Appreciate the atmosphere of a traditional mountain village built around his XVII century church. Enjoy one of the most beautiful and modern ski areas in the world with 300km of slopes. 2/3 of the slopes above 2300m. The biggest snow factory in Europe: 974 snow cannons.

We guarantee snow from the last weekend of November to the 1st of May…

JOIN US, WHENEVER YOU LIKE, ANY DAY THIS WINTER, AND WE’LL GUARANTEE GOOD SNOW CONDITIONS 

Val d’Isère is one of the world’s best-known ski destinations. In these uncertain winters of climate change, it offers guaranteed snow conditions from the last week of November right up until when the lifts close on  the first day of May. Enjoy the ambience of an ancient and authentic village in a truly spectacular mountain setting in the Savoie-Mont-Blanc region.

Le Snow Factory is the largest snowmaking facility in Europe and it’s just got bigger. A total of 900 cannons now cover a mighty 40% of the entire ski area.

Thanks to its challenging slopes and guaranteed snow conditions Val d’Isère is one of the homes of ski racing.  Last December the resort had the best snow cover in the world. The FIS moved the World Cup competitions from Colorado and racers spent three weeks here, competing in superb conditions. This December it’s the setting for the 62nd Critérium de la Première Neige, organised by the Club des Sports.

It’s All About Enjoying yourself

Five ‘play areas’ on the slopes of Val d’Isère are open to all: the snowpark, tubing on the Savonette piste, the Sunny Ride beginner slope on Solaise, and two ski/boardercross courses.

Val d’Isère by Numbers

The ski schools hand out 20 0000 stars each winter to their pupils.

The history of the village goes back to the 11th century

Val d’Isère became a proper ski resort way back in 1936, when the Rogoney surface lift opened on the front de neige.

For 2017/18, the joint Val d’Isère –Tignes ski area has 300km of groomed pistes, served by 78 lifts. 

Some 60% of the 153 pistes and 10 000 hectares of ski terrain are located above 2200m. The skiing stretches from a top altitude of 3450m down to 1550m.

There are two glaciers – from the highest lift on the Pissaillas above the hamlet of Le Fornet you can ski an incredible 1900m vertical.

Gastronomic Le Fornet is home to chef Benoît Vidal and his restaurant l’Atelier d’Edmond which sports two Michelin stars. 

Each winter, Val d’Isère’s restaurants serve an estimated 300 000 fondues – that’s 60 tons of cheese!

1 000 000: that’s the number of ski boots throughout the winter that dance away each afternoon in the village’s après-ski joints.

SNOW COVER IS GUARANTEED

Cédric Bonnevie is in charge of preparing the pistes and he’s rightfully proud of his grooming operation. It continues around the clock from the end of November until the beginning of May.

‘Different unique factors all come together to give us excellent conditions. When you think of which resort has guaranteed snow, you think of Val d’Isère. For a number of reasons, it’s a reputation that is wholly justified:

“Altitude, certainly, plays the leading role. The higher you go, the more likely it is that any precipitation will fall as snow rather than rain – and there’ll be more of it. With Val d’Isère’s ski area situated between 1800m and over 3000m, we can expect to experience the necessary low temperatures needed for high quality snowfalls.

“The geographical diversity of our pistes – they’re notably north-facing - allows us not only to best retain the snow, but also to ensure this high quality.

“Finally – and importantly – we don’t just get our snowfall from the Atlantic. Our proximity to the Italian frontier allows us to benefit from some exceptionally heavy and highly localised snowfalls. This phenomenon, known as the retour d’est occurs whenever precipitation comes up into Italy from the Mediterranean. It dumps copious quantities of snow on the French side of Alpine chain. Invariably, Val d’Isère is the only French resort that benefits from this effect.“

Pierre Mattis, is the Mr Snowmaker of Val d’Isère Téléphériques, the resort’s lift company. He has a deep knowledge of the intricate network of underground pipes that serve the 900 cannons covering some 40% of the ski area.  If you’d like to interview Pierre, get in touch with us.  Snow cover in Val d’Isère is guaranteed throughout the winter. We offer the most reliable natural snow of any resort in the Alps, backed up by manmade, supplied by the Snow Factory, the largest snowmaking facility in Europe.