Skiing in Val d’Isere French Alps

EPIC. Yep, that sums up skiing Val d’Isere in the French Alps.

4 large ski / boarding areas connected by lifts & runs, or an efficient free bus’s shuttle at base level. An excellent balance of runs (piste) to suit all abilities, with large fields of off-piste.

The 4th area of these fields is Tignes, a smaller town on a frozen lake, with a broad bowl to 3 mountain faces. For about 10% more, you can add Tignes to your Val skipass; sensational value at 66 euro a day all-up presently. Speaking of value, Studio Val d’Isere with its direct view of the Solaise Gondola, and sensationally pro-active host Barnaby, just made it all the better.

Regular SNCF trains service Bourg Saint Maurice, with appropriate connecting Buses to take you up to the mountain. Easy & ideal for travelers.

Val d’Isere has been effected by the same warm weather pattern as others in the Alps area, no fresh snow for well over a week, and yet surfaces are firm but very workable. Just the occasional ice patch lower in the runs; otherwise it was stunning sunshine and very forgiving surfaces if you stayed high, and there is plenty of top-to-bottom runs above 2000m.

The other very notable difference is the logistics. Arriving to a mountain for the 1st time, interpreting the ski map and making your way around can be a bit daunting. Val d’Isere’s ski map includes arrows on run lines to clarify run direction when it is not obvious. They also have sign boards at most lift bases to let you know the runs and grades accessible from the top ! (picture right)

Add a very thoughtful and interactive phone app that can even select & only show Beginner level runs, and you have a very friendly mountain. The app also tracks the buses so you know how long you will wait, and has a Tracking feature so you can record your runs & day. It’s these user friendly provisions that make Val d’Isere / Tignes the near perfect ski mountains.