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Val d'Isere - Val d'Isere ranks alongside St Moritz, Stowe and Cortina among the "most famous names of skiing." With a huge ski area, much of it at a high altitude, world class lift infrastructure and a vast array of apres ski activity and you have the archetypal world class mountain resort.The Espace Killy, the ski region which Val d'Isere shares with Tignes, is huge, part of over 10,000 hectares of snow fields.
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Val is very popular with the British, and has spawned purpose-built developments at out-of-town La Daille (1785m) , which boasts an ultra-modern funicular, and Le Fornet (1930m). Most of the men's downhill events for the 1992 Albertville Olympics were staged here.
As you would expect, this means there is something to attract all levels of skiers and snowboarders. In particular, serious skiers need not fear running out of options on a weeklong ski holiday, and Val clearly ranks among the top 10 resorts in the world for expert skiers. It's also chosen by the International Ski Federation to stage the first European race in the annual World cup competition each December, using the OK trail.
Try the Solaise bumps run above the resort or the Olympic Men's Downhill from Bellevarde (a good first choice as it gets the sun early and accessed by the high speed underground 'Funival' funicular). Later on, take off into the powder fields (remember a guide). Otherwise the descents from the Pissaillas glacier or the Tour de Charvet basin runs are equally recommended.
Skiing continues throughout much of the year thanks to the glacier skiing here and above Tignes. The Pissaillas Glacier above Val d'Isere is open from late June to mid-August . The lifts are reached by cable car from Val d'Isere's satellite village of Le Fornet and begin at the Col de l'Iseran ( 2762 M). There are 4 lifts serving 5 green (very easy) and 5 blue (easy) trails with a maximum vertical of about 800 metres.
Val d'Isere in the department of Savoy in France is a colorful winter sports haven that began as a farm community before Christ. It is the better-known part of Espace Killy, the huge skiing domain that it shares with purpose-built Tignes. The area is named for Olympic hero Jean-Claude Killy, who grew up in Val d'Isere. The charming village finds its 1,800 residents outnumbered 15 to one by guests in winter. Espace Killy has 300 kilometers of maintained slopes cut through vast snowfields that stretch to the horizon. Ninety nine lifts can move more than 135,000 skiers an hour uphill. Much of the terrain is ideal for cruisers, but there are many opportunities for snowboarders and powder skiers to show their stuff. A lot of skiers accept the challenge of the Bellevarde downhill, designed for the 1992 Olympics. Some parts of the 915 meter drop have a 63 percent angle. Running it earns bragging rights in the lively apres-ski scene.
Resorts close toVal d'Isere include: Tignes (5 km), Bonneval sur Arc (12 km), Bessans Val D'Arc (15 km), Sainte Foy (16 km) and La Plagne (18 km).
The Snow Record
It wouldn't be much fun to spend money on a ski holiday only to find there's no snow in resort. Well, Val d'Isere has always been the most snow sure resort you can visit.
We have plenty of snow to satisfy any level of skier from the beginning of the season to the VERY END. Those in the know often travel the last week of the season as we have had some of the best snow conditions in May and our accommodation is available at promotion rates.
New High Speed Gondola
To reach the summit there are 3 possibilities; the Funicular at La Daille, the Bellevarde Face chairlifts or the brand new Bellevarde Face High Speed Gondola. The old cable car was inapt for todayÄs influx of skiers so it had to be replaced. The STVI (the lift company), opted for a gondola type 3S Doppelmayr (now we are getting technical!) with two carrier cables and a tractor. Some facts:
18 cabins, each seating 24 with 6 standing
Length of journey is 5 minutes
Altitude of departure point is 1835m
Altitude of arrival point is 2689m
Output is 2600 persons per hour (for the first season in service)
Almost 15 million euros (about 10 million pounds) has been invested by the STVI. It is situated at the foot of the Bellevarde sector. It is amazing!
New Tommeuses Chair
Anyone who sat on the old long, slow chair heading for Tignes will find the installation of the new high speed version a huge relief. You can now enjoy a 4 man, 5 minute ride from the bottom to the top.
Espace Killy
is the name of the collective ski areas of Val d'Isere and Tignes. The altitude of 1850m in town reaches 3,550m at the top, which is why we have one of the best snow records in the world. Your lift pass covers you for both areas giving you 130 lifts, 300km of marked pistes and a never ending range of off-piste terrain to enjoy. You will never get bored skiing or boarding the Espace Killy.
The lift system is also described as one of the best in the world moving you quickly and efficiently around the mountain. The links are carefully calculated to give access to off-piste terrain as well as the marked pistes.
Vital Statistics
Altitude of resort 1850m
Altitude at the top of the lifts 3550m
Number of lifts Val side only 96
Alpine skiing slopes 135 (300km)
Green slopes 21
Blue slopes 65
Red slopes 35
Black slopes 14
Cross country slopes 16 (48km)
Snowboard Park 1
Half Pipe 1
Free nursery lifts 7
Val D’Isere is a true mecca for skiers and boarders alike offering some of the very best skiing and boarding in the world. On approaching Val D’Isere you at first pass its satellite resort of La Daille which although a little ugly with mainly large apartment blocks; is a good cheaper alternative to the centre of Val D’Isere. La Daille has excellent links via the lift system or the free bus service, which takes about 3 mins to Val D’Isere, and runs a very efficient service indeed. The centre of Val D’Isere is full of new wood and stone clad buildings and gives an up market look and feel. There are still some original older buildings tucked away behind these giving a distinctly old feel to the resort. You drive under the nursery slopes to reach the two main lifts – the Bellevarde and Solaise. Beyond the main village is Le Fornet – a little hamlet which has the third major lift station and again is well served by the free ski bus. All in all, Val D’Isere is an attractive, excellent resort with something to offer most skiers and boarders.
the skiing
The combined efficient lift system of Val D’Isere and Tignes give a massive array of pistes to choose from for all levels of skier or boarder. Val D’Iseres slopes are mainly divided into three main sectors – Bellevarde, which can be accessed from the centre or La Daille, Solaise, which is accessed directly from the centre, and Col de L’Iseran which is reached from Le Fornet. The height of resort gives the advantage of rarely being short of snow and being able to ski back to village. There is also the accessibility to glaciers at Pissaillas or over in Tignes. There are free lifts serving the beginners slopes which are right in the centre of town. An intermediates heaven, with enough runs to keep you going for weeks! Val D’Isere is one of the top places in the world for experts, with the main attraction being the huge array of off piste areas.
advanced
Val d'Isère must be included in every list of the best skiing in Europe for its giant moguls, steep black runs, couloirs and not least for its sensational off-piste. Try the Olympic Men's Downhill run, the waist-high Solaise bumps just above the village or the powder bowls of the Tour de Charvet.
ski chalet holidays
intermediate
A true intermediates paradise, Val d'Isère is big-time skiing country. From the gentle cruising blue and red runs of the Bellevarde and La Daille sectors to the Le Fornet glacier and the massive ski domain of Tignes and La Grand Motte, there is endless choice at every level.
family
On the village nursery slopes there’s a “children’s village” for 3-8 year olds, which offers supervised indoor and outdoor activities, although many people prefer to use the facilities of UK tour operators.
snowboarding
Generally this area is good for boarders with a wide range of slopes and off piste. There are very few draglifts in Val D’isere, but there are a few flat areas where you will have to scoot or walk. There is a fun park with a half pipe on the Bellevarde and another at La Daille.
apres ski
Val- d'Isere is a very lively resort with several bars and clubs. Le Petit Danois in the town centre is where the Brits normaly takeand get pretty drunk, but if your looking for something a little more grown up try the Café Face where similar things happen with an older generation, far better music and a nice atmosphere. If you have bad taste and tons of cash try Dicks T- bar where you can buy a pint for 8 euros!
Beginners Don't get the idea that Val d'Isère is for experts only! Far from it - there are several good nursery slopes and a number of lifts which are absolutely free for skiing debutants.
lifts to kick-start your technique. Unlike other resorts, you quickly progress to the top of the mountain (Solaise) where easy beginner slopes await you. This sector offers fabulous mountain views, an abundance of easy slopes and a range of restaurants to meet your more advanced ski friends (instead of them coming down to base station to meet you). This set up gives any beginner the chance to see friends and family enjoy the other, harder slopes around you whilst you practice your turns on the greens. Perfect! Just refer to Vital Stats. to see how many blue and green slopes are actually available.
The Town
Life in Val started at the Church and the place gradually grew from there. The Church is still very much part of the town in the Old Village. This sector is undoubtedly the prettiest, with quaint, old stone properties lining little snow filled streets. From the Church, the town is one long high street with an abundance of shops and services on offer.
All our accommodation is well situated with lifts, shops and bus stops in mind.
A free bus service operates in Val running from early morning until late at night. This is ideal if you don't fancy walking with heavy skis or after a cocktail or two!
Val d'Isere as a resort actually has 4 distinct localities:
La Daille
as you pass the ‘Welcome to Val d’Isere sign’ you come in to La Daille. This is hamlet of Val but is still very much part of Val d’Isere. This is where the Funival is located and where the World Cup racing takes place. It is easy to hop on a bus to town if you finish your ski day here and it is a great place to start your day as the queues tend to be much lighter than Solaise. Walking in to town from here is not a great idea as it takes about 25 minutes so the bus is a much better bet! The La Daille sector is where we do most of our skiing as you get the vertical very quickly and the runs are challenging, fast and just exceptional.
Centre of Val
This is the area we all talk about and detailed at the beginning of this section. All the commerce & main restaurants are based here. You can start your ski day from the centre by walking or taking a bus to get to the Solaise Express that takes you up the Solaise sector or the Bellevarde Express that whisks you up to the Bellevarde sector. They go their separate ways but start from the same place (or rather very near to each other in case a seasoned client notices!). If you don’t want to take an Express chair, you can also start or finish your day using a cable car. Both go from the town centre very near to the lifts mentioned above.
L’aissenant
Another hamlet of Val and just a short walk outside the centre of town. This is a quaint, quiet part of town as it is away from the madding crowd. You can ski back to it at night off the Solaise sector and catch a bus from the main road to start your day. We have one rental property up here and it is becoming more and more popular. There are a few bars and restaurants there that are well worth sampling or a 15 min walk (max) will take you to the centre of town. People tend to forget about L’aissenant, which for some guests is perfect!
Fornet
This is another hamlet of Val that houses the cable car that takes you to the Glacier and some amazing off-piste runs. It has wonderful mountain views, a great restaurant called Arolay (well worth a visit) and the hamlet has winding, small, cobbled streets where a lot of the old Val d’Isere families live.
Winter Events
The World Cup Race (critérium de la premiére neige):-
11/12 December - men
18/19 December - women.
Ski Hire
Our office used to be located in La Poudreuse ski hire shop so our links with Phillippe and his team are still very strong. They hire a great range of the latest ski and boot equipment available. All our clients get a discount so if you would like to book your hire kit before your arrival, just go to the La Poudreuse website and complete the form on screen to place your request. If we can help with this, just contact us.
Lift Passes
The STVI work flat out to ensure the lifts around the Espace Killy work quickly and efficiently and the pistes are perfectly groomed for us to enjoy. So its reasonable to say that we shouldn't begrudge purchasing our lift passes to play in such a huge, well managed area. Your ski pass covers the entire Espace Killy that includes Tignes and Val d'Isere. A discount of between 5% and 20% is available to clients who present their Espace Killy pass purchased during any of the last three seasons. A six-day ski pass is also valid for a one-day ski pass in neighbouring resorts (La Plagne, 3 Valleys & Les Arcs). Children under 5 go free. Children = 5 to 12 years. Senior citizens from 60 - 74 qualify for a cheaper price than adults and Senior citizens from 75+ go free! All passes over one day require a recent photograph.
Reviews
1 February 24, 2006 - 08:52 AM
John Keane from IRELAND
We had a very enjoyable stay in Val d'Isere from the 4th to the 11th Feb 2006.
However, I will never be returning to France again after my experience with booking deposit we gave Val d'Isere Agence and our subsequent treatment. They are withholding €500 for damage to the front door of the building. This is a complete fabrication on their part. Do not use Val d'Isere Agence, they will take your deposit with a smile but then they will lie through their teeth. Be warned!
2 December 28, 2005 - 09:50 PM
Sarah Diamond from UNITED STATES
Just love Val d'Isere, I have skied with Martin Mckay Skiing, he runs cool british ski instruction in Val d'Isere, Martin is actually a leading ski 'coach' and you will never return to standard ski schools again once you have skied with MMS. >>>>>>>
Check out www.skimckay.com - Val d'Isere, Martin is a specialist private ski instructor for people that kind of want the best service and to actually make skiing breakthroughs - have to agree with your previous website reviews, I also love the Blizzard hotel 4 *, very luxurious, the hotel has a bar to die for. Happy New Year ! Sarah Diamond
3 December 21, 2005 - 10:10 AM
Liza Brooks from UNITED KINGDOM
Went to Val D'Isere for the week before christmas last year 2004. At first the resort seemed rather limiting especially when travelling with 3 beginners two of which were to proud to take lessons.
Then mid week we got dumped on, 4 ft of snow in three days and my only advice to anyone if this happens is get up at about 6am and take the first lifts up to the long blue run just below the glacier, It was like untracked of piste and well worth getting up for and racing over!
As the week went on the riders l was with progressed so more of the resort was accesible and we enjoyed a few visits over to Tignes. There was a red we really enjoyed in tigne which takes you back to all the restraunts at the north end as you look at the piste map.
As for food Val is very expensive no way around that and as we were self catering in a mingin hotel we didn't fancy using their utencils for cooking so choose to eat out. The best eatery in the town had to be the Crepery in the town centre in the little presink thing. Absolutally gorgeous! There was a Pizza take away not far from here on the main road back into La Dallie which was the area we were staying, just a little hatch with a few italian guys working in there.
In La Daille there was one resturant which was particularly expensive it was a carvery type place but can't remmeber the name.
A last note is IF YOU ARE A FAMILY OF VEGGITARIANS L WOULD AVIOD THIS RESORT not being a veggie but having a personal dislike of red meat l found it almost impossible to find proper meals anywhere, there was very rarely a chicken dish although you can normally find one duck dish on the menu and the veggie meals were all the same being lasagna lasagna lasagna! I have NOT experianced this in other french resorts including L2A and Morzine
4 November 23, 2005 - 07:32 PM
Danny James from UNITED STATES
If you have not yet been to Val d'Isere then check it out. I hired a private ski coach last winter and was blown away with what it has to offer. The town is so well presented, the skiing is out of this world, beats the small hills of the states! This is Majestic country!! I skied with a Scottish guy called Martin Mckay, he runs Martin Mckay Skiing, check out www.skimckay.com. I was born on skis more or less and Martin taught me so much more about skiing powder with serious technique and control. Call + 44 7710 237 094 to book Martin. Val d'Isere will see me again soon!
5 November 14, 2005 - 12:03 PM
Alex Wilson from UNITED KINGDOM
Last year I stayed in a chalet operated by Mountain Rooms and Chalets; the whole experience was excellent, All the staff were very friendly and helpful, the chalet itself was beautiful and spotless, and in a great location. The snow, as you would expect in Val D'isere, was brillliant. The Owner has lived in Val for years so knows the best places to ski. I got the impression that they had a large number of repeat clients which to me is the best way to judge a company. I'm booking with them this year.
6 October 27, 2005 - 05:00 PM
Gemma Holloway from UNITED KINGDOM
I have visited Val d'Isere over the last two seasons, 2004 and 2005. I have to say that the resort is very special, boasting this fantastic atmosphere that you can only grasp when you enter the village. I love the skiing and recommend 'Martin Mckay Skiing', an off piste ski coaching and guiding business' run by a Scottish Ski Coach, Martin Mckay. Martin showed us all the best off piste runs and coached us with our technique to enable us to develop a great confidence. Martin also uns on piste private ski coaching, visit their web site at www.skimckay.com. Tel: + 44 (0) 7710 237 094 - + 33 4 79 07 16 99. We stayed at a hotel called Les Lauzes situated next to the ancient church in Val d'Isere. This hotel proved to be ideal as it is right by the piste and boasts a great atmosphere. Good luck with Val d'Isere!
7 January 20, 2005 - 09:42 PM
Matt from UNITED KINGDOM
I experienced exactly the same thing with Val Agence last year. I rented a 3 bedroom appartment at considerable cost and had a fantastic week. After being home for a few days I received a letter from them stating that they were retaining my deposit as there was a red wine stain on the sofa. I'd checked the entire place before leaving and felt sure that there were no such stains however, was willing to let it go as long as they could prove their case.
Luckily, a friend of mine works in the centre of Val so he called in to their offices and asked them to let him see the damage. They imediately withdrew their claim and said that they would refund my deposit straight away. Two months and several emails later, I STILL hadn't received the refund so I wrote to MasterCard's dispute department enclosing copies of Val Agence's emails admitting their 'mistake'. The deposit was clawed back by MasterCard straight away.
The moral of the story...
AVOID USING VAL AGENCE - THEY WILL TRY TO RIP YOU OFF
8 November 19, 2004 - 12:53 AM
Julian Barber from UNITED KINGDOM
Be very careful when renting appartment accommodation through Val Agence. We rented an apprtment and they refused to return our deposit due to ciragette burns. Nobody in our party smoked and nobody else visited our appartment during the week. Make sure that you get someone to inspect the appartment before you leave and get your deposit returned before you go. Since this experience, I have had other similar stories concerning Val Agence. We wrote to the Tourism Department and the Mayor, neither of which bothered to even respond to our complaints.
9 March 01, 2004 - 03:03 AM
gail from CANADA
Just returned from Val (Feb. 21-28) and had a great time. Having skied in Trois Vallees and in Vail, we know and like the challenge of vast terrain and lots of runs so Val did not disappoint in that regard. But, do not go during the French holiday--too many skiers unless you go off-piste and hope that there is still some good snow. They do not groom their runs very well so the condition of the runs deteriorates quickly and really depends on their getting lots of snow frequently. Runs down to the base are a horror--icy and crowded- so take your last run down on the chair or gondola- for the rest of the time stay high and away from the centre and try to find reds and blacks and off-piste with fewer skiers. Stayed at Hotel Mercure (3 star)- great location, good food and very gracious staff and a decent sized room for the 2 of us.a word of warning- I signed up for an off-piste lesson and planned my day around it, but when I arrived for the lesson I was told that there wasn't room for me. They gave me my money back but that did not make up for my having lost 1/2 day skiing (Evolution 2 is the name of the company)
10 February 11, 2004 - 03:43 PM
JohnBoy from IRELAND
Spent a week in Val from Jan 10th.
A summarised snow report: Snow, more snow, a drop of rain & more snow!
Basically it didnt stop for the week.
Ridden in Val a couple of times before but always based ourselves in Tignes - now I know why. Espace Killy is an epic area & there's something there for all levels - unfortunately if your not drippin in bling the town of Val isnt so accessible. Everyone knows that Val has the rep for being pricey, but it seems worse than ever - comin from Ireland its all the more transparent since we're all Euro spenders now.
?11 for a burger! ?7 for a pint!?
The Spar (or Sherpa) does 24 beers for about the price of 1 draft.
I suppose it is more 'French' to drink at home & then go out late, but we've always managed the best of both worls in Tignes (check out Alpaca)
Anyway, back to Tignes next time...til we hit the Lotto.
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