The ski area of the "Trois Vallées" (8 ski resorts) is one of the biggest ski areas in the world with about 600 kilometers of ski trails.
In the Vallée des Belleville there are two important resorts: Les Menuires (1.850 meters above sea level) and Val Thorens (2.3.00 meters above sea level). Nicolas Jay called also Pépé Nicolas has the idea of a ski resort and in 1967 the ski resort began his activities.
Marc Gorini is the man who had the idea of a ski resort in Val Thorens (a higher place than Courchevel): thanks to the cable-car of the Carron the ski resort became important.
Recently these ski resorts needs to find new activities for their visitors: Timothy Green promotes in Val Thorens para motoring tours (a type of paragliding with a little motor).
The airport of Courchevel is organizing parachute jumps from helicopters.
In Val Thorens Brigitte Ruff and Anita Thevenot propose to the visitors snow shoes and yoga excursions.
Besides "Loup-Gris" has created "La piste des Indiens" a space where children play like Indians (archery).
At Courchevel there is the Aquamotion a water center with spa, swimming pools and artificial surfing waves.
In Courchevel Laurie Blanc has transformed her chalet into a luxury space (spa,art items) and Vincent Laloy-Lajoux helps her to find clients for the pleasant stay.
Some words about the mountain cabins in the Vallée of Belleville: Denis Minier, a former cooker, is in charge of the Refuge du Nant Brun: Denis is waiting for the visitors and this night a skier has arrived and they eat a raclette.
Damien Raffort is in charge of the Refuge du Plan: often he receives the visit of the park rangers : they drink a hot beverage, eat something and later go to the nature reserve of the Tuéda to observe the chamois and the ibex.
I enjoyed the zoom about Jean-Marc Sullice at Saint Bon Courchel; he is the last cattle breeder of Courchevel and produces "tommes de Savoie". Often he meets Rémi Chevassu, the muleteer: Rémi tells the story of the "Route des tommes" when the farmers were carrying with their mules the "tommes" to Turin. In the night Rémi and Jean-Marc are making comedy and sing yodel in a restaurant.
At Saint Martin de Belleville Serge Day has milk sheep and produces the Trantsa cheese , a soft sheep cheese that the visitors can taste in his cheese factory.
Ski mountaineering is part of the school program of the students of Moutiers (option Montagmne) : under the supervision of Nicolas the student learn many things about the mountain ( danger of avalanche, the rescue and of course climbing and going down the slopes).
I enjoyed the encounters of Sophie with Béatrice Chevalier , with Pascal Breyton (the snow shoes tour),with Stéphaene Husson (ice-climbing) , with Julien Machet and Gael Machet (the chef and the chese maker) , with Adel Dakkar, with Sébastien Rinolfi (the ski plane pilot), with Anne Huissoud Colombier (horseback riding), with Frank Colombier (ski joring) , with Julie Basset (the Dameuse driver), with Denis Chapuis in Val Thorens, with Corentin Aurard and Youri Duplessis Kergomard (the ski cross) ann with Fabien Kisoka the saxophonist at the Folie Douce: very nice encounters with very kind French men and women.