The Tarentaise Valley ( French : Vallée de la Tarentaise , pronounced [vale də la taʁɑ̃tɛz] ; Arpitan : Tarentèsa ) is a valley of the Isère River in the heart of the French Alps , located in the Savoy region of France . The valley is named for the ancient town of Darantasia , the capital of the pre-Roman Centrones tribe.
14-588: Les Trois Vallées ( French pronunciation: [le tʁwɑ vale] ; "The Three Valleys") is a ski region in the Tarentaise Valley in the Savoie department of Southeastern France , to the south of the town of Moûtiers , partly in Vanoise National Park . Since 1971, it has been possible to ski the interlinked valleys using a single ski pass. Thus, Les Trois Vallées is the largest connected ski area in
28-521: A mansio serving travellers along the pass, and it is thought that Carthaginian general Hannibal used this route. The Little St Bernard Pass was first crossed by the Tour de France in 1949 and has been featured three times since. In 2007 , Montée d'Hauteville was climbed on stage 8 of the Tour de France . The pass was featured in the 2009 Tour de France Stage 16 on 21 July from Martigny (Switzerland) to Bourg-Saint-Maurice, 160 km, which also features
42-516: A side valley from Moûtiers ), Paradiski with La Plagne above Aime , and Les Arcs above Bourg-Saint-Maurice . Espace Killy with Tignes and Val-d'Isère is further up the valley. These communities hosted most of the events for the 1992 Albertville Winter Olympics . A weekly lift ticket in any of the described systems gives skiers a choice to ski one day in each of the other two systems mentioned. There were once plans to interlink all systems and resorts to create the—by far—largest ski area in
56-521: The Little St Bernard Pass eastwards to Italy via La Rosiere and La Thuile and the Cormet de Roselend northwards. Both sides of the valley, but especially the sunnier northern side, have rural farming communities all the way along. The colder southern side tends to be dominated by the ski resorts but has occasional small hamlets. The valley has a railway as far as Bourg-Saint-Maurice, which, in
70-469: The Tarentaise Valley , there are various other resorts such as Paradiski ( Les Arcs , La Plagne ) and Espace Killy ( Val d'Isère and Tignes ). A weekly lift ticket in Les Trois Vallées used to allow one to ski one day in each of the other two systems mentioned although this has now been removed. There were once plans to interlink all systems and resorts to create the – by far – largest ski area in
84-560: The Great St Bernard Pass. From Bourg-Saint-Maurice to the south-west, the Col du Petit Saint-Bernard is 26.5 km long. Over this distance, the climb is 1,348 m (4,423 ft) (an average slope of 5.1%), with the steepest sections at 8.1% at the start of the climb. The first 15.5 km (9.6 mi) to La Rosière forms the Montée d'Hauteville climb. From Pré-Saint-Didier (in
98-561: The narrowest points in the valley. 45°33′N 6°39′E / 45.550°N 6.650°E / 45.550; 6.650 Little St Bernard Pass The Little St Bernard Pass (French: Col du Petit Saint-Bernard , Italian: Colle del Piccolo San Bernardo ) is a mountain pass in the Alps on the France–Italy border. Its saddle is at 2188 metres above sea level. It is located between Savoie , France , and Aosta Valley , Italy , to
112-576: The night. Other employees in the area include 424 ski patrollers and 3,000 ski instructors. As implied by its name, the area originally consisted of three valleys: Saint-Bon , Allues , and Belleville . The skiing area has since been extended into a 'fourth' valley, the Maurienne valley . It is adjacent to Val Thorens, but can also be accessed using a long gondola lift from Orelle . The following ski resorts are in Les Trois Vallées: Within
126-720: The south of the Mont Blanc Massif , exactly on the main alpine watershed. There is also a Great St. Bernard Pass , famous for giving the St Bernard breed its name, and a San Bernardino Pass . The road across this pass (D1090 from Bourg-Saint-Maurice via La Rosiere in France; SS26 from the Aosta Valley via La Thuile in Italy) is usually open from May to October. For current road status see Etat des principaux cols routiers francais . At
140-579: The summit, the road cuts through a stone circle measuring 72 m (236 ft) in diameter. A standing stone once stood in the middle. From coin finds this is believed to date from the Iron Age , possibly being a ceremonial site of the Tarentaisian culture (c. 725 BC–450 BC). The stone circle was partly restored in the 19th century. In the Roman era, a temple dedicated to Jupiter was erected nearby along with
154-524: The winter season, has various direct sleeper trains from Paris and Eurostar trains from London. The valley road (the N90 ) is dual carriageway as far as Moûtiers, after which it becomes a standard two-lane but single-carriageway road, which can see substantial queues in winter. This road is currently receiving funding from the European Union for a significant improvement project between Aime and Moûtiers, one of
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#1733086226574168-529: The world which is linked solely by ski lifts and slopes. It claims to have about 600 km (370 mi) of ski slopes, resulting in 18.5 km² of groomed runs, while an independent expert measured about 493 km. In addition, there are 120 km for cross-country skiing. Les Trois Vallées has 183 ski lifts, which can transport 260,000 skiers per hour. Other equipment owned by the operating companies include 2,300 snow cannons and 73 snow grooming machines operated by 160 snow groomers who work in shifts during
182-466: The world. However that vision was ended with the creation of the Vanoise National Park . Tarentaise Valley At the foot of the valley, in the west, is the city of Albertville . Going east up the valley, Moûtiers is reached, then Aime , and finally the last large town, Bourg-Saint-Maurice . The area is internationally best known for its world-renowned ski resorts , including Les Trois Vallées ( Courchevel , Méribel , Val Thorens etc.—off
196-519: The world. However that vision was ended with the creation of the Vanoise National Park . Other ski areas includes Sainte-Foy-Tarentaise , La Rosière , and Valmorel . In the winter, the valley is a cul-de-sac, with its road finishing at Val d'Isere. In the summer, there is a pass over to the Maurienne Valley at the head of the valley (the Col de l'Iseran ), and a couple of others further down, including
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