Saint Martin de Belleville Resort Guide & Reviews Ski Area, Apres-Ski, Things To See & Do in Saint Martin de Belleville
Overview
Saint Martin de Belleville is a world class all year round resort in the heart of Les 3 Vallées in La Vallée des Belleville - one of the largest inter-linked ski areas in the world with over 600km of piste.
A weeks ski holiday in St Martin de Belleville is probably enough for the novice skier as the village has direct links in to Meribel in the next valley and Les Menuires.
Après-ski
St Martin de Belleville has a typical Savoyard village feel with quaint bars and restaurants such as the farm-inn, tucked away in the narrow winding streets. For something a lttle more upmarket, there is also the 2 Michellin starred restaurant in the centre of town.
| Key information (whole area) | |
|---|---|
| Altitude | 1450m |
| Top lift | 2800m |
| Family | |
| Beginner | |
| Intermediate | |
| Expert | |
| Piste (km) | 600 |
| Longest run | 10 km |
| Off piste | |
| Cross country | km |
| Season | Dec - April |
| Snowboard parks | 1 |
| Heli Skiing | ✘ |
| Summer skiing | ✘ |
| Glacier skiing | ✔ |
| Babysitting | ✘ |
| Creche | ? |
| Apres ski | Refined |
St Martin de Belleville ski area guide
When touring Les 3 Vallees and navigating your way around 600km of pistes, the other ski resorts you'll likely visit are...
- Courchevel
- Les Menuires
- Meribel
- Val Thorens
- La Tania
- Brides-les-Bains
- Orelle
And, if that isn't enough, the Tarentaise Valley is home to some other famous ski resorts. Armed with a weekly lift pass for St Martin de Belleville /Les Trois Vallées, you can ski a day in each of...
- Paradiski - Les Arcs and La Plagne
- Espace Killy - Tignes and Val d'Isere
Plus, with 85% of the ski area above 1800m and a third of The 3 Valleys area covered by 728 snow cannons, snow is virtually guaranteed which is a big plus if you are going early or late season meaning the resorts runs will be open.
Beginners
St Martin de Belleville has some gentle slopes for beginners at the Altiport which is quiet and an ideal place to learn the basics. There are also beginner-friendly "Zen Zones" that are dotted around the slopes. These are for beginners, families and less confident skiers and separate from the main pistes.
Intermediate
There are literally so many blue and red pistes to choose from you'll be spoilt for choice. One of the best day trips is a ski over to the Maurienne Valley via Val Thorens but make sure you leave plenty of time to get back!!
Advanced
It is rumoured that St Martin de Belleville lacks steep terrain but luckily its only a rumour! If you are having difficulties finding challenging terrain then the toffee vodka must be taking its toll as there is an abundance of challenging runs throughout The 3 Valleys.
To start with, the bowl under the Olympic chairlift is generally good off-piste terrain but to get the best out of the area, we would recommend hiring a guide for the day. To be fair, Courchevel offers much steeper skiing than the area around St Martin and Les Menuires whilst the glacier at Val Thorens provide the vertical.
Cross-country
There are about 33km in the St Martin de Belleville valley. The main area is in the forest near Altiport and great for trying cross-country for the first time. There’s also a loop around Lake Tueda, in the nature reserve at Mottaret, and for the more experienced an itinéraire from Altiport to Courchevel.
Snowboarding
Beginners are well catered for now as lots of the old drags having been upgraded to chairlifts - being dragged up a mountain by a T-bar isn't much fun! St Martin de Belleville has worked hard on its terrain parks and the Moon Park is the latest and is the hub for the local boarders.
Things to see & do
For those days where you simply dont want to put skis on or the weather conditions aren't that great, there are plenty of other outdoor activities to hand...
- Snow shoeing
- Parapenting
- Dog sledding
- Ice climbing
- In-door swimming pool with flumes
- Go-karting on ice
- Cinema
- Health club with squash, sauna, massage and beauty treatments
Wellbeing & Spa
There are many spa and wellness facilities in the resort offering various treatments, swimming, saunas, steam room, hammam, jacuzzi, Turkish showers and solarium.
Featured chalets
With nearly all of the properties in St Martin de Belleville being so close to the lifts and the pistes, it is one of the best ski resorts for young families - forget carrying the kid's skis to the bus and getting squashed, this is the real deal.
Our view on St Martin de Belleville
A wonderful ski resort with as much on offer on the piste as there is off it. A few suggestions...
- When the light conditions are not so great and you cant see the approaching mogul, we tend to head towards the trees in La Tania - not only can you see where you are going but there are some great "rabbit" runs!!
- With more than a 1000m vertical drop and consistently great snow conditions, the Combe du Vallon is one of the longest and most beautiful pistes in Méribel. From the summit you get a great panoramic view of the Vanoise National Park
