Hikes In And Around Méribel

Hi everyone and welcome to another post from your favourite blogging Méribel ski instructor. The previous few posts have been focused on my summer visit to Méribel, and staying with a skiing theme. In other words, if you have visited Méribel before, or even Courchevel for that matter, then hopefully you might have recognised some peak names, ski piste names and even ski lift names that have been mentioned. This time I'm going off at an angle, and will talk about another love of mine, hiking. If this isn't your bag then apologies, but you might still like looking at the photos that I've taken?

See what I mean about the photos? The Méribel Tourist Office produce a very good hiking trail map, of hikes that can be made in the Méribel Valley. For those who are only familiar with ski pistes in the winter, visiting the same area in the summer can play with your mind a bit. The ski piste markers don't exist in summer, but footpaths (buried under snow and invisible in winter) visit similar and also different terrain. This is why having a hiking trail map is really useful. I also prefer to use an IGN map, which is the French equivalent of the British 'Ordnance Survey' maps.

One of my favourite walks is to 'pop up' to the Refuge du Saut. Starting from Méribel-Mottaret, you soon enter into the protected Tueda Nature Reserve. In the winter, if you ski down the Ours piste (a marmite piste if there ever is one) towards Méribel-Mottaret with Mont Vallon behind you, the frozen Lac de Tueda will be visible. Walking through the Tueda Nature Reserve is just beautiful in it's own right. After leaving the Nature Reserve, there's the entrance into the mighty Vanoise National Park before finding the Refuge du Saut. I've written about this hike over previous years before, so won't dwell on it for too long.

The hike is only about a couple of hours to reach this destination, but often takes longer because you are teased with so many distractions including spotting Marmottes!

Although it is an out and back route (ie not a loop), each direction offers plenty of variety. An absolute belter of a hike in such majestic scenery.

The next hike is one that I did with my wife and friends nearly ten summers ago. and also one I did with a friend and colleague on ski touring skis during the Covid winter when ski lifts weren't running. To get there, it means jumping in a car, driving below Courchevel, and up and around and through Champagny, right to the very end of the road up to Le Laisonnay d'un Haut. Try saying that after a gin and tonic? This area is proper rustic and in the middle of nowhere. As I joked with my wife Harriet, this is 'off grid' terrain, and I love it. But like a lot of continental Europe, you are never far away from a Chapel!

Similar to the previous walk, this one takes place in the Vanoise National Park, the French equivalent of our Lake District National Park (but on steriods). This particular area you are surrounded by glaciers, one being the Grande Motte. The Grande Motte glacier is the highest point of the Tignes ski area, next to Val d'Isere. And from the valley floor it's possible to just take a glimpse of one of the cable car pylons, and bizarrely we saw the lift running. Many years ago it was possible to ski on this glacier 365 days a year, something the resort marketed and boasted about. However with the rapid shrinking of glaciers across the world in the last 25 years or so, this is no longer possible.

The destination for this hike for Harriet and I was another refuge, called Refuge de la Glière. The hike up is beautiful, and reaching this rather distinctive refuge is a real treat. Apparently it was originally an old sheepfold, but was rehabillated in 1985, offering shelter!

Unfortunately my photos haven't done this incredible scenery any justice. It is such a beautiful area, and you really get the sense of how vast the Vanoise National Park is, let alone the French Alps.

Right, that'll do for now. I return back to Leamington Spa for the end of summer and autumn in a few days time. However, it is very hectic at the moment. Our apartment is about to have some major renovation work being done. This means I'm in the process of emptying it of all of our belongings. No pain no gain and all that. When I get back I'll launch another post with some of my favourite photos thatI've taken out here which haven't been seen anywhere, there are some beauties. Do come back soon, and as ever, don't forget to Live With Passion. Martin.