Val d’Isere is a contender for the most well known ski resort in the world, and justifiably so. As part of the Espace Killy along with neighbouring Tignes, the skiing is varied and challenging. There is something for every level of skier in this resort, along with a historic village, and a wide range of bars and restaurants.
The Val d’Isere area is divided into 3 main ski areas:
Fornet - a small hamlet up in the top of the Val d’Isere valley, a cable car that takes you up the mountain, and futher telecabine gets you to the base of the glacier. Fornet is a great area in bad weather for tree skiiing (one of the few areas where trees grow in this high altitude resort), and although the number of lifts is small in this area and the pistes mostly easy, but the range of off piste routes accesible are great. Links with the Solaise area have been improved with the recent addition of a 6 man high speed chairlift. More development is planned, with a water reservoir to supply a network of snow canons just finished, and a new lift up from Laisinant is already underway.
Solaise - This area is reachable from resort via the Solaise Express, and has a wide range of easy slopes at the top, and more challenging red down into the village (best avoided at the end of the day when everyone decides to ski down, perhaps lured by the easy start to this run rather than catch the chairlift back down)
Bellevarde - a large area starting on the back of the Bellevarde peak and streching over to the Toviere ridge which descends down into neighbouring Tignes. There is skiing for all levels here from the OK (named after Oreiller and Killy two local champions and makes up a large part of the World Cup downhill piste held at the start of the winter) to the Verte, a long wide easy going green snaking all the way from top to bottom with a couple of well placed coffee stops on the way. The area is served by a new high speed telecabine from the village itself, and a funicular train that tunnels through the mountain starting in la Daille.
Advanced - Val d’Isere is a must for all advanced skiers at least once. From the “Face de Bellevarde”, the 1992 mens downhill course to the Epaule de Charvet there are challenging pistes for the advanced skier. But perhaps its the off piste that draws so many advanced skiers back to the resort time and time again. With an excellent snow record even in the greenest of winters, there is always some interesting and challenging off piste to discover (see the ski school section for a guide to finding someone to help you explore this in safety). Most well known off piste itinaries such as the Tour de Charvet, Cugnai, and the Pays Desert are ideal as routes to discover and perfect off piste technique. There are many extremely challenging routes, that will have the even the most experienced skiers feeling alive.
Intermediate - There are a large number of slopes in Val d’Isere, and as an intermediate there will be something to push you and other slopes to flatter you. A common consensus would suggest that the grading of the runs is perhaps a bit more liberal than other resorts, so dont be surprised to find yourself with a couple of tricky spots on what you might consider previously conquered blue slopes. With a wide range of ski schools waiting to push you to your limits you can be sure that if you are looking to improve your skiing there is something for you in Val d’Isere.
Beginners - Val d’Isere’s reputation may be derived from the challenging advanced skiing, but there are good slopes for beginners too, although perhaps not as well served as other resorts. The nursery area at the foot of solaise has some free lifts to start with so you wont need a liftpass straightaway, although these do get very crowded in peak season. One of the best runs for beginners the Grand Pre (big field - not Grand Prix) on Bellevarde is slightly spoiled by the fact that getting there can be a challenge for a beginner.
Accommodation in Val d’Isere can be expensive, be warned. Having said that there are many good quality Tour Operators that do have some special offers for excellent quality chalets. On a whole the market is divided into :
Appartments : self catering mostly, and often in big 1970′s blocks, although these appartments dont quite fit the bill of cosy mountain chalet and roaring log fire, they do offer the most economical way of staying in Val d’Isere. La Daille, a small hamlet before you get to Val d’Isere village is swamped by these blocks built in the 70′s (and won awards for design at the time, hard to believe now) but have great access to the funicular train to get up Bellevarde, and you can ski pretty much to the apartments. Generally appartments are small so dont expect much room to swing a ski pole and its not uncommon for a 6 person appartment to be less than 40m2.
Hotels : there are a range of hotels from 2 star to 4 star and the Val d’Isere tourist office can help you book these. The least expensive are expensive and the prices go up from there. Notable hotels for the large budgets are the Blizzard (well worth a quiet drink in the lounge even if you are not staying there), the Savoyarde and the Tsantelina. A new 4 star hotel has been built at the bottom of the Face called the Balme de L’Ours, which looks OK from the outside, and has only been open for one season so far.
Chalets : by far the best quality chalets are run by British Tour Operators offering a complete catered holiday in a chalet along with a chalet girl to cook. Some of the chalets offered here are amoung the best accommodation to be had in resort.
In the village - Val d’Isere is quite spread out and so offers a free bus service that runs all day and some of the night. This service connects the separate areas of Val d’Isere from la Daille to le Fornet. Large underground car parks are handy to stow your car for the week, although you have to pay. A free open air car park is available in la Daille. Making car parks compulsory and free would do a lot to improve the life on foot in the village.
See Val Disere in Google Earth
Popup satellite area map of Val Disere
Getting there - Val d’Isere is about as far as you can get from an airport. 3–4 hours from either Lyon, Geneva, Grenoble, Chambery, or St Etienne. Public transport is available from the airports otherwise hiring a car is an option.
Lots of shops to sell you ski gear of course, and the sales at the end of the season represent very good value. Other shops like les Trois Marmottes, and Secotines offer things to make your 70′s flat in a concrete block in Val d’Isere seem just like an old log cabin. Recently a couple of art galleries have sprung up in town if you fancy something other than a T Shirt? as a souvenir of your holiday.
There are restaurants a plenty in town, and everyone has their favorite, but a couple worthy of mention are: La Perdrix Blanche - varied menu from pizza to lobster, good vibrant atmosphere in the centre of town. Taverne d’Alsace - you may be in Savoie but you can eat Alsation here. A cosy intimate atmosphere, and a popular place for a drink away from the hoards. Le Lodge - noisy and fun with a good bar downstairs, perhaps a bit cheaper than the others but only just.
Val d’Isere was the first resort to break the monopoly that the Ecole de Ski Francais had on teaching you how to slide down mountains, so its fitting that you have a large number of schools to choose from. Top Ski? - one of the best specialising in off piste. Years of experience and a friendly team. Mountain Masters - mostly British instructors with a lot of experience although no group lessons. Snow Fun - perhaps the most well know school in Val d’Isere, offers group lessons and private lessons for children and for adults.
Being at 1850m (village) the resort has a good snow record, and its local geography seems to give it a micro climate unto itself. With 2 glaciers in the Espace Killy, there is always skiing to be had.