Méribel or Val Thorens?
Val Thorens takes 4 of 9, with 4 too close to call. That still does not settle it — only the categories you care about count.
France
Méribel
The centre of the Trois Vallées and the heart of the British chalet trade. Superb access to the whole 600 km circuit, but the valley faces west and the lower runs suffer in warm spells.
Worth knowing. The valley faces west, so the lower runs go to slush in a warm spell.
Choose it if
A non-skiing partner
About £1,572 a week from London
France
Val Thorens
Europe's highest major resort at 2,300 m, which buys near-guaranteed snow from late November to early May. The trade-off is a purpose-built village with little charm and a treeless bowl that turns miserable in a whiteout.
Worth knowing. Purpose-built and treeless — a whiteout leaves you nothing to see by.
Choose it if
Budget and après
About £1,305 a week from London
Side by side
| Méribel | Val Thorens | |
|---|---|---|
| Snow reliability | 64/100 | 96/100 |
| Size of the ski area | 600 km linked | 600 km linked |
| Top lift | 2952 m | 3230 m |
| Cost before travel | €1615 | €1290 |
| Families with young kids | 8/10 | 7/10 |
| Snowboarders | 7/10 | 8/10 |
| A non-skiing partner | 6/10 | 4/10 |
| Budget and après | 3/10 | 6/10 |
| Off-piste | 7/10 | 7/10 |
Bold marks the winner. Rows where neither is bold are close enough that the difference would not change a decision. Cost excludes travel, which depends on where you leave from.
Piste kilometres, lift counts and prices are indicative and compiled from public sources — they have not yet been checked against the resort's own figures for this season. Costs are planning estimates, not quotes. Spotted one that is wrong? Tell us.