Les Menuires never backed down on progress; As I was told with refreshing candor on my visit, “…you either love it or hate it.” And this year, Marmite in the French Alps is defiantly celebrating its 60th anniversary.he birthday.
A classic example of modernist French Alpine architecture, Les Menuires was one of a number of ski resorts developed under the Plan Neige (Snow Plan), an innovative project launched by the Pompidou government in 1960 that also spawned similar ski resorts. Les Arcs, La Plagne, Avoriaz and Flaine.
The architects selected for the project were given free rein to transform the pristine highlands above the Belleville Valley from a “snow desert” into a winter playground for the masses, creating new ski-in/ski-out accommodation to suit every budget.
Les Menuires offered new, lower-money skiers from France and beyond easy access not only to the slopes and chairlifts but also to other fully integrated services. Shops, ski schools, equipment rental, bars and restaurants were built on the ground floor of the accommodation blocks; In Les Menuires you can get almost anywhere you want, from the red piste to the bar, supermarket or ski shop. your ski boots (unless they’re actually on your skis).
For skiers who can’t afford a ski holiday in a traditional hotel or chalet in the biggest names in the Alps, resorts like Les Menuires have provided an affordable introduction to a sport previously reserved for the wealthy. I was one of them, and so I have a soft spot for the resort that introduced me to a sport that became a lifelong passion.
Insufficient slopes
At the beginning of the 2023/24 season, 32 years after my first visit, I had direct access to the ski slopes from where I was staying; the recently built four-star Higalik Hotel, a modern blend of traditional Alpine chalet and cool Scandi style. – and I will now head for the resort’s upgraded La Masse cable car, one of the fastest ski lifts in France. It zooms into the sky at speeds of up to 25 km per hour, pumping skiers up at the 2,804-meter summit of Pointe de la Masse, where blue, red, black or off-piste piste options descend into the valley.
For decades, Les Menuires has improved its lifts and opened avalanche-controlled freeride zones. As a result, large lift queues are generally not a problem except during busy periods such as half-term, and whether you’re looking for easy-groomed runs or extensive off-piste runs, the skiing compares favorably with the wider Trois Vallées region; Many experienced skiers are surprised by what this underrated facility offers.
This diversity is a characteristic that Les Menuires shares with its neighbors in the world’s largest ski region. I spent the day flying between the slopes at Les Menuires, Val Thorens and Méribel, spoiled for choice as to what kind of skiing to enjoy in the bright December sun. There was still plenty of untracked powder, but wide, twisting runs were equally appealing, such as the red Campagnol falling from Mont Vallon towards Méribel, or the blue Jerusalem rolling down towards St Martin de Belleville.
architectural identity
Not everyone supported the plan to create Les Menuires. But after World War II, increasing numbers of young people were leaving the area for easier, better-paying jobs in local towns like Moutier, Albertville and beyond. Developing the region in terms of winter sports was seen as a way to prevent this migration.
The valley’s population of about 3,000 permanent residents in 1835 had fallen to around 1,000 in the 1940s and did not exceed 3,000 again until the 1990s; I discovered this fact in the museum in St Martin de Belleville, the neighboring settlement of Les Menuires.
The resort’s ultra-modern mid-century developments came as a shock to many of the valley’s historic residents, who, like their ancestors, had lived a traditional Alpine lifestyle based on raising cattle, sheep and goats for centuries. They were going down the slopes with their animals as the seasons required.
The largest accommodation block, Le Brelin, consists of 700 flats and 2,500 beds and is nicknamed the “snow liner” due to its size. It is now a 20th-century heritage site, representing the very specific architectural style of the period.
However, at the time, and to some extent, these developments were negatively received by critics who compared the left-wing newspaper. Liberation to the low-income housing complex of Sarcelles, a crime-ridden suburb of Paris. daily mail He was so despised that anyone skiing Les Menuires was advised to “…go very quickly with your eyes closed.”
It’s probably fair to say that many first-time visitors (myself included) initially view the resort’s uncompromising architecture negatively, but once you experience how much accessible fun you can have on the slopes and how convenient the resort’s layout is. , it’s hard not to warm up to the place; It’s not for nothing that it markets itself as “Friendly Menus”.
to stay here
Although more traditional chalets have been added to the resort’s modernist architecture in recent years, the tower blocks are here to stay. Flat owners are encouraged to renovate and update their properties in accordance with various criteria, including the use of sustainable and environmentally friendly materials, and can receive grants for this. I visited one and was greeted with a strange mix of 70s-inspired orange and brown exterior decor and contemporary wood, tile and steel interior – it seemed to work somehow.
Les Menuires is still popular with budget skiers, but the resort’s newer, more luxurious facilities, such as Higalik, mean more affluent visitors will find something to suit them.
And if they don’t, Les Menuires really isn’t that bothersome, safe in the knowledge that many skiers have felt at home here for 60 years and will continue to do so.
Fundamentals
Higalik Hotel offers a week’s stay from £1,527 per person, including flights from Gatwick and transfers from 30 March. Free architectural tours of Les Menuires are offered throughout December and February and throughout Easter. Visit lesmenuires.com for more information and read our expert guide to holidays at the resort here.