My yearly ski trip to the Alps for winter 2024 was to Val Thorens. The trip was from 27 Jan to 3 Feb 2024, and went according to plan.
Complete blog post is still work in progress…
Daily blog
Val Thorens 2024-01-27
On Saturday afternoon Minna drove me and the boys to the Helsinki airport. We got to the airport in good time and the security check went quickly. Daniel had an access card to business lounge, so we all went there to wait for the flight. The flight departed and arrived in schedule to the Torino airport around 8 PM. However, there was a problem with the STS Alpresor bus. The bus was bringing return trip customers from the preceding week back to the airport and it was late. The reason being that the Frejus Road Tunnel that was normally used to cross the Alps between Italy and France was closed to repairs. The bus trip that normally takes 3 hours from Val Thorens now took 5 hours.
Fortunately the return customers just barely made it to the airport for the return flight. Our departure to Val Thorens was delayed by over an hour. Then the bus had to take the longer route through the Mont Blanc tunnel to France. This would have taken 5 hours, but now the bus driver had to make an obligatory rest stop in Ugine as he had been working so long. Normally we would have arrived to Val Thorens around midnight, but now we arrived at 5 AM.
Val Thorens 2024-01-28
We finally arrived to Val Thorens village at 5 AM. Keys to our apartment were waiting at the empty lobby of Residence Tourotel. We quickly set up our beds, and went to sleep. Wake up at 8 AM when sun was rising behind the tall mountains. The apartment was tiny and very basic. We had a balcony on 2nd floor with a magnificent view to north overlooking the Belleville valley at a height of 2100 meters. Breakfast was included but it took a bit of detective work to find out where it was served. Eventually we found the “Scandinavian Brasserie & Bar” where our breakfast was served. The original plan was to up on the first possible lift, but it was 10 AM when we were on the Peclet Gondola going up. Our apartment was in a perfect place for ski out and ski in. You could put your skis on at the front door and the ski out to the slopes.
On previous week there had been big dumps, cold weather and only a few days ago fresh powder everywhere. Just when we had arrived it had gotten very warm during daytime, which had softened the snow and then freezing overnight, which frosted the snow and made it icy hard on top. No more powder. The runs were groomed and in excellent condition for carving, but off-piste was hard as concrete, from unpleasant to impossible to ski.
So we skied quickly to the Orelle valley, where sun shines during morning and the weather was fantastic. Then we skied down all the way to Les Menuires and took the gondola up to la Masse Peak. There even the pistes down were hard concrete and not so nice. The up to Mont de la Chambre and back to Val Thorens. Finishing at the time when lifts were closing we skied back to our front door.
daily route
daily photos
Val Thorens 2024-01-29
The 2nd day of skiing. After a good sleep we got an early start. It was going to be a slightly cloudy but warm day. We decided to ski as quickly as possible across the Meribel valley all the way to Courchevel. First the Pionniers chair that starts right front of our apartment, the giant gondola up to Col de la Chambre, skied down to Pas du Lac, gondola up to the Mont Vallon peak at 2800 m, where there are magnificent views all over and especially to Mont Blanc. Then the long run down to Meribel Mottaret at 1750 m. From there up to Saulire at 2500 m and from there the really long run all the way down to Courchevel la Praz at 1300 m. That was 1345 m of vertical in 12 min. Then back up on Pratz gondola, Planterey chair. Skied down to Jardin Alpin, the two long chairs up to Saulire. Down to Marmottes where we had a picknick lunch. Then short detour up to Col de Chanrossa. Back to Saulire with Marmottes chair. From Sauliere skied down to Meribel Mottaret. Then on Plattieres gondola up. Visited the snow park shorty. The time to head back to home valley by taking the Cote Brune chair. Skied down to base station of Caron, gondola and telecabine to Cime de Caron peak. Skied down the sunny Col de l’auzin down to base. There was still time for a last ascent up to Col de la Chamber and from there we skied back to apartment ending the ski day 5 PM.
daily route
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Val Thorens 2024-01-30
3rd ski day. The day was a little cloudy but really good visibility. On this day we concentrated on the Meribel valley and made it to the lower Meribel at 1450 m, and back. Finished the day at Peclet. On the way we skied down the Grand Colour which was really icy and had giant moguls.
daily route
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Val Thorens 2024-01-31
4th day skiing. Slightly cloudier than previous days. We started the day from Orelle valley, then via Cime de Caron to Mont Vallon on Meribel valley. Then to the remote end on Belleville valley at St. Martin and back.
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Val Thorens 2024-02-01
This was the cloudiest day. So we decided to get below treeline so we skied as quickly as possible to Courchevel la Praz via Saulire. Then crossin col de Loze to lower Meribel. Crossing Tougnete to Les Menuires. Then Brueres gondolas back to Val Thorens. On the last run Daniel had a bad fall and hurt his shoulder. We returned to apartment to recover.
daily route
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Val Thorens 2024-02-02
Last and the 6th skiing day. This was a sunny and warm day. We skied mostly on Orelle, Val Thorens and did a short detour to Les Menuires just using the Brueres gonodolas.
daily route
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Val Thorens 2024-02-03
Return to home. Wake up at 9, breakfast, packing up and then checking out at 10 AM. The bus to airport was leaving at 1 PM, so we had some time to kill and walk around the village. Had some really expensive pizza at a sunny terrace. This time the Frejus Road Tunnel was open, so it took only 4 hours to the airport, including a short pit stop. At the airport a dinner at McDonalds. The flight back to Helsinki left on schedule.
Val Thorens 2024-02-04
Back in Helsinki just after midnight.
