January 30, 2026 – Hello skiers,
For our last day in the Vallée des Belleville we had a 3 Vallées package and the objective was already announced: go up to the Cime Caron in Val Thorens, overflow on Orelle, and return to Les Menuires at the end of the day.
On a clear day, the project would have been quite easy to carry out, but this morning it was a little cloudy. An almost white day as they say so well here. A very low cloudy ceiling and a good snow that falls since the middle of the night. Visibility is almost null…
When we watch local skiers descend in these conditions we tell ourselves that we must eventually adapt to these conditions when you see the speed they maintain. But for us, unaccustomed to skiing in the fog, it is more difficult. In addition, we always ski in slopes separated by forest edges that give a lot of contrast. Here everything is white everywhere and we have trouble finding our bearings.
In any case, projects are projects and listening only to our courage, we jumped into the Menuires chairlift early this morning and then went on the Mont de la Chambre directly to Val Thorens.
We came here a few years ago, but the memories are visibly fading with the years. Even under the snow and fog the resort is very impressive. Buildings are everywhere, skiers go in all directions and ski lifts intersect with each other in all directions. Wow!
When we look up the mountain we see that the fog is still quite dense. Access to Cime Caron seems uncertain but we will see. The gondola cabins get lost in the cloud at mid-run…
Wanting to avoid having difficulty skiing on all-white slopes, we chose, at least at the beginning of the day, to stay lower where visibility is a little better. It is therefore in the Plein Sud, Cairn and Pionniers lifts that we evolved until about noon for a short break in a very beautiful terrace in the center, very close to the Tourism Office. A superb chic pub with good ambient music that immediately puts you in the festive beat of the station. Because yes, Val Thorens, it’s the party! People come from all over the world for an unforgettable vacation. We can really feel the beat.
But a project is a project. So after the little lunch break it was directly to the Cime Caron 3200 that we turned. We get there in two stages, a first climb in the VT32 Caron gondola followed by the cable car 🚠 freshly renovated VT33 Cime Caron. This lift was completely renovated last year and was out of service for several months.
The weather is still quite foggy but I tell myself that I have to go check for myself. And anyway I also wanted to visit the new facilities of the 3200 with its chic restaurant, its wine bar 🍷, its terrace with breathtaking views and also its state-of-the-art elevator. In itself, this construction in these conditions and at this altitude is a great technical feat.
This new building is really impressive and just by entering it we can quickly feel the atmosphere that reigns there. Really to see, even if you decide to come back in the cable car rather than on skis.
For our part, we see that visibility is really limit. But hey, at the same time if other skiers get started, it shouldn’t be so bad. Let’s go!
Given the weather we gave up going to Orelle knowing that we will have to return to the top to return Aux Menuires. We must not push our luck too much as we say so well. We therefore choose to go down Cime Caron via the Cime track which takes us to the bottom of the Portette lift. From there it became easier to get to the center.
After a few descents in this area we went to the Boismint lift, at the very bottom, to go up to the top and take the last track before returning Aux Menuires.
It was probably the most beautiful descent of the day, the Boismint followed by the Plan de l’eau. An incredible terrain with impeccable snow conditions. But what a place!
From there we returned Aux Menuires by the path that takes us back to the bottom of the Pointe de la Masse ascent. As the weather is now very nice and the day is not over, we made a last jump to the top to take a beautiful black track, the Masse, which is in an unexpected condition for this time of day.
But what a beautiful day that ends once again under very good conditions. Val Thorens obviously deserves to be visited and next time we will certainly go to Orelle, I promise!
Hélène Racine et Philippe Laporte
Ski Média
