Best Ski Resorts: Val D'Isere

The Ski Club of Great Britain

La Daille, Le Solaise in the distance

VAL D'ISERE!

I have just been to Val D'isere for the first time, it was fabulous and I feel privileged to have been able to visit!

Val D'Isere is located close to the Italian border in the Tarentaise area of the Savoie in the Northern Alps. The Espace Killy is the combined ski domain of Tignes and Val D'Isere. Named after Jean -Claude Killy, France's Olympic downhill skiing champion, the area offers over 300k of marked pisted runs and unlimited off piste skiing.

The area can be broken up into three areas, Le Fornet, Le Solaise and Bellevarde.

For the Complete Beginner there are two Nursery Slopes, one in the resort centre and one in La Daille. Seven lifts are free of charge, two chairlifts in Solaisse and three button lifts. In La Daille there are two button lifts in Les Lanches.

Leaving the Nursery area

La Face

Bellevarde offers experienced skiers the challenging Epaule Du Charvet (plus moguls) and the Ex Olympic Face. By taking the Bellevarde Express or Olympic Cable Car it is possible to access fabulous skiing to La Daille on long gentle slopes, Diebold and Verte or for the more challenging option the Ok and Orange. In Bellevarde plenty of variation can be found on Grand Pre, Genepy and Borsat, with long, gentle, easy runs.

Le Fornet offers one of the most easily accessible and best off piste in the Espace Killy with Pont Pers. This area is reached via the Fornet Cable Car or on the Leissiere Chairlift from the Solaisse area. Le Fornet is good value for beginners with it's long blues, Col, Vallon and Mangard.

Return Solaise cable car ,
looking down onto the village

Le Solaise, accessible via the Solaise Cable Car or Express Chairlift, is the central skiing area and best for beginners and intermediates. There are several choices of runs, Madeleine, Glacier, L and Marais offer easy skiing. This would make an ideal area to head to when ready to progress from the Nursery slopes.