Meribel was founded by a Brit; dedicated pre-war skier Colonel Peter Lindsay built the first lift here 1938. Amazingly, the resort has stayed faithful to his original concept of a traditional chalet village: every building has been constructed in local stone and wood in harmony with the mountain setting. Today, it has stretched with little or no long-term planning into a hotch-potch of confusingly named hamlets at different altitudes. Their convenience for skiing, shopping and nightlife varies considerably. "The Heart of The Trois Vallees' is Meribels marketing slogan, but because of its diffuse layout it is devoid of a single heart and its atmosphere is muted accordingly.
Meribel Centre (1400m) is now known generally as Meribel and is the commercial core - a one-street village with tourist office 'square' as its focal point. It has a number of boutiques and souvenir shops beyond the usual sports shops and supermarket.
Meribel Mottaret (1700-1800m) is a separate satellite further up the valley and is also now divided into different hamlets. The higher altitude of Mottaret ensures good snow cover and is the starting point for the cream of the skiing. The different sectors of Meribel are all connected by a regular, free bus service that runs efficiently up until midnight. Traffic and parking remain a problem.
Meribel Village (1400m) is on the road from Meribel to Courchevel (Le Praz 1300m) and links into the Three Vallees lift system at Meribel Altiport. It has been and is being extended with both chalets and apartments. There are a few bars and restaurants to cater for holiday makers. One of the best runs at the end of a skiing day is to wait at the top of Saulire until the crowds die down and then take an easy run all the way down to Meribel Village, you can of course make it a hard and fast run, the choice is yours.
Top of Saulire (Meribel side)
