3 Valleys, 3 Snowparks
As Team GB return from the 2023 Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Championships in Bakuriani with not one, but two World Champion titles, as well as a silver medal, and several other top 10 rankings, we thought we’d put together some info for any freestyle skiers and snowboarders wanting to make the most of the rails and kickers in the 3 Valleys.
There are three main snowparks across the Three Valleys dedicated to freestyle. Each has similar features but its own unique personality. The actual jumps and elements in the snowparks change during the winter, depending on snow, so we can’t give details of exactly what you’ll find in each one, but here’s the lowdown on where to go in the 3 Valleys for freestyle:
Courchevel Family Park
The name “Family Park” makes it sound like it’s for smaller kids, and it’s true that younger skiers will definitely enjoy the boardercross (to the right as you go through the entrance), but don’t let that put you off! At the Family Park there are kickers from small to large, as well as rails and boxes. It’s not enormous but it’s easy to do laps using the drag lifts Sources/Rocher de l’Ombre, or Biollay chairlift.
There’s also two Big Air Bags alongside the Family Park – one is for skiers/boarders, and there’s also one for sliding down in tractor tyre type inflatables. There are a few picnic benches at the bottom to watch from.
Courchevel’s Big Air Bag
How to get there: Located in Courchevel 1850 just below the big lift station at the top of Verdons gondola and the bottom of Vizelle bubble and Saulire cablecar. Laps on the Sources/Rocher de l’Ombre drag lifts.
Meribel Open Park
This is a big snowpark with loads of different features for all levels. There are kickers, boxes and rails in Small, Medium and Large, as well as a large half pipe at the top, and a smaller one lower down. You’ll also find a ski cross run. The ‘Experts’ zone has the biggest XL jumps which definitely aren’t for beginners…
How to get there: At the top of the Plattières bubble. Laps on the chairlift Chatelet.
360 spin on the S jump
Val Thorens Snowpark
Val Thorens used to be the only snowpark in the Three Valleys, and it’s still a good one! The different zones are: a boardercross, three freestyle zones for different levels, rails, boxes and a half pipe.
The airbag is situated next to the Le Roc drag lift at the Rond Point des Pistes and is open in the afternoons.
How to get there: Via the Moutière chairlift. Laps on the Plateaux drag lift.
Val Thorens snow park
Younger children
For younger kids, try the Elements Fun Park at the top of the Legends chairlift from Meribel Chaudanne, and the Inuits and Yeti zones. In Courchevel, the Family Park has a skier cross which is fun for kids who aren’t ready to tackle the jumps.
Courchevel Family Park
Top tips:
- For the Ms and Ls, we advise waiting at the top to watch others hit them first, so you can get an idea of the speed needed to clear the jump – the last thing you want to do is go too slow and end up landing too short.
- You’ll find that the snowparks are busier after lunchtime because the snow is usually softer in the afternoons, and nicer to land on!
- Start small – when you first arrive in resort, don’t just go straight for the XLs, warm up on the smaller kickers first, just doing straight jumps then trying out grabs, spins etc. once you have a feel of the speed needed.
Lingo explained:
Rail: looks like a handrail, made of metal. For sliding sideways on.
Box: A long metal/plastic ‘box’ with a flat top. Slide either forwards, backwards or sideways.
Kicker: a jump
Switch: Skiing or snowboarding backwards
Boardercross: a route with ‘rollers’ – little hills – to go up and down. You can ski or snowboard on it.
Air bag: A huge inflatable cushion – slide down the kicker and fly into the air, then land safely on the bag.
Flip: back flips or front flips can be done on the largest kickers.
Grab: Whilst in the air, grab different parts of your skis or snowboard and hold for a couple of seconds until you start to descend back to the snow.
Spin: If you do a 180, you land in the opposite direction to how you entered the jump, ie. if you jump forwards, you spin 180 degrees to land backwards. Or vice versa. If you do a 360, you spin all the way round. The numbers go up, the further you spin, ie. 540, 1080….
Send/sendy: if it’s a big or sendy jump, you need to send it, to make the landing.
Butter: putting all your weight onto the tip or tail of your skis or snowboard to slide and spin.
Stack: If you don’t land a jump, you’ve ‘stacked it’!
For experts only: the XL rails in Val Thorens
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!