History of the Méribel Valley and Les Trois Vallées
In AD 428, the valley of Les Allues was part of the 5 valleys bestowed upon St. James of Assyria by the Burgundy King Gondicaire, in making him first Archbishop of Tarentaise in thanks for spreading the Christian Religion. This jurisdiction allowed the inhabitants of Les Allues to evade the direct authority of the Dukes of Savoie and the Kings of Piedmont & Sardinia. In 1282, the people of the valley were exempt from paying local taxes by the then Archbishop. They became known as the “Allodis” (freeholders) or “Les Alleux”, meaning ‘those who are exempt’, and hence how the village derived its name. Les Allues is the capital (chef lieu) of the valley.
In 1936, the Englishman Peter Lindsay first visited Les Allues and was immediately seduced by the valley’s charm and beauty. He decided to set up a company to develop a brand new ski resort. Over 80 years later, the charm and beauty still exists as it did back then but has grown to become one of the largest ski areas in the world, with 375 miles of groomed runs!