- Top of the skiing194m above the median of 2,697m across the 55 resorts we cover.
- 2,891m
- The village, Méribel Centre100m above the median of 1,350m across the 55 resorts we cover.
- 1,450m
- SeasonThe standard Alpine season, shared by 42 of the 55 resorts we cover.
- December to April
Is Méribel right for you?
Méribel sits right in the centre of the Three Valleys, which makes it the natural base if your group wants to roam the whole area without long journeys home. The village sits at 1,450m and the skiing tops out at 2,891m, and the season runs December to April. On the piste it is a real strength for first timers, improvers moving from blue into red and confident intermediates.
Méribel at a glance
- Area
- Three Valleys
- Best for
- Families with young children · Mileage chasers · Snow sure
- Fly to
- Geneva, Chambéry or Lyon
- Transfer
- About 2h05 by road from Geneva
- Doorstep skiing
- Widely available
Who Méribel suits, and who it suits less
Best for
- Families with young children. The Altiport has wide, gentle greens among the trees where many British children learn, and there is a pool, ice rink and wellness area for rest days.
- Mileage chasers. Méribel sits in the middle of the Three Valleys, so Courchevel and Val Thorens are both in reach across 600 kilometres of piste and 150 lifts.
- Snow sure. Mottaret sits at 1,750 metres, we measure 78 percent of the piste above 1,800 metres, and the skiing climbs close to 2,900 metres.
- Groups of friends. Groups get the scale of the linked area, long red cruisers and après at the bottom of the main runs that is lively without tipping into carnage.
Less good for
- Value for money. Méribel Centre carries the highest prices of the three bases, so groups watching the budget usually do better in Mottaret or Méribel Village.
- Après. The bars offer a good middle ground rather than a nonstop party, so groups after the loudest nights may prefer Val Thorens over the ridge.
Skiing from 1,100m to 2,891m, village at 1,450m (Méribel Centre).
Where these heights are
- Lowest skiing
- 1,100mLes Allues, via the Daguet piste.
- Village
- 1,450mMéribel Centre.
- Top of the skiing
- 2,891mOur measurement of the highest marked piste.
- 53 runs green16%
- 136 runs blue41%
- 108 runs red32%
- 37 runs black11%
Counted by the resort, covering Les 3 Vallées, the whole linked area. No official kilometres by colour are published.
- Black piste
- 30km, 11% of the pisteMore than the median of 11% across the 55 resorts we cover.
- Ski area
- Les 3 Vallées, 600km
- Cross country
- 33km of trails
Sources
- Village height: les3vallees.com
- Lowest skiing: cdn.uc.assets.prezly.com
- Lowest skiing: meribel.net
- Runs by colour: press.les3vallees.com
- Cross country: meribel.net
- Ski area: press.les3vallees.com
- Top of the skiing: our measurement of the highest marked piste
- The steep end: our measurement of the OpenStreetMap piste map
The published figures were read on 29 October 2026.
261km of graded piste, measured ourselves.
- 156km green and blue60%
- 75km red29%
- 30km black11%
Of the 156km green and blue, 34km is green.
- First timersA real strength
- Improvers, blue into redA real strength
- Confident intermediatesA real strength
- Strong skiersFine
The spreadIt scores 0.83 for evenness, where 1 is a perfect three way split between green and blue, red and black. The largest share is green and blue, at 60%.
Longest pisteCombe du Vallon, 3.1km of red with 947m of vertical.
Measured from the run geometry, Méribel has 261km of graded piste: 156km green and blue, 75km red and 30km black. We do not print the resort's published kilometres until we have checked what they count.
Méribel among its French peers
Of these five, Méribel has the second highest top of the skiing, 2,891m. The median across the 55 resorts we cover is 2,697m.
Know the mountain before you go.
The skiing
From the village you can drop into either side of the valley and reach Courchevel or Val Thorens with ease. The home runs are gentle enough for improvers and the wider area has enough steep and off piste to keep strong skiers busy all week.
The village and the evenings
Méribel Centre has the shops and the buzz, while Mottaret sits higher for the most reliable snow and the quickest lift access. Families tend to love it because so much sits within a short walk.
Beyond the skiing.
Free, and worth knowing
La Luge du Doron. A gentle sledge only slope, fenced off from skiers, with a free magic carpet carrying you back to the top. That last part is what makes it the best free thing in the resort, because nobody wants to walk up a hill forty times. Open until eight, and the carpet runs on Monday evenings.
The Altiport sledging area. A second free fenced area, very gentle, reserved for small children. Baby sledges can be hired if you have not brought one.
Seven free ski lifts. Meribel and Mottaret have seven lifts you can use without buying a pass at all, serving netted beginner zones that are groomed every night. If somebody in the group is learning and the rest are not, that is a week of practice for nothing.
The winter walking trails. Seventeen marked routes, and they publish the distance, the time and the ascent for every one of them. Green routes start at 1.8 km, blue go to 5 km, and the red Meribel Centre to La Traie is 5.4 km and takes three hours.
The climbing wall. Free access outside lesson times, which is a rare thing and worth knowing on a wet afternoon. Guided lessons available at all levels if anyone wants them.
A few of the rest
Himalaya by Night. Two kilometres of groomed sledge run under the stars at Mottaret, and it is the cleanest priced activity in the whole ski area. Nine fifty for a run, twenty for the whole evening, and free for children under eleven if they are with you. Under 20 euros.
Mission Black Forest. A 3.4 kilometre themed toboggan run with four hundred and seventy metres of descent and twenty eight bends, reached on the Tougnete gondola with the sales desk in the departure station. Helmet and sledge are included and you must use theirs. 20 to 50 euros.
Snowmobiles. Three versions: a sporty outing for people who can already ride, a supervised tour with an instructor for anybody sixteen and over without a licence, and a mini circuit where four to twelve year olds drive small machines under supervision. That last one is the useful one. Price on request.
These are our own picks, not paid placements. Prices and opening times change, so it is always worth checking before you set off.
16 places we would send you to
Two places under one roof at the foot of Mont Vallon, a proper table service restaurant and a snack counter beside it, so a group that cannot agree does not have to.
The one that is still open when the rest of Mottaret has shut for the season, which is why one guest ate there three nights running.
A drinking pub and nothing else, so eat first or bring something in, which is what everybody does.
These are our own picks, not paid placements. Opening times and ownership change, so it is always worth checking before you set off.
Getting there
Fly to Geneva or Chambéry and transfer in around two and a half hours, or come by car and use the covered parking.
- Genevaabout 2h05 by road
- Chambéryabout 1h15 by road
- Lyonabout 1h55 by road