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Skiing Val d'Isère

There is no denying the quality of the skiing in the Espace Killy area – this is world-class terrain with wide blues for cruising and carving, long red slopes for building up confidence, seriously challenging black pistes and varied, accessible off-piste opportunities. In addition to a good selection of lifts at key base stations in both Val d'Isère and Tignes, there’s also an efficient free bus system (although the vehicles are called trains) that links the two resorts and satellite villages, running from 8.30am right through to 2.15am.

There are three key areas: Le Fornet, Solaise and Rocher de Bellevarde. The traditional hamlet of Le Fornet, a 10-minute bus ride from Val d'Isère, gives access to some long blue and red pistes that are usually the quietest in the region as well as the Glacier de Pissaillas area, the highest point in Espace Killy. Solaise, reached from the satellite hamlet of Le Laisinant and from Val d'Isère itself, offers gentle greens, blues and reds and a few steep blacks as well as some tree-lined slopes towards the bottom of the mountain. Facing Solaise is Rocher de Bellevarde - a large diverse area, which is accessed from Val d'Isère and the utilitarian satellite village of La Daille and opens up the way to Tignes through Tovire.

Col Pers, Le Fornet
Le Fornet offers great off-piste terrain as well as a run with a terrific 1,500m vertical drop, the Col Pers. The run is easy to access and suitable for skiers with experience of off-piste. The descent starts close to the summit of the Pissaillas glacier and covers rolling pitches with enough variety of aspect and gradient to ensure good snow through most of the season. Don’t attempt this route without a guide as the only exit along the valley floor is via the Gorges de Malpasset, which can be impassable in bad conditions.

Solaise
While Val d'Isère is renowned for its off-piste terrain, there are also plenty of pistes for beginners and intermediates. The Glacier Express chair takes skiers above Solaise to the delightful, long blue Leissières, which, linked with the blue Piste L, meanders down a valley into the hamlet of Le Laisinant.

Grand Pré, Rocher de Bellevarde
Another great area for beginners and intermediates, Grand Pré is a wide, open bowl with several green and blue pistes above Rocher de Bellevarde. Take the Borsat Express chair-lift to reach the green Borsat and Génépy runs as well as the long blue Isolée and Prariond pistes into Val Claret above Tignes. The only drawbacks are the lack of a restaurant nearby and the rather outdated lifts.

Face de Bellevarde
This black piste will be the setting for the 2009 Alpine World Ski Championships men's events in the first fortnight of February and is likely to be fenced off during much of January 2009. While it's notorious for enormous bumps, this year it's more likely to be sheet-glass due to chemical treatments and sustained piste preparation in the run-up to the championships. The Face de Bellevarde probably offers the most continuously steep piste in the valley, with a welcome restaurant at the half-way point, La Tanière.

Coupe du Monde OK, Rocher de Bellevarde
This is a substantial red descent from the summit of Bellevarde to La Daille. It is usually groomed to perfection and ideal for practising carved turns. The bottom half, from the Fruitière restaurant, is best tackled first thing in the morning while the sun is overhead and the piste is freshly groomed.

About Val d'Isère | Getting to Val d'Isère | Accommodation in Val d'Isère | Après Ski in Val d'Isère