Vail Resorts Inc. on Thursday announced a season-pass partnership with the largest ski area in the world, Les 3 Vallées, home to the legendary mountain resorts of Courchevel, La Tania, Méribel, Brides-les-Bains, Les Menuires, Saint Martin de Belleville, Val Thorens and Orelle, France.
The Epic Season Pass now features five free days of skiing and riding in Les 3 Vallées, bringing the total access to 26 mountains in four countries. Epic Pass holders have the opportunity to experience Europe and the homeland, with access to Verbier, Switzerland, Arlberg, Austria, and now Les 3 Vallées, France, in addition to Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Arapahoe Basin and Eldora in Colorado; Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood in Lake Tahoe, California; and new for the 2013-2014 season, Canyons Resort located near Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah.
Les 3 Vallées area lies in the heart of the French Alps and is legendary among skiers and riders around the globe, revered for its elegant charm and baroque art and architecture, boasting nine ski-in/ski-out Michelin-star restaurants and exceptional ski-in/ski-out lodging, all while maintaining its alpine character and family friendly appeal. The resort is often voted the best location in Europe for early season snow.
The unrestricted five free days of skiing and riding will be reciprocated for Les 3 Vallées season pass holders, allowing even more European guests to experience Vail Resorts’ ski areas.
Boasting eight different resorts, 600 kilometers of interconnected trails, 180 ski lifts, and approximately five meters (16.6 feet) of annual snowfall, Les 3 Vallées is the largest interconnected ski area in the world, including the highest resort in Europe, Val Thorens. Les 3 Vallées ski area will be open from Dec. 7 through Apr. 25.
"We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Les 3 Vallées, as Epic Pass holders can now ski the best resorts in the world, in four countries, on one pass. Vail Resorts is constantly looking for opportunities to enhance the incredible value of the Epic Pass that our guests already receive and enjoy. In March, we announced that we increased the number of free days of access to Verbier, Switzerland, from three to five for the 2013-2014 season, followed shortly thereafter with news of an additional five days access to Arlberg, Austria, and most recently our acquisition of Vail Resorts’ first Utah mountain resort, Canyons, located in Park City, Utah” said Kirsten Lynch, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Vail Resorts.
Skiers and riders receive the lowest guaranteed prices on next season by purchasing their passes in early September. An Epic Pass is $689.
This past week, the Park City Council was scheduled to approve a professional services contract for the second phase of the Deer Valley Drive road project. As many of our readers and clients know, last summer, Deer Valley Drive was a real mess. I must admit, however, that the construction crew did about as good a job as they could in diverting and routing traffic, minimizing the impacts and the result seems to be quite good. Next summer’s work will be in no way as intrusive, and is centered on aesthetic and beautification of the Deer Valley Drive corridor rather than actual road construction. The work scheduled for Deer Valley Drive for the summer of 2014 includes:
