The Alps Over Easter

Easter Weekend in London is the first four day weekend of the calendar year. People look forward to Easter Weekend in the UK, the way Americans yearn for Memorial Day and Labor Day. There are a slew of places to jet off to, but it is the norm to dust off your skis and head to the Alps over Easter.

A lot of Brits head to Meribel in the Alps. Even though it might be where everyone flocks to in the Alps it is worth every penny or Euro you might spend.

Meribel is part of the 3 Valleys ski resort made up of Courchevel, La Tania, and Meribel. Many websites proclaim it the largest ski resort in the world, and I wouldn’t know from experience the world over, but it I wouldn’t argue against this. There are over 200 chair lifts whisking you down a myriad of slopes.

Meribel is at the heart of the 3 Valleys and tends to be very English. But it is a true mixed bag of young kids on school ski vacations, families, and drunken singles looking for a good time. The main town caters to everyone with high end restaurants and pubs that stay open late. A co-worker smiled when I mentioned visiting Meribel and said “Ah, the Ibiza of the Alps.”

I don’t know La Tania that well, but Courchevel is for the rich and the famous. Prince William was there the week we were slumming it in Meribel. Courchevel has the best slopes of the 3 valleys, and is superb for people watching.

The unique element to the 3 Valleys is they are three separate resorts with their own towns, but they are all easily connected by the slopes and chair lifts. So you have a wide variety of options for skiing and even more options of restaurants and bars for the all important apres ski. I have been on five trips over the years to Meribel, and I still haven’t skied on every slope.

So pack up your skis, skip Vermont or Colorado, max out the credit card, and live it up in the French Alps!