ESCAPADE 2026: Antonio and his youngest son complete the Escapade in a Day…

02 April 2026

For years, we had dreamed of completing the 3 Valleys Escapade. Every winter, we talked about it, planned it, and then somehow never managed to make it happen. Until this year.

During our first days in Saint Martin, we quietly tested the waters within our group—who would be willing to try, and more importantly, who could last an entire day on skis without stopping. The conditions didn’t help at first. Snow fell steadily, and the peaks above 2000–2500 meters were buried in thick fog, making the route nearly impossible. But by midweek, the forecast promised clear skies. So we set our date: April 2nd.

We were four—two adults and two boys, aged 10 and 15.

The day didn’t start well. We left the house later than planned and immediately lost 15 precious minutes—minutes that would come back to haunt us. At 8:59 a.m., we finally set off, skiing down the Village slope to catch the Village drag lift. We were far from the first to reach Saint Martin 1, but once we began our descent, something clicked. We started overtaking everyone, gaining confidence—and time—all the way down to Bettex.

We were behind schedule, but with each lift and each run, we clawed back a minute here, two minutes there.

Then, at the Bruyères gondola, came the first setback.

The older boy wasn’t feeling well. Nausea.

We asked if he wanted to continue. “For now,” he said.

At the Péclet funitel, he was worse. By the time we reached the top, he admitted he might need to vomit. We lost nearly half an hour going to the medical post—no medication for nausea—and then to the bathroom. Things weren’t looking good.

At the end of the Christine run, he said he felt dizzy. His father made the call: they would return to Saint Martin.

And just like that, the mission changed.

It was now up to me and the younger boy to try and complete the Escapade alone.

Very quickly, I realized a new challenge. The younger one skied well—very well—but struggled on flat sections. He simply couldn’t maintain speed. Runs like Lory, Cime, Combe de Thorens, Lac de la Chambre, Ours, Cospilot, Forêt, and Doron became a test of patience. The poor kid kept asking me if he was too slow, if he was the reason we wouldn’t finish.

He wasn’t.

But I also had to manage navigation carefully, always skiing just behind him in case he fell—which, thankfully, he never did.

Meanwhile, his father took a different route back—skipping some lifts, taking others—and eventually rejoined us at Mont Vallon.

At that point, we were 20 minutes behind our original plan. The goal had been to reach the final lift, Olympic, at 4:35 p.m., just five minutes before closing. It didn’t look promising. Still, we pushed on.

Again, we started gaining time. One minute here, two minutes there. It felt possible.

Until we reached Tovets.

The chairlift was closed.

We had no choice but to take the Grangettes gondola, which dropped us into the middle of a shopping center we had never seen before. More confusion. More lost time.

From that moment on, we made a simple decision: we would head for the Olympic lift no matter what. If it was closed, we’d ski down to Méribel, take the Tougnète lifts—which close later—and try again another day.

But luck, finally, was on our side.

No more setbacks. No more delays.

We reached the Olympic lift… just in time.

One or two minutes to spare.

At the top of Roc de Fer, the relief was overwhelming.

To celebrate, we headed back up Saint Martin Express and, for the first time ever, skied down Liberty Ride—a run that had always been closed in previous years.

At the end of the day, the younger boy was glowing with pride. Over 90 kilometers skied. Nearly 16,000 meters of vertical descent.

An unforgettable achievement.

Next year, we’ll have to do it all over again—so the older boy can finish what he started.

Though, considering he spent the entire afternoon being sick… it was probably for the best that he went home.

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 ESCAPADE 2026 Strava Flyover here (if you’ve a Strava login)

2026 Escapade Video inc Flyover

2025 Escapade Video with Relive

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