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Bars
and Clubs (compiled by Meribel Unplugged)
The social scene in Méribel is excellent with a growing choice
of bars across the town:
Centre
Evolution - Season workers hang out by day and by night, free wifi, homemade hot chocolate, great food and chilled out times, are all offered by Evolution.
Le Pub - Traditional
favourite with regular bands
Cactus Café – the only
Caffreys in town!
La Taverne - Music, food,
guinness...
Jack's Bar - Mutzig not compulsory
Barometre - Laid back and
stylish alternative to the Poste
Le Loft - Late-night,
French, stylish
Le Poste - Replaced saisonnier
favourite the Capricorne. Stylish but pricey.
Scotts - Chill out on the
sofas
Dicks T-Bar - Open til 4am
for late night antics
1600/Rond Point
Les Enfants Terribles
- champagne cocktails
Chez Kiki - French get-away
Le Rond Point -
Apres-ski venue with regular bands
Mottaret
Le
Rastro – great music and reasonable prices
Le Grain de Sel -
Smart French run restaurant (once Le Plein Soleil)
Meribel Village
Le Lodge du Village - live music and great lunchtime & evening food
Bands
Most of the bars have bands playing each night.
Watch out for some of our favourites: Toast, Super
U, Shibboleth, Blue Funkt, Patchwork, Wendy and Christophe,
Foreplay.
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Off-piste*
The Rockgarden -Follow
the ridge left from Platieres II. Five minute hike
to the top. Drop-offs and long pitches great for powder
days. Cut right on the path before you hit the
Reserve de Tueda.
The Elevator Shaft -
Pas du Lac or Burgin-Saulire to
top. Hard left and walk under the building until you
see a metal ladder. Climb carefully and use the rope
support to top of gully. South-facing and narrow,
so avoid after sun and particularly heavy snow.
Mont
Vallon - Drop down beneath
the lift!
*These runs are for experts only, taken at your own
risk, in company and with the appropriate equipment.
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Moguls
Bouquetin –
steep, testing run. The warning at the top ‘for
advanced skiers only’ is serious!
Bosses – means ‘moguls’ in
French. Can deteriorate quickly.
Bartavelle – location of the
Shaker
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Speed
Saulire to Mottaret
(1038m vertical)
Saulire to La Chaudanne (1300m)
Mont Vallon to Mures Rouges (1100m)
Platières III to Mottaret (1000m)
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Snowparks
The area between Platières I and II
has a half-pipe and an excellent boarder-cross area with good terrain
for getting air. There is a new snowpark with two half-pipes running
from the top of the Plan de l'Homme chair called the Moonpark -
it's less busy and not so extreme - perfect for trying tricks in
private before heading up to the auditorium that is Platieres.
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Events
Natives
Workers Challenge - Fun, but sometimes serious. Very social.
The Shaker – bumps competition in March/April
(not run for last few years)
Three Valley Rally - Everywhere quickly in Mar/Apr
Meribel Ball - end of season black tie party
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Famous
Visitors (compiled by Meribel Unplugged)
Peter Gabriel, Lisa
I’Anson, Jo Whiley, Bob Geldof, Michael Schumacher (bought a chalet from Alain Prost), Mr Poma (who makes the lifts), Nicky Clarke
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Away
Days
Much as Méribel is a
fantastic place, sometimes you will want to get away.
Skip Moutiers and Albertville and head for Annecy.
There’s a large choice of shops and restaurants
and the lake is beautiful. If it’s a fine day,
you can hire a pedalo, head for the centre of the
lake and really escape.
If you just want a different mountain to play on,
then try one of the other Tarentaise resorts. If you
have a 3V pass you get up four days in other resorts.
Val or Tignes will take you about 1 ½ hours to get
to.
Chamonix
is only two hours away. At the end of the season, this
can be a great day out. Argentière snow holds up better
than elsewhere in the Alps, a Vallée Blanche trip is
always possible and if you can afford it and it’s
clear, the Aiguille du Midi is something you’ll
never forget.
If you don't have a car,
try John at 3V
Transfers
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Shopping
Méribel has a decent if limited collection of
shops. The following offer an excellent choice
of mountain wear.
White Stuff
Freeride.fr - New Patagonia stockists
Espace Gliss
Board Brains
Sport Boutique
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Internet
Cafés
CyBar (La
Taverne)
Tourist Office
Rond Point
Evolution
More
details
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Eating
Out (compiled by Meribel Unplugged)
On those occasions when
your need to get away from the kitchen, you can still
get good value for money about the resort:
1600
Les Enfants Terribles
- French food, not overpriced
Le Rond Point - Expensive,
but expansive BBQs
Centre
Pizza Express - As you'd expect
Le Refuge - Great VFM downstairs
La Taverne - Plenty of options
for a night out
Mottaret
Pizzeria du Mottaret - Less British resto
Le Grain du Sel - v
smart French restaurant
Le Rastro - great music and reasonable prices
Zig Zag - the best steaks in Mottaret and the lowest prices in all 3 valleys
Village
Le Plantin - now a high class restuarnt, VERY expensive,,,but great food
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Mountain
Restos (compiled by Meribel Unplugged)
If you're guiding or
skiing with a group of guests, these restaurants are
a good bet for a lunch stop:
The Ski Lodge (La Tania)
Chardonnet (Mottaret)
Rhodos (Altiport)
Le Rond Point (Méribel)
La Sitelle (Mottaret)
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McDonalds
The nearest 'Royale
with Cheese' is in Albertville (45 mins).
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Shopping
Day
The main shop every week will usually
be at Hyper Champion in Moutiers. The supermarket is well geared
up for chalet companies and carries a fairly comprehensive stock,
but get there early if you want fresh milk. You can also use the
cash and carry just opposite and Mr Bricolage (round the corner),
particularly for stocking up at the start of the season with large
industrial size products.
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Transfer
Day
The usual transfer times
between Méribel and its main gateways are Moutiers
(30min), Chambèry (1 3/4hrs), Lyon (2hrs), Grenoble (2hrs) and Geneva
(2hrs).
If you’re going
to the airport, try to get Geneva on Sundays, rather
than Lyon on Saturdays. It’s the difference between
Bournemouth and Blackpool. Chambèry is the next best
option (although only if you work for Crystal).
Moutiers is strictly
for the snow train. There are now many different versions
of the snowtrain, but suffice to say that the first
arrival is bloody early! The steep valley walls mean
Moutiers the darkest town in France, so you’ll
regularly freeze your balls off while waiting. The
compensation is watching the sun rise – a site
which will warm the heart if not the cojones –
plus an early return to resort.
Remember the transfer times above are
from leaving/arriving from Méribel. In resort you may have multiple
pick-ups/drop-offs to do depending on your employer. This system
is almost guaranteed to annoy your guests, who may be able to see
their chalet in Mottaret over an hour before they reach it, after
stops through Les Allues, Méribel Centre, 1600, Rond Point etc.
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Après-ski
Events
Méribel has a huge number of possibilities
for après-ski. One of the best is the successful BBQ that
some tour ops run near the Altiport. Once you reach a critical mass
this can be a great earner. Other options include a quiz night,
where bars like Le Pub and Dicks are usually delighted to get some
early evening business.
For the speciality evenings Le Plantin
is cheap and cheerful and will offers transport. For variety,
why try offering tartiflette to keep the experienced punters
interested?
Skidoos, parapenting, flights, bowling,
snowboarding lessons and a race day are all other options that will
help you earn a few extra euros.
More avant ski than apres ski, Ski Physique help you to keep in shape off the hill with the following classes at 11am at Dicks Tea Bar in Meribel
Mon - Circuit
Tues - Yoga
Wed - Pilates
Friday - Booty Shaking Dance
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Living
Most probably you will
not have any choice over where you live, but it’s
worth remembering that anywhere outside the centres
of either Méribel
or Mottaret will involve a long walk home at the end
of the night.
If you live anywhere
higher than 1600 in Méribel you may find your enthusiasm
to stay beyond the last bus home wanes as the season
goes on. Hitching is always an option and is as safe
as it’s ever going to be. If you have a car,
remember that while you are extremely unlikely to
be stopped by the police you will be by a wall –
so drunk driving is not recommended.
For Mottaret staff, we do not recommend
walking back up the Truite from a night out in Méribel. This very
gentle run that gravity struggles to pull you down on is a surprising
bastard of a climb back. If returning to the Hameau from the Rastro,
you can pass the time by counting the 387 steps.
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Snow Reports
For regularly updated snow reports and great last minutes deals
for Meribel, check out Merinet at www.merinet.com.
The site is also full of other useful information about the resort,
including a comprehensive set of webcams.
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MyNatives
Search
If you’re thinking of doing a season in Meribel then check out MyNatives to see who else has worked there and what advice
they may be able to offer. Why not join yourself and tell us about your season, in a blog, or post some photos in our Gallery.
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