ESCAPADE 2026: Hannah, Katy, Hope and Poppy smashing it for the girls!

05 March 2026

Four of us set out that morning from Le Praz: Hannah, Katy, Hope and Poppy. Three skiers and one boarder — Poppy bravely representing the snowboard community. Spirits were high as we took the bubble up from Le Praz and continued on to Chenus, ready for a full day exploring the Three Valleys.

The sky was grey and overcast, and Captain Hannah had her concerns about the weather. There were murmurs about visibility and conditions, but as it turned out, the mountains had other plans. The day held together perfectly. 

From Chenus we wasted no time and headed straight down towards La Tania via what would become the undisputed run of the day: Folyeres. It was glorious — fast, flowing, and just the right amount of soft underfoot.

Unfortunately, the next run quickly reminded us that balance must be maintained in all things. Pic Bleu delivered the worst run of the day by a comfortable margin. It was scratchy, uneven and relentless, somehow managing to outdo even the sizeable bumps we would later encounter on Christine and Mont Vallon. It was a character-building descent.

The queues were mercifully rare. The only real pauses came at Legends, St Martin Express, and the toilets at La Masse, but use of the gent’s kept us moving fast. 

There were, a few minor incidents along the way. At one point Hope lost a ski, and not long after Hannah lost a pole. For a moment it looked like the mountain might start claiming equipment as tribute, but both items were retrieved and the expedition carried on.

Part of the joy of a day like this is the people you meet. We shared sweets with some children in the St Martin bubble, chatted with a lovely French couple in the La Masse bubble, and encountered perhaps the most unusual character of the day: a man who worked for S3V who, for reasons unknown, chose to greet us by meowing.

As the afternoon wore on and the return leg began, the tension increased slightly. On the home straight the Aiguille de Fruit lift stopped for a worrying six minutes while we were suspended above the snow. There was a brief moment of quiet calculation as we wondered whether our timing might unravel after all.

But once we descended into 1550 — after a very slow Grandes Combes — it became clear we were going to make it. The final stretch passed quickly, and we skied back into Le Praz at 16:37 with time to spare.

Huge thanks to the whole team for an excellent day in the mountains: Captain Hannah for navigation and leadership, Hope for her vital role as chief puller and timekeeper, Katy for stats & snacks and Poppy for keeping morale at an all-time high.

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ESCAPADE 2026 – What’s this all about…

The 3 Valleys Escapade was the lift company promotion of visiting (originally in 2006) 14 points across the Three Valleys and gaining a certificate & badge over the period of your holiday – doing it in a day was a bit tricky though!

It all started out as a late night “is it possible?” discussion – the history and our original route from 2006 are here

Originally punch cards had to be stamped at each check point until electronic passes arrived and then the use of a lift was recorded – now we use Apps such as Ski Tracks or Relive to prove our route.

Note that the Escapade is no longer officially promoted by Les 3 Vallees from Winter 2017 but we still record successful tracks for anyone who is interested in being in the sought after La Tania Escapade Hall of Fame

Send a pic of yourselves on the day with your successful tracker data & screenshot plus a story of your day to toffa@latania.co.uk and you’ll get your place in the HoF.

The original Escapade took 30 lifts, around 13000m vertical with 70km length and by 2016 reached 34 lifts, 17000m vertical (twice the height of Everest) and around 80km skiing (140km total distance). With the newer, longer, faster lifts we’re now at 32 lifts (depending on the route) ESCAPADE 2026 Route

Changes through the years
2006 – First year and cards with hole punches stationed at lifties huts are used.
2008 – Electronic lift analysis is now used – no use hiking out the 4th Valley now!
2010 – The piste map did not include the top of the 4th Valley and the Col lift in Val Thorens.
2011 – The X-Wing Discovery was launched but only had 10 check points and doesn’t count!
2012 – Peclet included and Biollay / Vizelle used for Saulire access.
2015 – Foret used instead of La Tania gondola.
2016 – Mont Vallon is included for the first time plus the Montaulever drag lift.
2017 – Chapelets replaced by Petite Boss drag and La Tania’s Bouc Blanc chair replaces Tovets.
2018 – The new Roc de Tougne chair replaces the drag lift of the same name.
2019 – Legends replaces Roc de Fer and the Montaulever drag in Les Menuires has been removed.
2020 – Cime Caron now back in use.
2022 – New Pointe de la Masse and Orelle-Caron Gondolas (for example) could be used.
2023 – Using the new lifts, we ski all the resorts, all the perimeters and classic peaks – ESCAPADE 2023
2024 – No changes to 2023 route!
2025 – No changes to 2024 route!
2026 – Grandes Combs and Tortollet are added – ESCAPADE 2026