Ski Holidays in St Martin de Belleville, France

Snow report issued:	6th Feb 12
Last snowed:	31st Jan 12
Fresh snow depth:	3cm
Depth at resort:	85cm
Mountain depth:	255cm
Piste state:
Excellent (Great conditions - wax up your skis!)
Weather report:
Light clouds dotting the sky
Temperature:	-14°C
Open lifts:	33 of 33

View St Martin de Belleville snow history

Slope Direction	SE E N W
Very Easy Runs	4
Easy Runs	24
Medium Runs	26
Difficult Runs	7
Toughest Run Name	Lacroix
Skiable Vertical	1400m
Number Of Lifts	29
Top Lift Height	2850m
Night Skiing	Y
Snowboarding Parks	1
Half Pipes	0
Swimming Pools	0
Night Clubs	0
Mountain Restaurants	4

Geneva:	2 hours and 20 minutes
Lyon:	2 hours and 20 minutes

There are gentle nursery slopes right next to the resort or you can start your skiing career up in the dedicated beginners' area created at the La Croisette quarter of Les Menuires above.

A special ski pass is available that gives access to 11 ski lifts - all that you are likely to need in your early days - for much less than the Belleville Valley ticket. Five lifts are even accessible free of charge so you may not even need the beginners' pass for the first few days.

The ski school also offers a discounted combination package including tuition, rentals and any lift ticket required.

Clearly the world's biggest ski area is going to have everything an intermediate level skier could ever ask for, and the Three Valleys certainly don't disappoint.

Your first task is to choose whether you just want the Les Menuires/St Martin pass, which covers 160km (100 miles) of piste, or the full Belleville Valley pass, which includes the highest skiing at Val Thorens and extends the area to 300km (just under 190 miles) for about 20% more.

If you're really going to clock up the miles, the Three Valleys pass gives you access to the skiing in the neighbouring Meribel and Courchevel valleys (and psychologically means you can turn left down to the vast ski area you see below you at the top of the lift each morning), but that costs about 30% more than the local ticket.

Whatever you choose, at the end of the day, you can take the red Jerusalem piste back down to St Martin, one of the favourite runs of many who know all 600km (375 miles) of the 3 Valleys.

Although there are innumerable opportunities across the Three Valleys, the local slopes of La Pointe de la Masse (2800m) will attract good skiers first of all. From the top you can access several famous off piste itineraries (Lac du Lou, Col de la Fenàªtre or Vallée des Encombres).

The ESF ski school also organises off piste outings in the company of a guide or ski instructor, except in the French February school holidays. These trips can include glacier descents, an introduction to ski touring, and visits to lost valley or other nearby off pistes routes, whilst respecting the safety rules.

For terrain park fans the Becca snowcross area has two fun zones, each for a different standard of snowboarding. The experts' area has a boardercross course, whoops, a zone with four slides and rails, as well as four big airs (two reds, two blacks).

The new freestyle beginners' area was created for the 2007-8 season and incorporates jumps, rails and raised bends in the Becca snow cross area, so that adults and children can enjoy the same fun features as the experts, but in a less intimidating environment!

The Beja Vya mountain spa in the Hotel La Bouitte offers jacuzzi, sauna and relaxation area. Mountain treatments using hay, milk, honey and hot stones are offered. Similar facilities are available at the spa in the Chalets du Gypse.

If you prefer to stay outdoors there's cross country skiing on 28km of trails covering three different routes, and a wide variety of winter walking paths (with the option of a special pedestrians' pass so that you can use ski lifts to speed you on your way or on your return). Guided snowshoe hikes are also offered as well as 30 minute or hour long dog sleigh trips.

Cultural activities are quite strong in St Martin with concerts in the old church, a tasting session of local farm products (cheese, jam, wine, bread, cured meats) in the village square each Wednesday afternoon, torchlit walks around the village (February only), visits to local farms and tours of the village to examine examples of local Savoyard Baroque art.

St Martin has quite intimate and low key nightlife with just over a dozen bars and restaurants. Brewski is usually the liveliest option whilst Pourquois Pas? is a more laidback piano bar with a cozy log fire.

The main dining choices are traditional Savoyard or Italian. Le Petit Creux is a great pizzeria, whilst Edelweiss is good for local cuisine.

Children aged from 30 months to five years old can be cared for in the Piou-Piou Club. It has a nursery and a special children's restaurant. Children aged three and older can join in lessons beginning with the French national basic Ourson level for three and four year olds, followed by the Flocon level for five year olds.

There's a special family's ski pass available that gives a discount on the cost of buying separate tickets when family groups, with evidence of their relationship, buy a ticket for the same sector for the same duration together at the same time.