Holistic Mountain Escape

From exhilarating skiing to complementary spa experiences, Lara Dunn explores the wellness options on offer in Les Trois Vallées in Savoie

- Lara Dunn

On 23 November, it will be business as usual once more for Val Thorens as the 2019/20 ski season kicks off afresh with La Grande Première. Val Thorens has more superlatives attached to it than most resorts – highest resort in Europe, part of the world’s largest lift-linked ski area, Les Trois Vallées, which covers a massive 600 kilometers of skiable terrain, and even the World’s Best Ski Resort five years in a row. Most impressive of all perhaps is the length of its ski season, stretching to a huge six months of snowy fun.

But Val Tho (as it is known) is not just about skiing and snowboarding. Even a snowsure resort like Val Thorens is working hard towards offering a variety of activities and facilities to appeal to non-skiers, but also giving alternatives on bad weather days or just when a change of pace is particularly appealing.

Long gone are the days when French Alpine resorts were purely the domain of the snowsports enthusiast. These days, a mountain holiday can include all manner of activities from ice driving to zip wires, dog sleds to fat-biking on snow. But one of the major growth areas in recent years has been that of wellness. Mountain holidays have long been popular for rejuvenation and relaxation and this is an area that is fast becoming a major force in winter resort tourism.

A couple of years ago Val Thorens launched its My Serenity programme to build on the growing popularity of wellness breaks. It was launched in collaboration with doctor Philippe Rodet, a specialist in stress management, and brings together a variety of different elements that all have the common goal of relaxation in mind.

Seventh heaven