If you read our Courchevel resort guide last week and thought it sounded like a strong contender for your next ski trip then there’s one more village to add to the mix – La Tania. La Tania is in fact part of the Courchevel lift system but it with it’s own special identity we thought it deserved a blog all unto itself, so here cometh, our La Tania Resort Guide.
La Tania is a quaint little resort, purpose built for the 1992 Albertville Olympic Games. It is perfect for families and groups who are here to ski ski ski and can be cheaper to stay in, than some of it’s pricier neighbouring villages. Plus, with a couple of lively bars in resort, including frequent live bands and the odd rowdy après session it’s proven popular in recent years with younger visitors too.
Ski the La Tania trees
Skiing in La Tania
In all honesty it’s not ideal for total beginners. Although there’s a free short drag in the village centre which will see you through the first couple of days. Once you progress from this though the next step can be a bit tricky with quite a narrow winding green run back to resort from the top of the bubble. If you’re struggling with this however then the free bus can take you up to one of the other villages to help you build confidence and develop technique.
If everyone in your group can manage blues though you’ll be just fine. As essentially this means you get to access the full Courchevel or 3 Valley area without paying through the nose for expensive competition, and without having to contend with a busy town if you want a spot or peace and quiet in the trees.
Where to stay in La Tania
La Tania is not a large town, so part of the appeal is that you can access all areas with only a few minutes walk. Even if your chalet or apartment isn’t ‘ski in, ski out’, it’ll only take you a few minutes to reach a piste or the restaurants in the small village centre. You’ll find a lot of chalet companies offering catered holidays in La Tania, many of whom offer Nanny or creche services, making La Tania especially popular with families. As mentioned before, the town was purpose built for the Winter Olympics, and more specifically for accommodation for the athletes, so there’s also lots of apartment blocks for self catered options which tend to be compact but perfectly comfortable. With free buses to connect you to the rest of the Courchevel valley, and during peak weeks also to Meribel, La Tania is a great resorr from which to explore the wider 3 Valleys.
Where to eat in La Tania
When I first lived in Courchevel as a seasonnaire, La Tania was my favourite place to head on days off for a burger, chips and a drink at Chrome Bar. And at 10€ for the meal it’s quite a bargain in ski resort terms! You can slide almost to the door, kick your skis off and chow down on a burger and chips and be on your way within half an hour. Very handy if one has to get back to get kids high tea on the chalet table at six o’clock! When feeling slightly more extravagant and wanting to spend, ooh, I don’t know, 15€, we would pop to the Ski Lodge instead and grab a plate of spag bol or ribs and chips with a drink and still have change from our 20€ tip from the week before. This habit has stayed with me, and the Ski Lodge remains one of my firm favourites when watching the pennies.
Nowadays, when I feel like a more regular priced bite in La Tania I’ll head to Bouc Blanc if I’m up the hill, which has a range of hearty French dishes to keep your carbs topped up ready for an afternoon back out on the hill. Or in town of an evening, I’d most likely be found in the charming La Ferme for Raclette or Fondue with a lovely bottle of red wine.
Fine dining at the Farcon, La Tania
Even though I now live over the hill in Meribel, I’m happy to make the short trip over to La Tania to visit their more special restaurants. Le Farcon has held a Michelin star since 2006, so you can expect beautiful menus with in season local produce put together with a certain finesse. However, you may be surprised by the price – 35€for a set menu lunch and 58€ for the dinner menu. La Taiga also serves culinary delights like their sauteed scallops with cognac butter, or duck fillet with honey and raspberry vinegar sauce.
Pick of the pistes
Again, as a seasonnaire in Courchevel, many of our favourite pistes were in La Tania. Folyeres is a long blue with rollers through the trees and follows the curve of the mountain, giving you some fun turns. Three of the Courchevel valley’s black pistes, Dou des Lanches, Jockeys and Jean Blanc, are within 2 lifts of La Tania and can give you a nice challenge to set the day up well!
Insider’s guide
La Tania resident Tim Wall has run restaurants in resort since it opened. He does weekly snow report videos and his restaurant in SW France, The Deck, was featured on Kitchen Nightmares with Gordon Ramsey!
Secret powder stashes
La Tania is nestled in amongst the forest, giving some lovely tree runs on a powder day. However, be warned, don’t just follow the tracks left by the previous skier. They may not know where they were heading and there are some densely packed trees, drops and cliffs to contend with if you take a wrong turn. Book a guide, make sure you’ve got the kit and then enjoy the incredible pillow lines La Tania has to offer.
A snowy resort centre
Learning to ski in La Tania
If you want any lessons, refresher sessions or an off piste adventure then our team in La Tania are on hand to instruct or guide all levels or skier of boarder.
After the lifts close
La Tania is not party central by any means, but there’s still plenty to do after skiing. As mentioned on our previous post, you can take the bus to 1850 and have a go on the luge run down to 1550. Or if live music and après are more your scene then La Taiga has some live acoustic sets a few times a week and it’s sister bar the Ski Lodge has some pretty raucous gigs. It’s got a cozy village feel rather then a late night scene. The majority of bars will be pretty quiet some nights, and packed others. Check out the notice boards or ask around in resort for the key nights not to miss.
Then for family fun there are comedy nights at Hotel Le Montana, and keep an eye out for one off quiz nights in other bars in the village. Or for tiny tots, just grab a bum board or sledge and take to the bottom of the piste once they close.
So, all said and done, the scores on the doors for La Tania……
Beginners ** 2/5
Intermediates ***** 5/5
Advanced *** 3/5
Apres scene ** 2/5
Families **** 4/5
Dining **** 4/5
But we’d love to hear what you think! Add your comments below to share your thoughts or ideas with others. Or if you have a question to help you plan your next trip then we’d be happy to help, just add it below.
Still not convinced? Check out our Courchevel or Méribel resort guides for more ideas. Or stay tuned to find out more about some of our other resorts.
Words by Katy Jennings
