Activities Winter

Off-piste skiing

Off-piste skiing

À Méribel, le ski se décline de mille manières. Pendant que les uns dévalent nos pistes mythiques minutieusement préparées par nos équipes de dameurs, les autres vont explorer le domaine hors piste XXL des 3 Vallées.

Accompanied by a ski instructor or high mountain guide, you can explore off-piste in complete safety. Ski touring and freeride (off-piste skiing) are different ways to enjoy the hidden valleys and put down tracks in powder snow. Thanks to a wide variety of slope orientation and altitude, you can enjoy incomparable snow quality and ski through vast open areas, far from any human settlement.

Freeride or ski touring: which will you choose?

In freeride, you take advantage of the vast network of ski lifts to access areas of ungroomed snow. In ski touring, you combine the pleasure of walking uphill using skins with a descent in whatever snow conditions you find. France has a third term “freerando” which describes a combination of the two: you use the lifts to get up high, but then continue to climb further before embarking on a superb descent.

For all these disciplines, it is important to be trained in avalanche risk management or be accompanied by a mountain guide or ski instructor who knows how to avoid avalanche-prone slopes. During these outings to discover or improve your off-piste skiing, the only thing you have to concentrate on is the sheer pleasure of the descent.

The most beautiful 3 Vallées off-piste runs accessible from Méribel

Mountain guides and ski instructors know the vast off-piste area of the 3 Vallées like the back of their hand. They will take you to the secret spots and remote corners of the Vanoise to give you an unforgettable experience in the heart of an untouched natural setting.

And if you’re looking for the off-piste highlights of the ski area, you could ski the Mont Vallon off-piste, the southern slopes of the Col du Fruit or the Raffort off-piste, renowned for its good visibility even in poor weather.

Off-piste skiing with a mountain guide or ski instructor

Whether you are going off-piste for the first time or wanting to improve your freeride, ski touring or freerando skills, Méribel’s guides and instructors can offer you individual or group off-piste skiing outings.