Travel: a skiing novice discovers there's more to Meribel than mountains

But the world's biggest ski area might have remained a hostile mountain environment had 1930s skiers not sought new destinations when the traditional resorts of Kitzbhel and St Anton were placed off limits.

Chief among the pioneers was a Scot, Peter Lindsay, who found the location in the heart of Les Trois Valles to be perfect for skiing. The war intervened but by the end of the 1940s a series of hotels, chalets and lifts had transformed the landscape.

It came to greater prominence in 1992 when the women's alpine skiing events at the Winter Olympics were held on the slopes, while the ice hockey competition took place in the resort.

Today the three valleys boast more than 350 miles of groomed and marked runs. Until last month the significance of this was lost on me; despite enjoying the outdoors and making a living from it, I had never been skiing. So the offer to finally take to the piste in earnest was too good to turn down.

The first thing that hit me as the car wound its way up from Albertville to Mribel was the sheer beauty. Clear air, blue skies and snow-covered peaks - picture-postcard stuff on a grand scale.

My hotel at Les 3 Htels de La Chaudanne epitomised the resort's chocolate box, alpine-style architecture: pine-clad walls and slate roofs. Then it was down to the business at hand. After realising ski boots were definitely not for walking and skis were not natural things to be wearing 7,000ft up a mountain I thought I was in for a difficult time.

However, the instructor from L'cole du Ski Franais was a true mountain guide, instilling confidence where any normal person would walk (or tumble) away. Before long I was improving on the practice slope; I could stop using a snowplough - even though I was travelling at about 2mph on a gradient of little more than one per cent.

Then, after only an hour, we were on real slopes with other skiers. Yes, I fell down more often than a drunk as seven-year-olds flew past like they were on Ski Sunday, but it was good fun.

A tot of something strong from the instructor's hip flask gave me the confidence needed to ride up the chair lift to start again. Then he suggested I look up, enjoy the panorama and see where I was going, rather than stare at my skis. What a view! Then I fell again.

Learning to ski is not easy; that's why you need an instructor. But it's not so difficult that you will spend an entire trip sitting frustrated in snow. What little progress I did make on my first day was certainly an achievement to whet the appetite.

It came as a surprise to learn skiing is not everything in Mribel. The next day I donned snowshoes to enjoy an altogether different mountain experience. Spotting deer amid the forest while following the tracks of mountain hare and fox brought the natural environment to the fore. Across the valley little dots continued to hurtle down the slopes while I contemplated a pristine wilderness. Again, my guide was a font of knowledge, leading me to stunning views while enthusiastically discussing the flora and fauna.

If I wanted more it was there: from ice skating to cross-country skiing; small plane trips high above the mountains with views of Mont Blanc to indoor climbing. In summer you can enjoy mountain biking, walking, via ferrata (routes with cables, ladders and bridges) and serious rock climbing.

But sometimes even the most ardent lovers of the outdoors need time to relax, contemplate and re- energise. Luxury is all around in Mribel; not in a stuffy, snobbish way; more in a first-class respect, where quality is apparently effortless.

High on the slopes there are more than enough places for lunch. One of the highlights at Le Chardonnet - which has access by gondolas and, of course, on ski - was the local Savoie dish of tartiflette. The plate of potatoes and ham baked in cheese had all the necessary energy-giving properties, eaten with a sublime view of jagged, snow-covered peaks.

At the end of the day there is the usual aprs ski where beer, mulled wine or hot chocolate soothes away the day's aches. Le Rond Point is the most popular; a live band revives the spirits as skiers continue downhill outside. (Don't follow them if you've enjoyed the hospitality, especially if you're a beginner - take a free bus which runs all hours of the day and night.)

For a more serene time the Jacuzzi, saunas, steam room and herbal tea bar in the spa at the Parc Olympique leave you feeling you've gone on a less energetic holiday. You can also have a massage if the thighs are burning from too many snowploughs.

Then, as on any holiday, the important business of a good dinner has to be considered - in my short stay I consumed more delicious calories than I could ever have hoped to burn off. There are gastronomic delights at Hotel l'Helios and The Allodis, both of which are as close to a Michelin star as you can get without having one. Maybe it is due to a lack of stuffiness that they haven't got the gong.

However, for a real treat head for Chez Kiki where Monsieur Kiki himself will cook one of the best steaks to be had on an open fire. In addition, if he likes the wine you've ordered, he'll sit down and help himself to a glass afterwards.

Peter Lindsay lived out his years in Mribel and no wonder. The holistic approach to a mountain resort, from good accommodation to fantastic food; skiing for all abilities to a range of other outdoor pursuits, means that virtually anyone will leave with a true sense of having enjoyed a beautiful mountain environment to the full.For more information (t: +33 (0)4 79 00 59 61, www.meribel.net, [email protected]).

EasyJet flies direct to Geneva from Edinburgh and Glasgow. Transfers from Geneva to Mribel can be booked online (www.alpski-bus.com) for €133 return.

Les 3 Htels de La Chaudanne (0033 (0) 4 79 08 61 76, www.chaudanne.com), from €278 per room for two, with breakfast.

Ski passes: Mribel, one-day adult, €39.5l; six-day adult, €191. Mini-pass (for enough slopes to satisfy the beginner or those with only a few hours to spare), one-day, €23. For all of Les Trois Valles, one-day adult, €47; six-day adult, €235.

Ski hire: From €28 a day for skis and boots.

Lessons: Five half-days, from €124 per person; one-to-one, from €130 for a half-day.

Introduction to off-piste: from €61 per person for four hours.

Snowshoeing: €28.30 per person for a half-day (www.esf-meribel.com).

Flight from Mribel Altiport: ten minutes over Mribel Valley, from €40 per person; 20 minutes over the Three Valleys, from €80 per person (0033 (0)4 79 08 61 33, www.ac-meribel.com).

Spa at the Parc Olympique: access to the Jacuzzi, saunas, steam room and herbal tea bar, €26; treatments from €20.

Eating out: Le Chardonnet (www.restaurant-lechardonnet-meribel.com); Chez Kiki, €31 for a fillet of beef (www.chezkiki.fr); Hotel l'Helios, gastro menu €80 (www.lhelios.com); The Allodis, menu degustation €55 (www.hotel-allodis.com).

• This article was first published in the Scotland on Sunday on March 13, 2011

Travel: a skiing novice discovers there's more to Meribel than mountains - but that's a great place to start