Meribel

Perched at 1,450 metres above sea level in the Doron des Allues valley of the French Alps, Méribel comprises three adjoining hamlets—Méribel Centre, Méribel-Mottaret and Méribel Village—within the Les Allues commune (population 1,750; area 85.99 km²). As part of Vanoise National Park and the Les Trois Vallées ski domain, it occupies a singular position in the Tarentaise Valley, offering seamless access to more than 600 kilometres of pistes and a network of 180 lifts. From its origins alongside the traditional hamlet of Morel at 1,400 m to its status as a premier winter-sports destination, Méribel embodies both the austere clarity of Alpine wood and stone and the legacy of its early 20th-century visionaries.

In 1936, Major Peter Lindsay—a Scotsman seeking refuge from the burgeoning turmoil in Central Europe—first explored the secluded slopes above Les Allues. Within two years, he had formed a property company, erected the inaugural lift in 1938 and overseen the first chalets and hotels by 1939. Though World War II halted progress, Lindsay’s resolve endured. Upon returning as Colonel, he enlisted architects Paul Grillo (Grand Prix de Rome, 1937) and Christian Durupt to ensure that new buildings respected Savoyard vernacular: walls of local wood and stone surmounted by slanted slate roofs. This commitment to an authentic regional aesthetic established Méribel’s architectural coherence and remains evident today.

The resort’s integration into the wider alpine infrastructure accelerated in 1950 with the inauguration of the Burgin-Saulire gondola, linking Méribel to Courchevel. Lindsay’s family continues to hold a financial stake in the enterprise, and his and his wife’s ashes rest on Burgin mountain—a testament to his enduring bond with the landscape he helped shape. A generation later, Méribel’s international profile expanded when it served as a subsite for the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, hosting women’s alpine skiing on the Roc de Fer slope and all ice-hockey matches in a purpose-built rink.

Throughout the late 20th and early 21st centuries, Méribel cultivated a vibrant après-ski scene, once hosting the Altitude Festival until 2011. Performers such as KT Tunstall, Marcus Brigstocke and Omid Djalili enlivened its bars and nightclubs, but diminishing support from the local tourist office prompted the event’s relocation to Austria. Nonetheless, Méribel’s cultural calendar remains rich: the annual Fête à Fanfoué celebrates Savoyard heritage, classical concerts resonate within the church of Allues as part of the “Chemins du Baroque,” and an intimate cinema offers refuge on storm-darkened evenings.

The Les Trois Vallées domain, nominally comprising Courchevel, La Tania, Méribel, Les Menuires-Saint Martin, Val Thorens and Orelle, was expanded in 1996 to include the latter, yet retained its original name. Within this system, Méribel’s sub-villages provide varied access points: Méribel-Mottaret at 1,750 m anchors the upper Allues Valley with the Plattieres gondolas to Les Menuires and Val Thorens; Raffort, La Gittaz and Chandon offer seamless bus or lift connections; and Méribel Village at 1,400 m sits at the foot of the Lapin piste and marks the start of the Golf chairlift into a gentle beginners’ area. These precincts reflect both planned expansion—Mottaret’s 1972 development by architect Michel Bezançon—and more organic hamlets like Les Allues itself, which straddles 1,100 m to 2,950 m and retains its spa-town connection via the Olympe gondola to Brides-les-Bains.

Méribel’s lift infrastructure stands among the most sophisticated in the Alps. From early fixed-chair lifts such as Table Verte (1981) to modern detachable gondolas—Mont-Vallon (12-place, 1988) and Pas du Lac 1 and 2 (8-place, 1997)—the resort has continually upgraded capacity and comfort. Button lifts, conveyor belts and pulsed gondolas—each bearing the mark of manufacturers Poma, Von Roll, Doppelmayr or Leitner—serve beginners’ zones, expert slopes and summer mountain-bike trails alike. This web of machines has long been managed by Méribel Alpina (since 1955) and the mixed-economy Société des Trois Vallées (since 1946), together employing some 400 staff, three-quarters of them seasonal.

Accommodation ranges from furnished apartments and mini-chalets to 31 hotels and open-air lodging, amounting to nearly 38,000 beds. The Michelin Guide has recognized local gastronomy, awarding L’Ekrin a star in 2016 and granting Le Cèpe a Bib Gourmand. In summer, the resort’s golf course and adjacent mountain-bike and enduro trails enliven the forested slopes, while the Méribel Trail tests runners over up to 35 km and 3,000 m of ascent each August.

Beyond skiing, Méribel has hosted stages of the Tour de France and Tour de l’Avenir, including the dramatic 2020 ascent of the Col de la Loze at 2,304 m—where President Emmanuel Macron watched Miguel Ángel López triumph against Primož Roglič and Tadej Pogačar. Cycling events have woven through Méribel since 1973, and the resort continues to attract competitions in telemark, snowboard and moguls, alongside festivals of trials and cross-country mountain biking.

Access to Méribel combines convenience and alpine romance. Road travellers exit the A 430 at Moûtiers—6 km north—before ascending a winding route. Rail passengers alight at Moûtiers-Salins-Brides-les-Bains, with TGV connections to Paris completing the journey in another 30 minutes. Airports at Chambéry (95 km), Geneva (135 km) and Lyon-Saint-Exupéry (185 km) offer further gateways, while the on-site altiport at 1,717 m accommodates light aircraft and helicopters.

Throughout its evolution, Méribel has balanced high-end positioning—alongside Courchevel and Val d’Isère—with a commitment to community and heritage. Its logos, evolving since 2007 from a three-coloured heart to stylized “M” and “V” forms, underscore Méribel’s self-styled identity as the “Heart of the Three Valleys.” Under labels such as “Famille Plus Montagne” and “Grand Domaine Resort,” it maintains rigorous standards of service and environmental stewardship, social cohesion and architectural harmony.

In its singular clarity of design and its breadth of terrain, Méribel stands as a testament to visionary planning and enduring Alpine culture. From the timbered chalets that echo Savoyard tradition to the panoramic ridges of Dent de Burgin, Saulire and Aiguille du Fruit, it invites sustained appreciation. Even as the world’s largest ski area has tested the limits of ambition, Méribel’s heritage remains grounded in wood, stone and community—a refined yet unvarnished reflection of mountain life.