Skiing in Les Menuires

Les Menuires: La Masse blacks, free beginner lifts and the heart of the 3 Vallées

Les Menuires ski guide: all 81 official slopes by sector, free beginner lifts, 2026–27 local vs 3 Vallées pass prices, Moûtiers buses and best snow months.

Slopes in the official Les Menuires / Saint-Martin counter

81

Winter lifts, Les Menuires and Saint-Martin

30

Les Menuires village altitude (m)

1850

Highest point, Col de la Chambre (m)

2850

Les Menuires/Saint-Martin adult 1-day pass, 19 Dec 2026–9 Apr 2027 (EUR)

70

Skiing & terrain in Les Menuires

Every downhill entry in the official Les Menuires / Saint-Martin-de-Belleville live list (four sectors: La Masse, Mont de la Chambre, Trois Marches, Saint-Martin-de-Belleville), plus the six beginner gardens and three ski-touring itineraries from the same list — 92 rows. Val Thorens, Orelle and Méribel runs are not included; they have their own SkiPair pages.

Slopes in the operator counter (incl. 6 beginner gardens)

81

Official counter: green

12

Official counter: blue

39

Official counter: red

22

Official counter: black

8

Winter lifts

30

Rows in this table

92

• Green pistes in this table: 7
• Blue pistes in this table: 40
• Red pistes in this table: 24
• Black pistes in this table: 9

Checked 18 October 2026 from the operator data behind lesmenuires.com/en/live, which names each slope, its sector and its colour (green/blue/red/black, the French piste grades). The breakdown counts the 80 rows of kind 'piste' in this table. It differs from the official counter (81 slopes: 12 green, 39 blue, 22 red, 8 black) because the counter includes the six beginner gardens and the three fun areas but excludes 8 upper/lower sections listed separately (marked in the descriptions); here gardens and fun areas are shown as areas. Names marked 'Bd' are boulevards (linking runs) that the operator grades and counts as slopes. The operator does not publish per-piste lengths, so lengthM is empty for every row; we do not substitute lift lengths. Opening status changes daily — use the live page.

Les Menuires pistes: La Masse, Mont de la Chambre, Trois Marches and Saint-Martin

Les Menuires and Saint-Martin-de-Belleville share one lift company (Sevabel) and one counter: 81 slopes — 12 green, 39 blue, 22 red and 8 black — and 30 winter lifts. The official list splits them into four sectors: La Masse on the south-west side of the valley, Mont de la Chambre and Trois Marches on the opposite side toward Méribel and Val Thorens, and Saint-Martin-de-Belleville lower down the valley at 1,450 m. The village sits at 1,850 m and the top of the area is Col de la Chambre at 2,850 m.

La Masse, reached by the Croisette open gondola and the Pointe de la Masse gondola (2,804 m on the 3 Vallées map), holds most of the blacks — Masse, Dame Blanche, Lac Noir, Rocher Noir — and reds such as Fred Covili, Mur Rouge and Crêtes. The Mont de la Chambre side carries the reds and blacks named after athletes (David Douillet, Léo Lacroix) and long blues such as Pâturages and Bruyères. The tourism office notes the Masse side gets the morning sun and Mont de la Chambre the afternoon sun.

Les Menuires is also the middle of Les 3 Vallées: the official ski-area page puts the linked domain at about 600 km. From Mont de la Chambre and Trois Marches you link to Val Thorens and Méribel; those runs are not in this table and need the 3 Vallées pass.

Les Menuires for beginners: free lifts, Montagnette and the Easy Rider pass

The resort publishes a separate beginner map. It lists free lifts — seven magic carpets (Pelvoux, Plans and Bruyères covered, Reberty 1850, Preyerand, Biolley 1 and 2), the Village drag lift in Saint-Martin, the Croisette open gondola and the Preyerand cable car — so a first-timer can start without buying a full pass. The operator's list counts six beginner gardens (Jardin Bruyères, Menuires, Plans, Preyerand, Reberty and St Martin).

The next step is the Mini Pass Easy Rider, which the beginner map says covers three gondolas (Roc 1, Bruyères 1, Saint Martin 1) and six chairlifts (Tortollet, Reberty, Menuires, Doron, Bettex, Saint Martin Express). The map suggests two easy itineraries: a warm-up around Le Bettex on La Violette and Bd de la Masse, then Montagnette, Gaston, Fontanettes and Bd du Doron.

Montagnette, above La Croisette (Menuires or Doron chairlifts), is a green fun slope with arches and interactive modules. Avoid the La Masse summit on day one: most of its runs are red or black.

Getting to Les Menuires: Geneva, Lyon or Chambéry, then Moûtiers and the bus

There is no airport in the Belleville valley. Les 3 Vallées lists four airports as the nearest: Geneva, Lyon Saint-Exupéry, Chambéry and Grenoble. In winter Altibus sells coach seats from Geneva and Lyon airports to Les Menuires; both services run only in the winter season, and Altibus says 2026–27 bookings open this autumn.

By train, go to Moûtiers-Salins-Brides-les-Bains, 27 km below the resort. Altibus line S63 (Moûtiers – Les Menuires – Val Thorens) runs all year from the station, more often in winter; Les 3 Vallées says the buses from Moûtiers take under an hour. Taxis and hire cars are the alternatives; the tourism office publishes a taxi list.

Driving, winter equipment is compulsory in Savoie from 1 November to 31 March, and every district has free outdoor car parks. Once you arrive, free shuttles link La Croisette, Reberty 1850, Reberty 2000, Les Airelles, Les Fontanettes and Les Bruyères, and an inter-resort shuttle runs to Saint-Martin and Val Thorens.

Les Menuires with kids: ESF classes, Piou Piou and the beginner gardens

Les Menuires has held the Famille Plus family label since 2006. The tourism office lists three ESF schools — La Croisette, Les Bruyères and Reberty 2000 — plus Oxyski (Reberty 2000) and Audacius, and advises booking lessons, nurseries and childcare early.

ESF Les Menuires runs the Club Piou Piou kindergarten for babies from 3 months (Sunday to Friday, 9:00–17:00), lessons from age 3 (from 2½ outside school holidays only), a Piou Piou ski-and-activities course for 3–4, group lessons for 4–5 and 6–12 (from Ourson level up to Étoile d'Or competition courses), snowboard from 6 and teen groups from 13. The school's pages do not state teaching languages, so ask when you book.

Children under 5 ski free with proof of age, and the Family Flex rate lets 3+ people (max 2 adults, at least one child 5–17) ski at the child price for 5 days or more. For a non-skiing parent, the beginner gardens, the Montagnette fun slope and the Friendly Natural Park at La Masse are easy meeting points.

Where to stay in Les Menuires: La Croisette, Reberty, Les Bruyères or Saint-Martin

The resort has five districts. La Croisette is the centre and the liveliest, with après-ski and restaurants; the Croisette open gondola (free) climbs to La Masse and the Menuires and Doron chairlifts start nearby — a good all-round base. Les Bruyères at the Val Thorens end is similar in buzz, with shops, a wellness area and the Bruyères gondolas toward Mont de la Chambre and Val Thorens.

Grand Reberty is the largest and calmer, with sports shops and a supermarket; you can reach La Croisette on foot, by shuttle or on skis, and the Reberty chairlift and magic carpet are on hand. Les Fontanettes is the quietest, a few minutes from La Masse. Preyerand is the western entrance with ski-hire shops; its free cable car links to Le Bettex. All districts are crossed by slopes and linked by free shuttles.

Saint-Martin-de-Belleville (1,450 m) is a traditional village lower down with its own lifts — St Martin 1 gondola and St Martin Express — but the lower runs lose snow first in spring (see the snow section). Check the walk in ski boots, ski storage and the nearest shuttle stop before you book.

Opens Booking in a new window. If you have selected valid holiday dates below, they are included. Check dates, rooms, adults and children’s ages on Booking before booking; prices and availability are set there.

Les Menuires ski pass vs Les 3 Vallées: 2026–27 prices

Two passes matter. The Les Menuires / Saint-Martin pass covers the 81 slopes in this guide; the Les 3 Vallées pass adds Val Thorens, Orelle, Méribel and Courchevel. In the price list dated 8 October 2026, an adult (18–74) pays €70 a day and €350 for six days on the local pass, or €84.20 and €421 on the 3 Vallées, from 19 December 2026 to 9 April 2027.

Early and late season (5–18 December 2026 and 10–18 April 2027) are cheaper: €63/€315 local, €75.70/€378.50 for the 3 Vallées. Children 5–17 pay €57.40 a day local or €69 for the 3 Vallées in the main season; under-5s ski free and 75+ veterans pay a small fee, both with proof of age. Saturday day passes bought online by Friday midnight cost €41 (local) and €67.30 (3 Vallées).

Buy online at the operator's site linked from the official page. Beginners can start on the free lifts and the Mini Pass Easy Rider before committing to a full pass.

Les Menuires snow forecast and best time to ski: snow history and 2026–27 dates

Historically, February and March are the best snow window in Les Menuires. At Météo-France's Les Menuires station (1,800 m, near the village), average snow depth over 1991–2020 is about 65 cm in February and 61 cm in March, against 50 cm in January and 34 cm in December; January brings the most new snow (about 98 cm a month on average). April is the late shoulder: the village average falls to about 26 cm, and at Saint-Martin-de-Belleville (1,443 m) it is only about 3 cm, against 43 cm in February. These are long-term averages (a SkiPair calculation from Météo-France daily station data), not a guarantee for any season.

The 2026–27 lift season runs from 5 December 2026 to 18 April 2027. For an early-December or April trip, the higher terrain — La Masse and Mont de la Chambre toward 2,850 m, and Val Thorens on a 3 Vallées pass — usually holds snow better than the runs down to Saint-Martin.

For the forecast itself, use the official live page: it shows the weather, a snow-depth range from the lower to the upper measuring points, the avalanche risk on the European 1–5 scale and which lifts and slopes are open. Check the upper and lower figures separately — a good depth at altitude does not mean the runs to 1,450 m are open.

Find ski partners in Les Menuires and across the 3 Vallées

Les Menuires works well for a solo trip: lifts start in every district and the 3 Vallées gives a natural shared goal. On SkiPair, add your dates, district and level so you can match with someone on the same days — for example, blacks on La Masse in the morning sun, or a 3 Vallées day to Val Thorens and Méribel.

Agree before you set off who has the local pass and who has the 3 Vallées pass, where you meet (the Croisette gondola is an obvious spot), and what time you start back so nobody misses the last link lift.

Ski pass prices for Les Menuires

Check the operator’s current prices for your ski dates, ticket duration, age group and the area covered by the pass.

Opens the official site in a new window. Prices and ticket conditions are set by the operator.

Weather and snow

A clearer view of the snow in Les Menuires: recent snowfall, what is forecast next, and an outlook for your dates.

Snow and temperature are model estimates. They do not confirm that lifts or pistes are open. Further-ahead dates show seasonal patterns rather than a weather forecast.

Flights & getting to Les Menuires

Choose your holiday dates. Inside the flight search, choose a departure city or airport in any country. We suggest an origin from your saved departure details when available.

Flight search is available to signed-in members. Prices and availability refresh during search; booking terms are set by the provider.

Recommended airport for the French Alps: Geneva (GVA).

Les Menuires is better with your kind of people

A destination in common is a good start. Find skiers and snowboarders whose dates, ability and idea of a great day match yours.

A glimpse of Les Menuires

Archive photos · cropped for display

Questions about this resort