For this week’s passion blog, I want to show my appreciation for European mountains. Skiing in Europe will forever be a bucket list item of mine, as the mountains, snowfall, and views are a skiers paradise. My dad’s best friend, Yvon, is an experienced skier who we spend a lot of our winters with. He is from France, and he always tells my family about his crazy experiences and favorite mountains. So, with that being said, let’s talk about Yvon’s favorite spots!

Yvon always talks about Courchevel, France, as it is the largest ski domain in Europe. Known as Les Trois Vallées (Three Valleys), the entire area is spread across ten summits with altitudes above 2,500 kilometers. The resort has a total of sixty lifts with access to a total of 600 kilometers interconnected ski slopes and four glaciers. Not to mention, the resort usually faces an annual snowfall up to four meters with  state-of-the-art grooming keeping the trails in perfect condition. I don’t know about you, but Les Trois Vallées sounds outstanding to me. 

Next to Courchevel, Yvon also raves about Val d’Isere, France. Here, the mountains offer 300 kilometers of skiable terrain served by more than 150 chairlifts! This high valley is surrounded by 3,000 meter peaks, with the lowest terrain reaching 1,550 meters and the highest towering at 3,450 meters. With the vast terrain, it is always the resort to stay open until May (which is a ridiculously long season for skiing). Alongside the peaks, the Glacier du Pisaillas is skiable into June or July. With a crazy long season and vast terrain, Val d’Isere is somewhere I will surely visit in my lifetime. 

Last but not least, Yvon loves Zermatt, Switzerland. With Switzerland’s greatest vertical drop and skiable terrains at altitudes as high as 3,900 meters, Zermatt is every skiers dream. Yvon says Zermatt has some of the best long runs, some of which end in the village — you can literally ski home. Not to mention, views from the summit are absolutely out of this world. Along with the peaks, The Matterhorn Glacier Ride of Zermatt is the world’s highest 3S cableway and is able to carry 2,000 skiers an hour to the glacier. This glacier makes year-round skiing possible, even during the summer! For less experienced skiers, Yvon recommends Wolli’s Park, which is off the face of the Matterhorn. Having the southern face of Matterhorn in Italy, skiers are able to ski Switzerland and Italy in one day through the Theodul Pass. 

So, as you can see, European skiing isn’t for the lighthearted. You have to be a dedicated skier to want to experience the challenging terrain and offerings by Les Trois Vallées, Val d’Isere, and Zermatt. With these challenges, comes great fun and memories, Yvon says. Some day, I hope to visit all three of these resorts. Currently, I am working to convince Yvon to take me the next time he travels for the European trails. I will keep you updated on my begging.

https://www.planetware.com/europe/top-rated-ski-resorts-in-europe-ch-1-10.htm