Do
Ski or snowboard
Méribel has always had an easy relationship with British skiers and snowboarders, not least because a Brit helped shape the place in the first place. Scottish founder Peter Lindsay drove the resort’s post-war development, working with French architects to establish the stone-and-timber chalet style that still keeps Méribel feeling more like a mountain village than a concrete purpose-built resort.
The skiing helps, of course. Méribel sits slap-bang in the middle of Les 3 Vallées, giving direct access to 600km of linked pistes across Courchevel, Val Thorens and beyond. Its central position means you can head into a different valley each morning without turning the day into an expedition, while Méribel itself has more than 150km of runs, from forgiving blues to properly testing blacks and freeride terrain. There’s also a pleasing lack of friction. The lift system is fast, the terrain suits mixed-ability groups, and the après ranges from pints and live music to full-blown mountain techno. Add reliable altitude and snow, brilliant food and a resort that has long understood what British visitors want, and it’s easy to see why so many return year after year.
Sylvain Aymoz
Mission Black Forest
You know you’re in for something good when even the most veteran mountain men mention it with a touch of trepidation. No matter how long you’ve spent on skis or a snowboard, you probably won’t be prepared for the lack of control on Mission Black Forest, a 3.4km luge track that drops 470m through 28 bends and takes more than 15 minutes to complete. The Tolkien-adjacent fantasy theme casts you as an elf racing through the Arbin forest to save the Windar tribe, although in practice you’ll spend more time trying not to bury yourself in a snowbank (I flipped three times).
Tougnète Gondola, Méribel Centre, 73550 Méribel; meribel.net
Last Track Experience
Want to feel like a special snowflake? There’s something deeply satisfying about having an entire mountain to yourself. Méribel’s Last Track experience starts with an aperitif at altitude, often at Les Pierres Plates, as the lifts close and the last skiers disappear down into the valley. Fill your plate and glass with plenty of fondue and champagne while a band plays live; then, as the light begins to fade, click back into your skis and follow the pisteurs down freshly emptied runs with nobody else in sight. After negotiating lift queues, ski schools and people inexplicably stopping in the middle of pistes, the sudden silence feels almost illicit. It’s skiing stripped back to its best bits.
Méribel ski area, 73550 Les Allues; meribel.net
Eat
Sylvain Aymoz
Le Clos Bernard
It’s like something out of a fairy tale. Ditch your skis after wending your way through gladed forest trails and emerge at a timber chalet serving the sort of lunch that can make the rest of the snowboarding feel like a bit of a hassle. Angus steaks and local meats are cooked over an open wood fire, while fondue, tartiflette and croziflette keep things rooted in the Savoie. The wine list is serious, too, reaching deep into older vintages, and after dark the whole thing becomes even more theatrical, with torch-lit dinners and arrivals by horse-drawn sleigh.
Route de l’Altiport, 73550 Les Allues; closbernard.com
Fifi
After a few days of fondue and raclette, Fifi is a useful reset button to clear the pipes. Set in the old Chez Kiki building, one of Méribel’s longstanding institutions, it swaps heavy Savoyard cooking for a sharper Italian-European menu built around dishes like beef carpaccio, vitello tonnato, Black Angus steak and a much-talked-about carbonara. There’s plenty of polish, but the real trick is what happens later: dinner slides into cocktails, DJs and dancing, with the restaurant staying open until 2am. Come for the pasta, stay until the evening has gone feral.
Route de Morel, 73550 Méribel; fifi-restaurant.com
Jacks
Jacks is the kind of place you can fall into straight off the mountain and end up sinking pints far longer than planned. The mood is relaxed, with pizzas, burgers, dirty fries and plenty of beer, plus live music most weekdays from 5pm. It works just as well for a late lunch as it does for après, with families, seasonaires, dogs and skiers all sharing the same easygoing space. There are sports screens, a pool table, regular quizzes and plenty going on after dark, but it never feels overly polished or self-important.
Route de la Chaudanne, 73550 Méribel; jacksbarmeribel.com
Drink
Sylvain Aymoz
Le Rond Point
There’s something surreal about skiing down the Doron piste and suddenly finding yourself in what feels like an East London nightclub transplanted halfway up a mountain. Le Rond Point, or the Ronnie, has been doing après for decades, with live bands and DJs turning its terrace into a packed dancefloor from mid-afternoon. Lunch is more relaxed, with burgers, woks and hearty mountain food served with big views over Méribel, but things escalate quickly once the music starts. By 4pm, ski boots are keeping time to the beat, pints and shots are being dispatched faster than you can say ‘Santé!’ and nobody seems remotely concerned about the run home. The vibe isn’t far off a British summer festival.
Route de Belvédère, 73550 Méribel; lerondpointmeribel.com
Sylvain Aymoz
La Folie Douce
La Folie Douce may be better known for champagne spraying and ski boots on tables, but, in my opinion, the food deserves more attention than the spectacle. Its restaurant goes beyond standard piste fare, with polished plates, serious sourcing and enough finesse to make lunch feel like an event before the DJs properly take over. Expect alpine ingredients handled with a lighter touch, alongside indulgent classics and a wine list built for people in no hurry to leave. The only real shock comes with the bill, which can make even Méribel prices look like an opening offer – and possibly the bare torsos of the male dancers as they rise through the stage from below.
Intermédiaire 1, Saulire express, 73550 Méribel; lafoliedouce.com
Stay
Falcon Lodge by Alpine Resorts
Falcon Lodge manages the useful trick of feeling like a private alpine hamlet without requiring you to fend for yourself. Built from stone and timber in Méribel’s Morel neighbourhood, its apartments and chalets come with hotel-level backup, from housekeeping and concierge services to a spa, indoor pool and on-site ski shop. The Morel lift is only around 200 metres away, but the views are good enough to make leaving slightly harder than necessary. It’s particularly well suited to families or groups who want chalet privacy without the usual logistical faff.
269 route de l’Altiport, 73550 Méribel; alpine-resorts.fr
