Meribel was founded in 1938 by British Colonel Peter Lindsay and is situated in the heart of the Savoie region of the French Alps. Just two and a half hours from Geneva, Meribel is a hugely popular tourist destination - it’s a busy and lively town, renowned for its traditional charm and great atmosphere.
It also ahppens to be located in the middle of the largest ski area in the world with over 600km of groomed runs and 14000 hectares of off-piste. Not a bad place to spend a season some might say.
Meribel at a glance
Annual Snowfall
600cm
Highest Peak
3652m
Village Height
1450m
Vertical
2162m
Ski Area
14200 ha off-piste
Lifts
200+
Runs
600km
Park & Pipe
4+
Meribel - Our Pick of the Best!
- Riding the snaking paths through the trees in Altiport
- Soaking up the afternoon sun on the Chaucas terrace
- Hitting the off-piste at Mont Vallon and Cote Brune
- Skiing Val Thorens' perfect high snow
- Live music at the Rond Point... legendary in its own right
The 3 Valleys is a huge ski area and there is quite simply something here for everyone. With brilliant lift facilities, loads of terrain and some fabulous off-piste runs, the Trois Vallees has rightly become one of the world’s best and most famous ski areas.
It played a central part in the 1992 Albertville Winter Olympics hosting the ladies downhill, super-G, giant slalom and slalom as well as the ice hockey and ski jumping.
Ongoing developments in the freestyle facilities of the area now mean that 4 large and excellently groomed parks are open each winter, with boxes, rails, hips, big air and pipes to challenge and excite all levels of park rider.
So, whether it is the half-pipe in the Moon park, the couloirs and bowls of Courchevel, the snow-sure glaciers in Val Thorens, the fierce moguls of the Roc De Tougne or the off-piste of Mont Vallon and Cote Brune, the variety and diversity of slopes Les Trois Vallees has to offer is unrivalled.
COACHING
- French & British coaching offering an open-minded international approach to snowsports
- Includes ski school experience, personal development, freeride and freestyle
- 5 full days per week with 1-to-1 coaching, video analysis and formal feedback reports.
- That's over 300 hours training, 5 times more than a BASI Gap course that is predominantly shadowing.
Snow Systems Ski School
Pierre Francois Papet founded Snow-Systems Ski School after spending 10 years in the French Downhill Development Ski Team. He is charismatic, an extreme skier and has coached ski teams internationally.
Snow-Systems has built a reputation for quality and excellence on the back of its instructors who are employed not only for their ability to ski and snowboard, but for their ability to listen, to communicate, to understand and to be professional.
Pierre Francois is one of the most innovative ski school directors in Europe and closely follows each person’s progress throughout the course.
By developing an understanding of both the French performance based and the British teaching based approach to ski and snowboard instructing you will be more aware of the different styles and cultures that have evolved in snowsports.
Pierre-Francois Papet
Director of Snow-Systems, Pierre-Francois is an avid extreme skier. He has coached skiing for 16 years and has taught international teams in Switzerland and Chile before his move to Meribel 10 years ago. Pierre-Francois is sponsored by Quiksilver and Salomon.
Alphonse Gomis
Alphonse skied Downhill for Senegal in the Albertville Olympics and has also competed for his country in the World Cup, spending two years on the circuit.
He now keeps his speed in check, coaching with Base Camp for the last 3 seasons. Sponsored by Tecnica, he is the Technical Director at Snow-Systems - a far-cry from his upbringing in Senegal.
RTM Snowboard School
Based in Courchevel, RTM was founded by a team of British snowboard instructors who collectively have over 50 seasons experience.
All qualified to the highest BASI standards, Rob and Mark have French instructor equivalents and ISIA and off-piste guiding qualifications.
David Morris
With an excellent reputation for ski instruction that gets results he splits his time between working with the public, training ski instructors, ski clubs and the English ski team.
An X English Racer himself and leading BASI Trainer, his patience and friendly manner ensure that Dave will make a telling difference to your skiing.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Base Camp is a BASI Associate Business Partner
- BASI Associate Membership Fees & BASI Level 1
- First Aid
- Ski School Experience Sign Off
- BASI Child Protection Module
- All BASI Manuals & Course materials
- BASI Level 2 (please note BASI Level 2 is not included in the price giving you the flexibility of choosing when to take it following your Level 1 results).
The Eurogroup Countries
In order to be fully qualified to instruct skiing in Europe you have to pass the Eurotest (a timed GS race) in addition to having your ISIA license (for BASI instructors this is the Ski Teacher or 'BASI 2'). This usually takes a year or two to achieve but you can instruct with your 'BASI 1' in the meantime while you train.
BASI
The British Association of Snowsport Instructors is the national governing body for ski and snowboard instructing in the UK. BASI is a member of the ISIA and Eurogroup and its ski & snowboard qualifications are the most widely accepted in Europe.
The BASI system is split up into 4 levels, each becoming progressively more difficult. To become a ski or snowboard instructor you need to pass two examination courses: a 5 day Instructor Level 1 Course and a 10 day Instructor Level 2 Course.
Both courses are included in our European instructor programmes and develop an understanding of BASI's Central Theme, the structure of snowsports in the UK, the principles of teaching and the technical elements of skiing or snowboarding.
Meribel has a wide range of shops, a local market 2 days a week, a bowling alley, a cinema, an international ice skating rink and even its own radio station.
Go-karting on ice and skidooing are must-dos, as is an afternoon in the Rond-Point, where the live music makes for some of the best apres ski in the Alps. For true indulgence, the Hotel La Chaudanne can help you to relax and unwind with and spa and massage.
With over 60 bars, cafes and restaurants as well as 2 nightclubs, the nightlife in Meribel is renowned throughout the Alps. Live music is big in Meribel over the past few years it has steadily been establishing itself as a centre for gigs and bands in the Alps and there is great live music, ranging from dub to rock, in most bars almost every night of the week.
Meribel’s central location also offers you the chance to visit some of the surrounding resorts. A lunch in Courchevel or a night out in Val Thorens is easy as is a shopping trip down the valley to Moutiers.
Whether you fancy trying the local beer (we recommend saving that one for a non-school night), listening to live music or visiting the legendary Dick’s nightclub, Meribel is a great place to have fun.
ACCOMMODATION & FOOD
- Central apartments in Meribel 2 minutes from the slopes and on the main square
- Upgrades available to 3 per apartment, private rooms, en-suite bathrooms etc
- Full continental breakfast in a neighbouring patisserie, and hearty evening meals offering you a choice of 3 local restaurants.
Accommodation
Our apartments in Meribel are located in the centre of Meribel just off the main square. You have many of the shops and bars on your doorstep and are 100 yards to the slopes.
The apartments are comfortable, private and secure. They all have their own entrances within a larger residence that also provides ski lockers, a communal area and staffed entrance foyer.
Apartments are fully equipped and furnished and have self-catering facilities. Apartments typically sleep 4, with 2 sleeping on sofa beds in the studio lounge area and 2 in a bedroom or walk-through bedroom.
The kitchenette opens onto the lounge where there are dining and seating facilities and there is a large balcony or sun-terrace in each apartment. Bathrooms have a shower/bath, sink and toilet and there are cupboards and shelves for storage. Water, heating and electricity bills are included as are sheets and bedding.
Food
The Meribel breakfast is absolutely awesome – a local patisserie 20 yards from the accommodation provides a huge French style breakfast with croissants, baguettes, OJ, coffee and cereals.
Dinner is provided on a voucher system that can be exchanged for large portions of good hearty food in selected well known restaurants including Scott’s, La Taverne and Cactus offering you a flexibilty and choice throughout the course.
ACTIVITIES (11 week only) & SOCIAL EVENTS
- First Aid, Avalanche Course & Equipment Tuning Clinics
- Discounts available for Base Camp clients in local shops and bars
- Please note BASI charge extra for an activities programme
Social Events
Thanks to the local expertise of our Resort Manager, we can provide a full and lively social programme for you do dip in and out of as you wish.
We organise pub crawls, the huge End Of Course Party, ice skating, live music nights, torch lit skiing, fancy dress days and more.
Put that together with 10 - 20% discounts in local ski/board shops and a Dick's T Bar local's card, and you are all set up to make the most of your time at Base Camp!
- French Classes
Our teachers have been teach English to French instructors and French to foreign instructors for Clubmed, Ucpa, and various ski schools.
Our program is adapted to practical needs only and allows students to get straight to the point, using conversation and multimedia tools, in a relaxed atmosphere with groups no larger than 12 for about an 1h30 a week.
- Espace Killy Trip
Espace Killy incorporates the resorts of Val d'Isere and Tignes and is renowned for its superb backcountry. On our trip you can head upto the 'eye of the needle' in Tignes, cruise through the trees up at Le Fornet, and head to the popular Folie Deuce for apres!
- Paradiski Trip
Explore the expanse of Les Arcs and La Plagne ski areas and challenge yourself on the renowned Face Nord of Bellecote and the world reknowned Superpipe in La Plagne.
- Meribel v Val d'Isere Cup
Test yourself against the best! Our Meribel and Val d'Isere courses have a day of competitions against each other each year. previous years have included Skiercross, GS, Freestyle and Parallel Slalom.
Meribel was founded in 1938 by British Colonel Peter Lindsay and is situated in the heart of the Savoie region of the French Alps. Just two and a half hours from Geneva, Meribel is a hugely popular tourist destination - it’s a busy and lively town, renowned for its traditional charm and great atmosphere.
Pierre Francois Papet founded Snow-Systems Ski School after spending 10 years in the French Downhill Development Ski Team. He is charismatic, an extreme skier and has coached ski teams internationally.
Based in Courchevel, RTM was founded by a team of British snowboard instructors who collectively have over 50 seasons experience.
With an excellent reputation for ski instruction that gets results he splits his time between working with the public, training ski instructors, ski clubs and the English ski team.
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