Meribel is one of the resorts that make up the 3 Valleys, or Les Trois Vallees in French with a great choice of snowshoe walks.
It is composed of a number of resorts including: Meribel-Mottaret, Meribel Village, Les Allues, La Raffort.
The resort of Meribel was created by a British Army officer, Major Peter Lindsay, in 1936. Les Allues is the original village of the valley, where the Mairie is located.
Book Your Meribel Guided Snowshoe Walk
Meribel Snowshoe Walk Options
Below is a sample of the guided snowshoe walks I offer but all the itineraries can be personalised.
Half-day Snowshoe Walks
Lac Tueda
The Lac Tueda is in a nature reserve that is a short distance from Meribel-Mottaret. We explore the edge of the woods, where nutcrackers flit in the tops of the trees.
Depending on your desires, we may be able to reach the Vallon du Fruit below the jutting peak of the Aiguille de Fruit. Here we enter into the “true” mountains, a wild beauty not seen by the majority of people coming to the winter ski resorts.
Starting point: Meribel-Mottaret
Les Cotilles (between Meribel Village & La Tania)
This snowshoe walk starts between Le Praz and Meribel. A gentle climb through clearings and woods brings us to a point where we can overlook Meribel Village and the valley des Allues.
From here we continue to climb gently frequently wending our way through the woods to resurface on the snow-covered golf course.
There’s many options for the descent back to the starting point.
Starting point: between Le Praz and Meribel Village.
Les Granges
Starting point: Meribel Centre
Full-day Snowshoe Walks
Champagny-le-Haut
Champagny-le-Haut is one of my favourite places!
After driving through Bozel and Champagny a narrow road arrives into a stunning hanging valley. There’s a very high probability that you will get to see ibex (bouquetin) and may be chamois. You may even spot the impressive “Bearded Vulture” or Lammergaier. It has a wingspan of over 2 metres!
We normally have our lunch at the Refuge du Bois which has a great range of reasonably priced meals reflecting the local Savoyard cuisine. After lunch, we put on our snowshoes again and enjoy walking along the crystal clear waters of the river flowing amongst snow-draped pines.
Starting point: Champagny-le-Haut
Lunch: Refuge du Bois (lunch not included in my fee).
Vallon du Fruit – Refuge du Saut
Our snowshoe walk starts with a gentle stroll past Lac Tueda before passing the Refuge du Plan. After this we climb steadily through sparse pines to gain the hanging valley above. High above us is the Aiguille du Fruit.
Starting point: Meribel-Mottaret
The Refuge de la Traye,
We leave from the hamlet of Le Villard, close to Meribel Les Allues.
We snowshoe across silent, snow-covered fields and through pine woods. From time to time we have views to the surrounding mountains; even Mont Blanc.
Birds flit from tree to tree, their easily heard calls emphasising the surrounding silence. Finally, we emerge from the trees close to the Col de la Lune with views across to the Belleville valley.
A short descent takes us down to the refuge. Leaving our snowshoes outside, we enter into the warmth of the refuge or enjoy the sunny terrace with views up the valley to Meribel and Mottaret.
Col de la Lune
A steady climb through snow-covered meadows leads to a broad tree covered ridge that brings us to the Col de la Lune. A gentle descent leads to the rustic refuge . Enjoy a typical Savoyard lunch with a stunning panorama.
A descent after lunch through clearings and amongst the forest leads down to Les Allues.
Starting point: Le Villard, Meribel Les Allues.
Lunch options: picnic or at the Refuge de la Traye.
