Ski La Tania

Affordable access into the famous Trois Vallees ski area. A family friendly good all rounder resort with a peaceful atmosphere.

Ski La Tania

Situated in the famous Three Valleys in the Courchevel ski Valley La Tania is a great way to experience the largest ski area in the world. With 600km of piste, 9 parks and limitless off-piste on the full lift pass, here you will find something for everyone.

Initially purpose built for accommodation for the 1992 Winter Olympics it has been sympathetically expanded to fit in with the local Savoie Villages to emerge as one of the rising stars of the area. It still only has room for 4000 guest beds making your start to the day relatively queue free. Environmental awareness is very big here. It is completely powered by hydro-electric energy and that includes the snowbashers and lifts not just the village itself. As expected, this green policy means no cars.

Snowsure

The resort is 1400m above sea level so not as high as it’s more popular neighbours (Meribel, Courchevel, Val Thorens) but  you can go up as high as 3200 if you choose to venture further into the three valleys where there is plenty of glacier skiing to be had.

Ski Holidays in La Tania

If you want to ski the Three Valleys but are trying to find a cheaper alternative then this resort is for you. It’s great for families and couples looking for a quieter resort with plenty of fantastic tree runs on North facing slopes ensuring a good quality of snow. The downside of this resort is that the nightlife is pretty non-existent, it doesn’t get much sun before February and there is only one lift out of the village. Early birds will benefit from very small queues and great conditions.

Lift passes are cheaper than over in Meribel (See Ski Holidays Meribel for more info & ski deals in this resort). You can buy a lift pass for the Courchevel valley for 190Euros or one for Le Trois Vallees at 232Euros. Beginners and intermediate skiers will find more than enough to occupy on the first lift pass. If you do opt for the larger area pass make sure you carry a piste map with you and find out time of last lifts as it’s very easy to go to far. The free shuttle bus can always get you back though if you get stuck.

Beginner Skiing in La Tania

Directly above La Tania there’s plenty of greens and blues to keep the less confident happy throughout the week. La Tania’s mountain restaurants all face south for those needing a well earned break looking for a reviving vin chaud. Nursery slopes are all in the village which doesn’t get much sun earlier on in the season. Schools are good here with Jardin des Nieges being a popular choice for children.

Intermediate Skiing in La Tania

In the valley itself there is arguably one of the best selection of blues and reds you can  find. La Tania has one of the highest treelines in the Alps (2300metres) giving a pretty alpine backdrop for some fantastic skiing.

Snowboarding in La Tania

The Three Valleys have an abundance of parks, pipes and powder fields for you to while away your time in but there still plenty of fun to be had closer to home. There’s a great freestyle park and a good variety of beginners terrain with another larger park under the Plantrey chair. See this link for great snowboarding holidays and deals.

Advanced Skiing
You can really make the most of La Tania if steep mogully runs are your bag. There’s plenty of challenging difficult runs around. Hire a guide to give you the confidence to push yourself to the limit. The Saulire area has plenty of steep chutes to test you and the off-piste here is truly formidable.

Chalet Style
Admittedly this is a purpose built resort and didn’t even exist before 1992 but it still manages to have created a traditional Savoyard feel which seems to be very popular among the Dutch and the Brits. Chalets are wood and stone and very tastefully built.
 
Resort Life
Be aware that this is a small village with limited nightlife and if you go at a quiet time of the season it will feel pretty dead. The Ski Lodge Pub and L’Arbatt sometimes have live music and have pool tables. La Taiga is the local cocktail lounge for those in search of a more sophisticated après ski. Les Chanterelles and The Telemark Bistro provide local cuisine, Les Mormottons is the token pizzeria and for any special occasion choose Le Farcon which is featured in the Michelin guide. The retail therapy is pretty much non existent, unless you include the local mini-market and a couple of bakeries. Hop on the free bus to Courcheval for some serious luxury boutiques if your wallets feeling too heavy for you.  Snowshoeing, ice-skating, karting on ice, and snow scooters are optional extra activites. There is also a swimming pool, cinema and gym. Check out pamperoffpiste.com for the local mobile massage and beauty company.

La Tania Resort facts

• Top lift:        2740
• Area:            150km
• Longest run:        8km
• Lifts:            67
• Mountain restaurants:    8
• Beginner runs:        30%
• Inter & Advanced:    70%
• Off Piste:        9/10
• Parks:            2
• Pipes:            1
• Trees:            65%
• Travel fly to:        Geneva, Chambery, Lyon,
• Transfer time:        2hrs, 1.5hrs, 2hrs.
• Nightlife:        Very quiet.