La Tania | Ski Resort Review

La Tania ski resort is a good-value gateway into the immense Les 3 Vallées ski domain, in the French Alps. Linked with Courchevel to the south-east and Meribel to the south-west, it's a lower-cost alternative to those generally more upmarket neighbouring resorts.

La Tania was inaugurated in December 1990 as a satellite accommodation base to house the international media personnel covering the Albertville 1992 Winter Olympics. It has since developed into an Anglophile family-orientated resort popular with budget-conscious intermediates and mixed-ability family groups, and is served by many leading UK operators.

"All of the amenities and ski lifts are no more than a few minutes walk from most of the accommodation"

The resort sits in a forest clearing just off the road between Meribel-Village and Courchevel Le Praz, centred on a compact traffic-free base area at the foot of the ski slopes. Many of the resort's buildings are the original multi-storey blocks of apartments built for the Olympics, plus a few more recent ones built to match, but there is also a cluster of attractive chalets in a quieter residential quarter up on the hillside above the central base area.

Each quarter of La Tania can be reached on foot, and all of the amenities and ski lifts are no more than a few minutes walk from most of the accommodation.

The main negative factor against La Tania is that its local slopes are actually quite limited, yet because they link fairly seamlessly with routes to/from Courchevel and Meribel this likeable corner of Les 3 Vallées is still a serious contender for consideration as a viable base in this world-class ski area.

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La Tania - Interactive Ski Map & Pistes:

Skiing La Tania is just the start. The local ski sector consists of just a tiny little nursery area and a short beginners' slope closest to the resort, plus a selection of pistes that sweep down the forested mountainside and converge in the central base area.

These three home runs do however cater for most abilities: with a green trail that meanders through the forest; a rolling high-end blue which takes a more direct route; and a good fast red that cuts straight down the fall line. Improved snow-making has helped piste reliability but the resort is still one of the lowest in Les 3 Vallées.

The principal attraction of La Tania is of course the fact that it forms part of the huge Les 3 Vallées ski area: a gondola links La Tania with the mid-altitude Praz-Juget plateau where onward lifts then link towards Courchevel 1850 (via the Bouc Blanc chair) and Meribel (via the Dou de Lanches chair), meaning La Tania is only two lifts away from the slopes of either of those top-notch resorts.

Another positive feature of the otherwise limited runs in the La Tania sector is that they are surrounded by sheltering forest, and tree-lined pistes mean that visibility is often still good here even on days when mist or low clouds close in; something that can't be said of the other Les 3 Vallées resorts, whose slopes are mostly all higher above the tree line.

La Tania - Off-Piste, Backcountry & Ski Touring:

Locally, not so much, though on a powder day the tree-lined slopes down to La Tania are joyful if the snow is beating the piste-bashers. Les 3 Vallées does, however, have plenty of places for you to get off piste.

The popularity of Courchevel and Meribel do mean that the fresh powder can be tracked out early, so it pays to hire a guide who can show you the sweeter spots around.

Off-piste newbies can practice in the Bel Air sector above Courchevel-Moriond, and more experienced backcountry skiers will find plenty of lines off the Col du Fruit. Freeriders will also enjoy the more high altitude terrain around Val Thorens - the long descent of the Gebroulaz glacier is one for your tick-list.

La Tania - Restaurants, Bars & The Town:

La Tania may be smaller and quieter than its neighbours, but it still offers a decent handful of off-slope diversions.

The Hotel Montana’s compact leisure suite — with pool, sauna and Jacuzzi — remains open to non-residents, and snowshoe outings or snowmobile trips can be arranged locally. A far broader range of activities, spas and luxury facilities awaits in Courchevel 1850, easily reached by the free ski bus which runs into the late evening.

For après-ski, La Tania punches above its weight. Pub Le Ski Lodge remains the beating heart of the resort — a friendly, lively terrace with live music, cheap beer and a famously welcoming Brit-heavy atmosphere. The smaller Chrome Bar offers a mellower vibe and a mix of ages. When you want a bigger night out, Courchevel and Méribel are just a short taxi ride away.

La Tania - Ski Hire:

Readers booking through Snowrental can take advantage of an exclusive 5% discount on online rates, making it a smart first stop when arranging ski hire in La Tania.

If you're renting once you arrive, the easiest approach is still to choose a shop close to your accommodation. The familiar chains - Intersport, Skiset, Ski Higher/Skimium and Sport 2000 - all have outlets across La Tania, ensuring convenient access for swaps and returns wherever you’re based.

La Tania - Ski School:

You can quickly find top-rated ski and snowboard instructors in La Tania through Maison Sport — simply choose your dates, pick your lesson type, and select the instructor that fits your style.

The ESF still operates here with a full programme of group and private lessons, while Oxygene, New Generation and The Snow School remain reliable alternatives for both beginners and progressing skiers.