Poma |
| Rhodos | Gondola 12 Places | 2025 | 1989 | Von Roll |
| Mures Rouges | Chairlift Detachable 4 Places | 1800 | 1989 | Poma |
| Roc de Fer | Chairlift Fixed 4 Places | 1460 | 1990 | Poma |
| Olympe 1 | Gondola 6 Places | 920 | 1990 | Poma |
| Olympe 2 | Gondola 6 Places | 920 | 1990 | Poma |
| Olympe 3 | Gondola 6 Places | 920 | 1990 | Poma |
| Olympic Express | Chairlift Detachable 4 Places | 1500 | 1990 | Poma |
| Morel | Chairlift Fixed 3 Places | 700 | 1991 | Poma |
| Côtes Brune | Chairlift Detachable 4 Places | 2070 | 1991 | Poma |
| Combes | Chairlift Detachable 4 Places | 2400 | 1994 | Doppelmayr |
| Pas du Lac 1 | Gondola 8 Places | 3000 | 1997 | Poma |
| Pas du Lac 2 | Gondola 8 Places | 3000 | 1997 | Poma |
| Adret | Chairlift Detachable 6 Places | 2400 | 1998 | Poma |
| Dent de Burgin | Chairlift Detachable 6 Places | 2400 | 2000 | Poma |
| Altiport | Chairlift Detachable 8 Places | 3400 | 2000 | Poma |
| Plan des Mains | Chairlift Detachable 6 Places | 3000 | 2002 | Leitner |
| Plan de l'Homme | Chairlift Detachable 6 Places | 3000 | 2004 | Poma |
| Châtelet | Chairlift Detachable 6 Places | 2200 | 2006 | Poma |
| Chalets | Gondola Pulsed 6 Places | 522 | 2007 | Poma |
| Tougnète 2 | Chairlift Detachable 6 Places Covered | 3600 | 2007 | Poma |
| Tougnète 1 | Gondola 6 Places | 1500 | 2008 | Poma |
| Golf | Chairlift Detachable 4 Places | 1500 | 2009 | Poma |
| Altiport | Button Lift Continuous | 500 | 2009 | Poma |
| Doron | Conveyor Belt Covered | 2010 | Poma | |
| Les Loupiots | Conveyor Belt | Poma | ||
| Foret | Rope Tow | Poma | ||
| Combe | Button Lift Detachable | Poma | ||
| Cotes | Button Lift Detachable | Poma | ||
| Escargot | Button Lift Continuous | 2005 | Poma | |
| Arpasson | Button Lift Continuous | 2006 | Poma | |
| Roc de Tougne 1&2 | Button Lift Detachable | Poma | ||
| Aigle | Button Lift Detachable | Poma | ||
| Sitelle | Button Lift Detachable | Poma | ||
| Stade | Button Lift Lift Continuous | Poma | ||
Future Projects
- For the 2012 season, the Burgin-Saulire 2 gondola is being replaced, and the new lift will be called Saulire Express 2. It will be constructed by Poma, and will take a new route up the Meribel Couloir, arriving at the same position as the Saulire cable car from the Courchevel Side
- For the 2013 season, the Burgin-Saulire 1 gondola is being replaced, and the new lift will be called Saulire Express 1. It will be constructed by Poma, and will be joined to Saulire Express 2 for a continuous journey up the mountain. Plattieres 1&2 are being replaced by a new gondola, called Plattieres 1. This new lift will cut the journey time from 25 minutes to 9 minutes, and the new cabins will replace the old six seat, back to back gondolas with more comfortable 8 seat cabins. Construction will begin at the end of the 2011 season, and the old lift will continue to run through the 2012 season.
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 world-class ski resorts in the world. 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 Meribel/Les Trois Vallées offers a 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 - by far - 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...
.