Val Thorens Ski Lift Pass

Unless you are super-fit and intend on walking up the slopes (yes people do this) it is a fact that we all need to buy a ski lift pass. For Val Thorens there are five different options to choose from.

The Val Thorens ski pass

This covers all the lifts for the resort down to the Plan de l’eau lift. If you ski past to the right of Boismint lift onto the Boulevard Cumin then you are likely to ski down to Les Menuires and out of the ski pass area. Be careful!
There are 140km of pistes to play on which includes the Orelle valley, which is very often forgotten about. We advice the people who should buy this ski pass is 0-2 weeks skiing history.

The Belleville ski pass

Val Thorens as well as Les Menuires and St Martin de Belleville are all located in the Belleville valley. I’m sure you can see where I’m going here, the Belleville valley ski pass covers hmm…..the whole of the Belleville valley. There are 300km of pistes in this valley which is enough for most people. A weeks skiing for an intermediate skier would be happy with this pass. Therefore we recommend skiers of 2-4 weeks skiing history.

The 3 Valleys ski pass

The 3 valleys (or Vallees in French) consist of the following major ski resorts: Courchevel (all stations), Meribel and of course the resorts of the Belleville valley. This has a huge 600km of pistes which is the biggest ski area in the world (although others are claiming theirs is bigger, size eh!). It doesn’t matter who you are you are never going to get bored skiing this area on your weeks ski holiday. The skiing in the Belleville area is large enough you probably won’t leave it for the first couple of days. Therefore we suggest the following, buy the Belleville pass and add 3 days of 3 valley upgrades to it. This should save you some money. Skiers of more than 4 weeks will want to see the other valleys.

Free Lifts

The fourth choice, the resort provide a few lifts for free on the nursery slopes, as well as a ‘beginners’ reduced price pass.

Non-Skier Pass

The Fifth lift pass option is new for 2010, the 3 in 1 Pass. The clever people in Val Thorens have created a lift pass just for the non-skier. A WHAT????

Yep, the non-skiers own lift pass.

This 6 day pass will include the following things:

Many different types of Mountain Walks around the area of the resort with a Guide providing local knowledge (More info on Snow Shoeing here and Glacier Walking here). Entrance to the Sports Centre which hosts: Swimming pool, Jacuzzis, Steam rooms etc (more info on the Sports Centre here). Unlimited use of the following ski lifts: Péclet Funitel, Cairn and Caron Gondolas, Cime Caron Cable Car, La Moutière Chair Lift (ascent only), Grand Fond Funitel, Rosaël Chair Lift and 3 Vallées Express Gondola. Of course this is best bit, you have access to the Toboggan (more info on the Toboggan can be found here). The longest in France and is a must for all visitors who like speed and the odd crash.
The Price was 111€ (2010) and can be booked from the Tourist Office.

 

*** Our advice on Ski passes is to buy online before you come! ***
If you arrive on a Saturday the queues to buy life passes can be quite long which is not the best way to start your holidays is it?

Ski Pass Prices

So how much you gonna pay? The full 2011/2012 ski lift prices can be found HERE!
There are reductions for families, young squirts (-6 years old) and the not so young skiers (+75 years old), so be sure to see their offers. Make sure you have some paperwork to backup your age with you.

The whole of the 3 Valleys use the sensor ski passes. These can be kept in your pocket whilst you simple walk past the sensor which opens the gate. It is called P@S and is well worth getting.

Where do I get one of these fantastic ski passes from I hear you ask? The offices are dotted around the resort so there should be one near your accommodation, look out for the CASSE sign. These offices are closed for lunch on the week days.

To book a pass online click here.