Along with new gondolas, chairlifts, magic carpets and upgraded cable cars for the coming winter – most of which we have reported on separately – the 3 Valleys, the world's largest lift-linked ski area, has a number of piste improvements to announce for 2012-13 too.
In the Les Menuires area a completely new blue run has been created from Le Bettex to Les Menuires to improve access to the Preyerand area (...but as with all newly created runs in the region over the past 20 years, it will not affect the total piste length of the region, which remains at 600km!).
The la Martre blue run, with connections to Les Menuires and Val Thorens, has been re-shaped to make it easier for beginners and intermediate skiers to ski back from the bottom of the Méribel Valley.
In Val Thorens the key Plein Sud run which sees 80% of 3 Valleys traffic pass through it has been improved by widening the run as much as possible and lengthening the passage to make it easier for skiers of all abilities and in addition the Walibi Gliss fun zone at Les Menuires has also been improved.
In the Méribel sector itself, skiing back to La Chaudanne via the Bourbon Busset run has been made more accessible to skiers of all levels, particularly around the area where it meets the bottom of the Mauduit run.
Snowmaking, which now covers a third off the total terrain with more than 2000 snow guns, will be extended to the Les Creux run with the installation of 46 snowmaking machines, and to the Cospillot run with 12 snowmaking machines – both in the Courchevel sector. Finally 15 new silent snow making machines have been installed at the foot of Val Thorens to provide snow cover when temperatures drop and even easier access to Val Thorens' ski area.