Val d'Isere

Val d'Isere: reviews

• Alun Evans (22 February 2010)

  Just returned from Val after a week's skiing over the half term. Lots of good snow meant lots of good skiing - particularly higher up - where the pistes were remarkably uncrowded (even though it was half-term).

  As other reviewers have mentioned, it can be expensive to apres-ski at 6 euros for a large beer - but it does pay to shop around and check out the happy hours on offer. Cafe Face seemed to be the cheapest at the start of apres ski - a large beer was 2.60 euros from 4pm to 5pm and it went up .20 euros every hour (but you also get a singer and some free nibbles).

  On the slopes, if you are looking for some serious pumping music and people just having fun, then a stop at the mountain restaurant La Folie Douce (at the top of La Daille bubble) at about 3.00 pm - the food ain't bad either.

  Altogether, it was a great week of skiing and apres-skiing

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (05 February 2010)

  6 Euros for a beer in the Saloon Bar is enough to put you off apres ski! Its always been expensive but if you're a beginner and have to hire gear, take lessons and ski pass, I think that's almost £600 on top of getting there and accommodation. Perhaps there won't be so many skiing Brits in the future? Although I stayed in Val d'Isere, I have always found the piste skiing overrated in Val and Le Fornet and tend to spend little time there in favour of Tignes. Links in whole area are great for travelling around. Highly recommended noodle bar in the row of shops to the right of the Aero ski lift as you schuss into Tignes. Keeping walking up till last but one. Great food and spot to watch the world go by. All the runs back into Val were icy or very hard snow, Le Face was mostly completed in controlled "Horace goes skiing" slippage rather than any style. In the end we favoured a more pleasurable ski down to La Daille and straight on bus back into Val, rather than icy last ski of the day. It goes against the grain to get the lift back down at the end of the day, but would certainly recommend this for beginners and early intermediates, to avoid icy/busy runs down.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (24 January 2010)

  Visited Val D for a week 16th January. Stayed in a Crystal Finest Chalet near the Solaise chair. Was last here as a second year novice 5 or 6 years ago so was interested to see what I would think with a few years of trips and lessons under my belt. First the good, well great actually.....this is a stunningly beautiful area to ski in with some of the best individual pistes I have seen. The reds and blues up on the glacier above Le Fornet are fantastic, all the runs round the Glacier Express are more fun than should be decent and Le Face black from Bellevard into the village passes through some truly magnificent mountain scenery before culminating spectacularly on the face of the hill with views all the way back down, a total blast. Tignes too has some great runs and views back to the Val D side.The village itself is very pretty with some great spots for apres action and we spent a couple of happy evenings listening to live music in the Morris Pub. So, the not so good? The grading system in Val D is perverse. I went to visit the green run called Borsat, which had freaked me out on my last visit and found it was the same steep mogul field causing carnage, with the beginners who were obviously having a nightmare, littering the piste. By comparison we found the Collette blue run to be almost flat. There are no easy runs back to the village, and to call a busy steep half pipe (Santons) a blue run must cause mayhem. Second, this is a very expensive resort. Yes, I know they all are just now, but Val D seemed especially so. It's definitely something worth considering when choosing where to go on holiday. All in all Val D is totally world class and I will rush back, just as soon as I win the lottery! A word about Crystal Finest, great chalet (Le Thovex) and wonderful chalet hosts in Ben and Louise..thanks guys.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Gwyn Williams (11 April 2008)

  Visited Val d'Isere in a group with three other snowboarders for a week from the 28th of March 2008. We stayed at Les Verdets apartments and although these were pretty cosy, they were conveniently located for the slopes and resort center.

  A couple of members of our group had visited Val d'Isere before and knew where the best skiing could be found. However, I have to say that the entire area was fantastic with no particularly poor runs and lots of memorable stuff (especially if you're at intermediate level). The crowds were light for the time of year and the snow conditions were fantastic. Any run can feel great if it's got a good covering of the white stuff! The only runs we didn't really enjoy were the blues down to Tignes from the Grand Motte glacier - way too much flat stuff to be enjoyable on a snowboard. Stick to the red "Piste M" - much more fun if you're on a board.

  Can't say enough about the "Le Spot" region that they've opened above Tignes. It's a fantastic area for relatively safe off-piste without having to stray far off the beaten track. This un-pisted area provides a fantastic alternative to the impeccably groomed runs that this area has and provides a bit of a challenge and the feeling of a real mountain experience. Every resort should have an area like this!

  The only criticism that I could have were the prices (particularly food on the mountain), but if you used the supermarkets in resort at lunchtime and didn't go too wild in the evenings it was bearable. Hopefully the exchange rate can improve a bit as this would really help!

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• David J.S. McGregor (07 April 2008)

  Just been to Val d’Isere with Club Med with my wife and two teenagers, returning on the 6th April. Probably the best Club I've been to and I have been to many. The Chef de Village is really top notch. The ski instruction/guide by ESF was brilliant. We spent 6/7 hours a day skiing on the slopes and the condition of the pistes could not be faulted no matter where we went - we covered all the slopes from the far left right across to below the dam.

  The weather was a mix of white out heavy snow to brilliant sunshine. Great for skiing and my daughter who snowboards found the slopes excellent as well. Ski-in, ski-out was no problem with fresh snow almost every day, even in the town. We took the train via Paris both ways which other than a tight transfer was an excellent way to travel. Beats flying anytime!

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Lindsey Gresham (01 April 2008)

  Back from our second visit, our first with the girls. As last year, I would again recommend The Development Centre for excellent, holiday transforming tuition and good fun. This time we did a Development Plus Clinic with Colin Tanner and he transformed our attitude towards and skiing of blacks and bumps.

  Our youngest, 11, was a keen beginner and despite its reputation for toughness Val d'Isere was a great choice for her. The Front de Neige area at the bottom of the Solaise Express offers free lifts including the Village chair which meant we saved the cost of a lift pass for the first couple of days. There are lovely wide motorway green pistes like the Madeleine and Grand Pre for beginners to then progress on to that nonetheless have a proper mountain feel to them.

  Some of the blues are under-graded which is regrettable but the benefit of ski coaching is that the coaches know the area, as did we after a bit of exploring, and there are plenty of alternatives to avoid shattering emerging confidence. I would avoid the Mangard blue down to Le Fornet as well as Piste L from Solaise and the Santons from Bellevarde with timid novices as they can be tough and unpredictable, particularly at the end of the day. In contrast the blue from the top of the Aguille Percee chair lift above Tignes le Lac, all the way down to Tignes les Brevieres is a joy for novices and experts alike with sensational views and satisfaction to be derived from the length and vertical descent.

  We were very grateful for the efficient free bus service and excellent links and lift system of the Espace Killy. This reduced the stress of meeting up with the children for lunch and meant that we didn't have to hang abou about in the immediate area for fear of being late for them. There are Gondolas down from all the main areas which is great for beginners for whom even easy greens can be a nightmare in the rush hour.

  We booked our daughters in with the Oxygene Ski School which was not cheap but we were attracted by the website with its emphasis on small group sizes and top quality tuition. Whilst the girls both enjoyed their classes, liked their instructors and made good progress, I felt the company was failing to measure up to its own marketing. The organization was slick but group sizes were as high as 8 or 9 at times when we had gained the impression they would be a maximum of 6. Also one instructor (who was perfectly able and very nice) was teaching an early intermediate group on his second ever day in Val d'Isere – we saw a fellow instructor going through the piste map with him before the class which concerned me as familiarity with the terrain at different times of day and in different conditions is one of the benefits I feel I am purchasing along with pedagogical ability. This instructor was only teaching with Oxygene for one week which is hardly suggestive of a rigorous selection and induction protocol designed to promote the integrity of the school's quality and ethos. I got the impression of a successful company that has perhaps over-expanded and may be in danger of diluting the quality that gained it that success in the first place. I noticed that Mark Warner and Scott Dunn used them and wonder if the strain of guaranteeing tuition for these lucrative partners was contributing to bulging class sizes.

  On the mountain we met a very nice instructor from the British ski school BASS which we had actually considered before booking with Oxygene. They sound like a very impressive organisation and we will probably book the girls in with them next time. I must emphasize that Oxgene was not bad, just disappointing in relation to its claims and it failed to convince me of any superiority over the cheaper ESF.

  In resort there was no sign of the dreaded Mal d'Isere but an apparent epidemic of politeness, - never before have I encountered so many friendly, helpful lifties! We enjoyed a great lunch at La Fruitiere on Bellevarde next to the rocking Folie Douce and in town we became fans of Le Petit Danois for reasonable lunches and après ski beers with great live music. The Maison Chavollot, a chocolatier on the main street does heavenly hot chocolate and ludicrously cheap savoury and sweet snacks and lunch options of impeccable quality. It is a bit cramped so get there early. I also had an incredibly delicious and good value Plat de Jour at the Perdrix Blanc one lunchtime. The Samovar and Tufs in La Daille offer excellent good value food in friendly surroundings with open fires and French atmosphere.

  We all adored our time in Val d'Isere and the Espace Killy was even more beautiful and extensive than I remembered. Don't let its supposed tough reputation put you off going as it has plenty for everyone. I can't wait to get back.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (26 March 2008)

  Spent half term week in Val d'Isere and apart from the 7 and a half hour transfer time from Lyon airport due to the density of traffic, enjoyed a wonderful week of sunshine and snow. I was accompanied by my two teenagers, hence going at half term.
  

  Booked private guides with the Development Centre who were brilliant, taking my Ferrari son for some exciting skiing off piste as well as honing his skills at speed. They were equally as good with me and my daugher. I would definitely recommend them to any level of skier. Our guides were Nicki and Giles.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (17 March 2008)

  I had a really great week in Val d'Isere snowboarding with Ken and Peter. Their area knowledge, expertise and fitness were all of a very high standard and they were friendly at all times. Despite often being the only boarder in the group I felt fully accepted by all, and my wife and I also really enjoyed the social meetings in the bar in the evening.

  Joining the Ski Club groups each day really made my holiday and I have been telling all my friends about it

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Maxine Field (12 February 2008)

  Just returned from a week's skiing in Val d'Isere. We were a group of ten ranging in experience from a complete beginner and a few cautious intermediates to people who could ski anything on the mountain.

  Val d'Isere is definitely a resort for strong confident skiers. All the reviews we had read in advance - inconsistent grading of runs, poor runs back to the village - are true! We stayed in a catered chalet in the Legettez area booked through Ski Total. This area proved to be a good place to be to provide easier ski in/ski out access to the chalet that the cautious intermediates could tackle - from the village, take the Rogoney chair then a green traverse joins in at the bottom of the red Piste "M" from which the Legettez chalets can be accessed. Some of us skiied the blue Santons on the first day. After skiing around the carnage on that run we were relieved we were not staying in a supposedly ski in/out chalet off that run - our cautious intermediates would have never survived!

  Four of our party skied with Ski Club rep Andy on the Tuesday which was his FreshTracks day. They had the day of their lives - it had snowed the previous day and they spent most of the day off piste, skiing pretty much the whole Espace Killy area, only missing out Le Fornet. The day was more than worth the Ski Club subscription - thanks Andy.

  Our beginner had private lessons with The Development Centre which were highly rated. The intermediates tried both TDC and Mountain Masters.

  Finally, most of us will definitely be making another visit to Val d'Isere. The ski area is amazing for those skiers strong enough to really make the most of it.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (02 December 2007)

  We went to Val d'Isere twice last winter and both times had great snow despite the fact that it was supposed to be the worst season in years. Also, didn't hear one word about "Mal d'Isere". I think they have finally sorted out whatever caused it as there was no trace or mention of it.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (26 September 2007)

  I've just booked up for my third visit to Val D'Isere at New Year and we are staying at the Tsanteleina. We went over Christmas last year and stayed at the Savoyarde: great food. Val is a great resort and it is worth risking a dose of 'Mal D'Isere' for the skiing and everything else associated with the place!

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (25 July 2007)

  I loved Val d'Isere when I went. Despite it being Easter time, the snow conditions were fantastic on all but the La Daille slopes at the end of the day. I was lucky enough to have blue skies most days too. The ski area is huge, connected with Tignes to give 300km of piste, ideally suited to intermediates and advanced skiers, though there are beginner slopes. My favourite runs were the Sache, Face, 3000 and Paquerettes (from the top of Toviere).

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (23 June 2007)

  I thought it was an excellent resort. I went in the earlier part of last winter when there were some poor conditions in the Alps, but found that most of the pistes were in excellent condition with only a few being icy. Easy to avoid lift queues as well.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (01 May 2007)

  1st visit to Val 21st - 28th April. Couldn't believe the quality of the skiing considering the date and scorching sunshine. Our first day was just about perfect, subsequently it did get porridgy at lunchtime but with two glaciers to play with there was still good skiing to be found. Amazed that it was still possible to ski down to resort at the end of the week.

  We opted for ski coaching via the Spring Clinic offered by The Development Centre. The tuition was superb and really improved our technique and I would highly recommend them to anyone wishing to improve their technique and confidence. They have a very small maximum group size and my boyfriend and I actually had an instructor all to ourselves for the first 3 days before being joined by one other skier. They have an excellent website.

  The skiing and the resort were spectacular, by far the best we have been to. It really is a quality place. We stayed in Pierre & Vacances apartments in La Daille which was a bit of a revelation. Having steeled ourselves for a hideous satellite village it was much more attractive than expected and really is the best launching point for the Espace Killy with a funicular, chairlift and bubble 250m away. There is a Spar shop and a cluster of nice restaurants in La Daille but the brilliant free "Train Rouge" bus service means that there is no need to miss out on the delights of central Val which lie an easy 15-20 min walk away even if you are feeling lazy or there is a blizzard blowing. Another advantage with La Daille is that the apartments are set back from the road and are very quiet at night whereas I can imagine that in peak season the streets in the centre can be very noisy. Self catering also helped keep the costs down and it was no hardship having a few beers while soaking up the sun in t-shirts on the balcony.

  The central Spar does a daily freshly cooked take-out main course which always looked fantastic: whereas in England this woud be chilli or pizza; in Val d'Isere a typical offering was Rabbit in a mustard and white wine cream sauce.

  We liked the Pacific bar which has loads of screens showing sport. We requested and watched a Hull Kingston Rovers v Huddersfield Giants Rugby League game on one of them, much to the disgust of the shandy drinking southerners with crap trendy facial hair at the next table. Although Val d'Isere is also known as Val de Sloane Square, with the exception of these idiots we found it a friendly welcoming place, even for those of us more accustomed to clogs and whippets than Ugg boots and Shi-Tzus.

  Chin- chin!

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (26 April 2007)

  Just came back from end of season trip to Val.

  1. No sign of gastro whatever that other people have mentioned.(recommend next time you stay with Snowline and get a decent cook and proper drinking facilities).

  2. Stop moaning about the weather. Its a mountain, therefore unpredictable.

  3. Val itself for drinks and food was however extortionate. £5 for a pint of lager. Then again, if you want a pint of lager then they've got you by the balls?!! Unless you go to local store and get your own.

  4. In our group we were mainly snowboarders. Found Val to be geared for skiers. Lots of mogul runs that you lovely skiers adore.

  5. Went into linked resort Tignes (only 10 extra euros). Snowboarders paradise. Cruisy runs and a great snowpark.

  6. Downside for Tignes - As soon as you reach the resort at the bottom of the slope there was a strong smell of 2000 people using the toilet after a bad curry?!!?

  7. Or is that a GOOD curry?

  8. Summarize. Val... Well off skiers.

  9. Tignes... Snowboarders.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (29 March 2007)

  Had an amazing week (Christmas 2006) in Val.

  Aside from the skiing, we found many other ways to entertain ourselves from swimming in the large (free with lift pass) village swimming pool to having a few drinks in Morris Bar and Dicks Tea Bar.

  Some bars were more expensive than others, but most had special offer nights and great bands on.

  So much to do in Val other than skiing if you're having to go early or late in the season.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (22 March 2007)

  We had a great weeks skiing in Val D'Isere this year. We stayed at Hotel Tsanteleina which I would thoroughly recommend. Rather than the usual 4-6 hour ski bus from Lyon airport, we booked Globespan flights to Chambrey and arranged private transfers to and from Val D'Isere.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Eric Eisenhandler (09 March 2007)

  I was in Val d'Isere from 23 Feb. to 4 Mar. 2007. I arrived two days early for a Ski Club holiday (via altibus.com from Geneva airport) so I first stayed at the Auberge St. Hubert in the town centre, then moved to Mark Warner's Chalet/Hotel Toviere in La Daille for the holiday. It wasn't easy to find somewhere to stay in February that didn't require a full-week booking. St. Hubert was a little more expensive, but was friendly and the mandatory half-board was excellent, with very good dinners, breakfasts and even free tea and cake after skiing. The Toviere was pleasant, very close to the La Daille lifts, with friendly and helpful staff.

  We had a strange week - snow had been lacking, but then it snowed most days and nights during our stay so we had very little sun, lots of high winds (up to 150 km/h) high on the mountains, bad visibility, and near the end maximum avalanche danger. The upper reaches of the all the mountains can be very unpleasant places in a blizzard!

  Our guides managed to keep most of us skiing and very happy - many thanks to Elizabeth, Patrick, Serge, Cathy and Remy.

  Since I was last in Val, many years ago, the lift system - already quite good - has been further upgraded, with numerous 6 and 8 person chairlifts and the excellent Olympique going up Bellevarde. There were a few queues, though not horrendous, on the some of the bottom lifts, especially when high winds closed other ways to get up.

  As everyone says, Val has slightly "odd" piste classification. Greens with moguls, blues that should be reds, etc. But it's a very varied area, and in good conditions the off-piste is limitless.

  We had some excellent lunches, at Chez Paolo at the Rond Point des Pistes, l'Arolay in Le Fornet, Trifollet on La Daille and Le Levanna in Tignes Lac. I especially single out Les Tufs upstairs in La Daille for its mind-blowing buffet (as much as you want of soup, salad, charcuterie, main course, cheese, dessert) - great quality at the price (15.50 euros) of most places' plat du jour, and since it's a buffet it doesn't take ages to get the food.

  Val has finally embraced the hands-free lift-pass, and maybe it was worth waiting. If you follow their advice and put it in a left-hand pocket without other metal it works wonderfully (though they still don't bother checking at most lifts once you are up on the mountain). At other resorts these can be a bit hit and miss, and you see people wriggling around the gates, but at Val it seemed infallible.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (17 January 2007)

  I was in Val d'Isere over New Year and despite rain at the beginning of the week, we had awesome snow. We even skied powder with a guide towards the end.

  Seeing Bryan Flynn's report I'm glad he enjoyed flying into Chambery - in 2004 we flew in ok but when we were due to fly out, the plane had to take off empty and we had to be bussed to Lyon to meet it there and then flew home. Apparently this happens quite often - no thanks. This time we flew into Grenoble which was brilliant - in and out quickly in both directions.

  The new ski pass is great but does have its drawbacks. It has to be in a pocket on the left and can't be near a digital camera or phone. It's quite flimsy and you don't want to lose it as although the replacement fee is only Euros 10 you have to wait until the next day to get it so if you lose it in the morning you have to pay for a day ticket for that day.

  We didn't hear of anyone being ill. Everybody we met told me there's no longer any problem of upset stomachs in the resort, if ever there was. Apparently, they've changed the water chlorine system, made all the mountain restaurants improve their water. Something certainly seems to have made a difference and we'll be back asap.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Brian Flynn (17 December 2006)

  Cracking week in Val starting 9 December 2006. Very lucky - little snow the week before but a big dump overnight before we arrived gave just enough to see the week out. It's the third week I've spent in Val over the past 12 months, and pretty much every day has seen blue sky. The breathtaking views from the Pissaillas and La Grande Motte in linked Tignes are worth the journey alone. Both also all but guarantee some decent skiing even when there's little new powder around.

  Some observations from my trips:

  1. Flying to Chambery is so much easier than via Geneva or Lyons. First, it is only two hours away rather than twice that, which makes a hell of a difference. It enabled me to ski on the Saturday afternoon when I arrived, for starters, and I also got there far less exhausted given that transfer on package holidays is invariably by cramped coach. Second, it's only a small airport so there has been less chaos (and fewer lost/delayed bags)! There is far less stress involved, and the queues at check-in etc are smaller.

  2. Had a very bad experience with Snow Fun ski school. However, changed to Evolution 2 ski school and had great group lessons with charming, competent English-speaking teacher. I think I was paying more attention than the girls in the (small) group, though. They seemed to go all dreamy around him for some reason...

  3. Have stayed twice at Le Fjord chalet. The food is excellent and both times the staff have worked hard to make the stay very pleasant. It's a relatively cheap chalet with a sauna but no hot tub etc, but would readily stay there again.

  4. Have been both high and low season, and it seems there's no such thing as a queue at the ski lift. A 30-second wait at the Bellevarde Express is about the worst I've experienced. The switch to the new automatic card system this year should make it even easier.

  5. The only problem I could foresee from my last visit was that none of the black runs were open. I'm only an intermediate, but I can imagine it would frustrate better skiers. That said, they seemed to be having plenty of fun playing in the off-piste powder.

  6. One more thing: the Verte run is NOT a green. No way. My guess is that it is graded green on the piste map to give a green run back to the resort. However, it's a blue at best and when it ices up (which it does quite a lot in the afternoon with people heading back to the village) it can be more like a treacherous red. I've yet to meet anyone, regardless of their ability, who considers it a fair green. It can be terrifying even for an intermediate to get near the end and look over the edge to find a relatively steep gradient into town, ski-ed off and icy with barely anywhere to find an edge!

  7. There are usually two Ski Club reps in town, which makes it much likelier on any day that one of them will be leading a group of the right level for you. Never had anything but a great experience with the reps I've had, and we've met plenty of great people to ski with by joining the groups (and sharing the 'occasional' beverage with them of an evening!)

  8. I've never had any experience of the bug in my three visits, and nor has anyone I've either gone with or met. It sounds nasty, but don't let it put you off. If it was that pandemic I'd have come across someone who had suffered it. I'm not trying to belittle it, merely to put it into context.

  All in all, if you are thinking of heading to Val d'Isere for a holiday then don't hesitate any longer. Book up now. We love it, we'll be back as soon as we can get some time off, and I'm sure you will love it too.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (01 December 2006)

  3 out of 8 of us got very ill on the final night of our holiday, which made the journey back very challenging. All of us needed a week off work to recover. Two years before that a group of five got it for the whole week and only one toilet! The only ones of us that got ill drank the tap water rather that bottled. more than chance...

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (28 November 2006)

  I love Val and have been approximately 8 times in the last 3 seasons. It is great for night life and red/black runs as well as off piste and all the other attractions an intermediate-advanced skier could hope for. It is probably not the best resort for beginners but there is still plenty to offer for them. The atmosphere is fantastic and there is a good mix of people. All in all an excellent resort. By the way, I have never caught the gastro bug and neither has any of my friends/family.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Ski Club of Great Britain (26 September 2006)

  We had a lot of feedback last winter from skiers who were affected by Gastroenteritis in Val d'Isere, examples of which can be seen below. Val d'Isere Town Council has taken some positive steps to put an end to the rumours and to take greater control of future outbreaks by producing an educational pamphlet

  Val d'Isere Town Council stress that Gastroenteritis does not just happen in Val d'Isere. The majority of Gastroenteritis cases in Val d'Isere are of viral origin that develop during cold periods. To dispel the rumours that the Gastroenteritis is caused by the water in Val d'Isere, the Town Council have strict procedures for analysing the water and the results are posted in front of the Town Hall.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• James Tyler (23 April 2006)

  Stayed at Barmes De L'Ours. Super hotel, very convenient for the Face side, just a little less so for Solaise, but no need to use buses! Great food, characteful accomodation, very friendly staff. I just wanted to say a quick word about the ski school we used. My wife is a near beginner, and I am fairly advanced, and we booked Paul and Colin from The Development Centre. Do not let the small size of this operation put you off. These guys are instructors to the instructors, and I cannot begin to describe how good they are and how much they have advanced our skiing in only 2 days. They are enthusiastic, and do not succumb to the typical instructor's temptation with an advanced skier, of just skiing off fast ahead, and hoping you keep up. Paul always had lots of tips, given in a fun way, given regularly. He got me over my fear of deep powder and took me off piste into some spectacular hidden bowls with virgin powder, all safely (with transponders etc), and is fully qualified to do so. I wholeheartedly recommend these guys....

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• graham plant (19 April 2006)

  Regarding the Val d’Isere “Gastro-Bug”; we have just returned, three out of four party members got it, my wife for the 2nd time this year. Symptoms include marked nausea, sometimes with dizziness, vomiting, diarrhoea that may be watery and uncontrollable and severe abdominal cramps. Val has had a reputation for a D & V bug for many years, but it seems to be much more common for at least the last three. Some people blame the water, some blame hygiene. The Mayor’s Office/Tourist Office has sent out a letter to all holiday companies saying that the water has been tested and no pathogens found. A copy of the report on the testing is posted outside the Tourist Office. They suggest that a similar bug has swept Europe and general hygiene measures need to be implemented generally and whenever a case occurs. The kinds of measures include careful hand washing, using paper towels in washrooms instead of cloth towels etc. These are the kinds of measures which hospitals put in place when they have attacks of similar bugs such as the Norwalk virus. It would be interesting to know if similar episodes occur in other resorts, perhaps the Ski Club could conduct a survey of their Reps? One operator told me that there is no difference between Val & Courcheval, however without objective evidence it’s hard to know if the authorities in Val are ignoring/trying to suppress news of the problem or if there really is a widespread epidemic. Clearly it is not in the interests of resorts to suddenly put their heads above the parapet and announce that they have a problem, but equally its not in anyone’s interest for there to be an epidemic in holidaymakers, nor in the locals or resort staff. I think this is only likely to be sorted out by external agencies who can produce an evidence base, it probably doesn’t need a sensationalistic press response, however those of us who love skiing in Val, (and in other resorts) would like to know the truth, ideally from an independent source. In the meantime if, like us, you are going to Val (or Tignes) to enjoy the excellent late season snow, you might consider taking extra care of hygiene, particularly if anyone in your party does get the bug, and perhaps in the words of the Tom Lehrer song “Don’t drink the water, (and don’t breathe the air!)”

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Christopher G (12 April 2006)

  Am a big fan of Val d'Isere - fun place to be and the best skiing I have seen in the Alps makes it the best resort all round that I have been to. BUT, I have to concur with all those who are discussing the stomach bug there. I went twice this season and 1/2 the chalet fell ill on both visits; I caught the virus properly after returning home the second time & it is very unpleasant. It is clear that something is up and there is not much candour about it. If you decide to go beware; much as I love Val d'Isere I shall be stearing clear until I get feedback that going there is not running a 50% risk of catching a nasty stomach bug.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Jayne McClelland (11 April 2006)

  We booked a last minute deal for the first week in April with Mark Warner and got the deal at half price. We stayed in the Chalet Hotel Toviere in La Daille. The standard of rooms leaves something to be desired, however, after a few days you seem to forget about this. The staff were excellent, couldn't do enough for you and the food was out of this world. The location was great just across the road from the Funival, chairlift (which we never used as it looked extremely slow), and the La Daille Bubble. These took you straight up to the ski area. As others have said the ski-ing is fantastic, you rarely have to ski one run more than twice. I would also stress that I thought the grading was more severe in Val D'Isere than other resorts we have visited. We had such a good breakfast that we rarely ate anything at lunch time but on the couple of occasions that we did we found the food on the mountain to be very good. OK it's expensive but no more than other resorts, in fact we thought it cheaper than Courcheval. Didn't really do the apres ski, however, we used to stop at the restaurant at the the top of the La Daille bubble every afternoon at about 4ish. They have a band that plays on the roof you could hear from miles away! There was always a good crowd and the atmosphere was great. We then used to come down in the bubble as all the runs back to resort got very slushy and mogully at the end of the day. All in all we had a great time and can't wait to go back again.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Nicola Wells (26 March 2006)

  Loved the resort - unbeatable snow and the nightlife was great. Will definitely return. Particularly recommend Le Petit Danois for excellent food, friendly service at reasonable prices. The restaurant is tiny, so booking is advisable. The bar there was pretty lively, too. We ate at Le Canyon three times - again excellent, and also has a cosy bar downstairs. Great atmosphere at Cafe Face later on.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Paul Draycott (20 March 2006)

  We spent 9 day over New Year 2005/06 in the Esprit Chalet Hotel Ducs de Savoie. Only the 2nd time for us in a chalet but would recommend it. Food was good almost excellent, accomodation was fine, staff were helpful. Flew into Chambery which is v. convenient, only 2hrs by private transfer, 2.5hrs on the coach, but wouldn't recommend Air Malta (!) from Birmingham - delays at both ends. As for Val ... well in my opinion its as good as it gets in the Alps for skiing. Yes, some runs aren't graded correctly but didn't bother my wife, 7 and 9 year olds who were on their 2nd week of skiing. a pricey resort in terms of drinks, lunches ... but it IS Val d'Isere so wouldn't expect anything else ! Ski school ... kids had a great time in Evolution, and the wife had private lessons from the Development Centre who (despite the price) I couldn't recommend highly enough. They are all English guys who really know their stuff. Ski hire - very friendly In Precision - apparently you should book online for the best deals ... I didn't !! Will definitely be going back next New Year !

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• john keane (24 February 2006)

  8 of us spent a great week skiing in Val D'Isere from the 4th Feb. I had not snowed in awhile but the skiing was still very enjoyable. However what has transpired since our return to Ireland in relation to our security deposit on the apartment has left a very bad taste. Val D'Isere Agence have refused to return our deposit on the basis that we damaged the front door to the block of apartments we stayed at! They contend that we broke the keypad on the front door, the fact that we never had to use the keypad as it was broken when we arrived or that there were many others staying there does not seem to enter the equation. Our €500 deposit is not being returned! We are of course dumbfounded. Be warned do not rent apartments/chalets from Val D'Isere Agence. I have since discovered that we are not the only people who have been ripped off in this manner. Be warned! The French seem to be very friendly taking your money but very slow to give it back, I'll be skiing in Austria and Switzerland from now on.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Dick Welsh (02 February 2006)

  Just returned from a great week (28 Jan 06) Val D'Isere is a fantastic resort. Ski area and piste preparation was superb. Difficult runs back into resort but that only adds to the apres ski banter. Our problem was Chalet hotel Moris run by Mark Warner - an absolute dump of a building run by a team of staff who are trying their best - superb food and service but seriously substandard accommodation. Do not book it until it has been completely rebuilt.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Russell (19 January 2006)

  Got back from Val on the 14th Jan 06 following a great weeks skiing, no fresh snow but credit to the piste bashers who were working hard to keep the place in very good nick , great conditions in the morning, but a little icy on the slopes back down to resort in the afternoon. I took part in one the their Development centre clinics - definitely worth a go, my skiing has significantly improved. A great resort will be going back.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Michael Scott (06 December 2005)

  I have just returned from Val d'Isere from what should have been a great weekend. Unfortunately it was spoilt by French bureaucracy and inefficiency. It opened a week late and waited till a Saturday even though we were there on Friday in thick snow .Then there was only one run open- this was so packed with skiers of such mixed ability that it was positively dangerous.There was plenty of snow but no lifts operational to take you there.The one run was then closed to prepare it for the mens downhill meaning we had to travel to Tignes (the liaison not being open).We then waited over half an hour for our expensive lift passes to be validated watching the lift queues mount. The snow in Tignes was great but I will certainly think twice about going to Val early in the season if at all. To cap it all we booked a table for a large group at restaurant only to find it too closed when we got there.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Philip Oakenfold (16 January 2005)

  Having just returned from Val d'Isere on Jan 15 I would like to add a few coments. Firstly I had a thoroughly enjoyable holiday and would return there. What added to my enjoyment beyond the excellent skiing- if a little icy- was the pleasant and genuinely friendly nature of all the French people I met, be it in my hotel, in shops,lift staff or anywhere else. My only real niggle was the cost of eating and drinking out which I found to be expensive even by Alpine standards and taking into account the exchange rate.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Andrew Cannon (11 January 2005)

  Val d'Isere has such variety that everyone can be kept happy. Plenty of easy green & blue runs for those that don't want anything too challenging, superb English speaking ski schools that cater for all abilities (especially children), and plenty of challenging runs and off-piste for the adventurous skier. The resort is reasonably picturesque, and there are some excellent restaurants catering for all tastes.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• John Fox (10 January 2005)

  Just been back to Val after a break of 10 years or so. I still love the place, but went with a mixed group of skiers this time and the 1 and 2 weekers found it difficult, too difficult really. Nearly every run we went on had a difficult bit, albeit only 100 yards or so, but for in-experienced skiers this proved a porblem. And as the others say it is expensive, a beer in the Morris Pub was about £6 after happy hour.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Rachel Bowen (07 January 2005)

  I have just returned from a fantastic week in Val D'isere. If you want expert tuition, I would recommend without hesitation The Development Centre. You will be treated to small classes (no more than 6) and expert guidance. They spot every little error and help you to develop your style with the use of video if necessary. The lessons are fun and very worthwhile, old my old habits were quickly ironed out. One of the instructors from Evolution 2 said to me, if you can afford to pay a bit extra, they are the best! Praise indeed.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Stefan Lindemann (10 December 2004)

  I've spent a week in Val d'Isere and experienced some of the best skiing in my life. Racing down 1000 vertical metres of uninterrupted, wide, red to black powder snow piste and taking the funicular all the way back up in just 4 minutes is pure luxury. Can anyone ask for more? The first thing that struck me was the size of the place. Even in a whole week I didn't have the chance to try out all pistes. What I found irritating though were the many long green runs you have to take if you want to connect to the top rated pistes, wasting valuable ski pass time. The resort certainly isn't cheap. I went on a 450 pound all inclusive package and the accommodation was a little hostel with only enough warm water in the shower for one person. In Austria this would have bought me a 4 star Hotel.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Lindsay Buchan (17 September 2004)

  I just saw on the club website that Val D'Isere isn't recommended for gourmets! I was last there about five seasons ago with my wife and two friends. We all enjoy our food, and two are definitely gourmets or gourmands, and I can say without a doubt that the food we ate on the mountains around val D'Isere was the best (not the cheapest) I've eaten anywhere. Some of the mountain restaurants (I've forgotten what they were called of course) were absolutely superb, but do have to be booked in advance!

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Duncan Corps (29 April 2004)

  A couple of hints for novice skiers from me, a novice skier! First of all, don't buy a lift pass until you need it! There are many lifts for short easy runs which are free. You won't need a lift pass until you decide to go up a mountain. Second, many runs are undergraded. I enjoyed the green Verte run but; * There's a short 'red' slope from the lifts down to the runs * There are 'red' areas on the run So, don't think about going up the mountain- even for those 'green' runs- unless you're comfortable on red runs. Finally, we stayed in a hotel in La Daille. This village has a very quick and easy train up (through!) the mountian, and a free bus connects it to Val D'Isere. Our boots and skis were hired from Precision Ski (http://www.precision-ski.com/) and I think they did a good job. They even did a talk about skis and boots at our hotel!

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Roz Johnston (29 March 2004)

  Our party comprised novice & intermediate level skiers and Val offered plenty of serious terrain to meet all our requirements. Although I don't want to dis the competition, look no further than the "Development Centre," for ski school. Situated in the Precision Ski shop and managed by 6 British lads, its teaching philosophy is revolutionary, professional and very effective. Bars & restaurants were plentiful. Locals were very friendly & welcoming. We had a fantastic holiday & will return next year.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Jill Gildersleve (25 February 2004)

  Feb 2004 We have just enjoyed a wonderful week in Val d'isere.Blue skies and sun for much of the week. We drove to the resort and found access to the village surprisingly easy. Pierre et Vacances apartments were comfortable and provided a good leisure area for kids and adults and an outdoor swimming pool for those among brave enough to take a dip. The runs are truly wonderful particularly the reds from the glacier. The lift system is comprehensive and efficient,queues were rarely a problem. Despite being half term, there was not a feeling of the resort being overcrowded except on lower slopes at the end of the day. Our only critiscism was the ESF. The kids classes were overcrowded with some fairly grumpy instructors. My son was in a class of 30 mostly French speaking kids to one instructor in his goldstar class and really didn't feel he had any decent instruction some friends kids had similar experience. For our daughter however, as she hates ski school and until this year has had huge confidence problems, we booked with the British Alpine ski school who were fantastic. Not only is the instruction excellent but the kids have loads of fun.We will definitely be booking with them next year. All in all a great holiday. We will certainly be returning to val d'isere

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Colin Coulthard (01 September 2003)

  My first visit to Val d'Isere was last year(feb 2003), and to be honest I came to it a bit prejudiced, I'd just come back from Whistler with a friend who had spent the whole time going on about how good a resort that Val was, and I had only booked to go to Val through an internet last minute deal when a planned holiday to St Anton fell through. Well all I can say to those who were on the sharp end of my sceptism before I went there, all the people that I hade taken the mick out of for being too posh and not really into skiing for choosing Val as their favourite resort, is "I'm sorry, I was wrong!" I've been skiing for twenty years now, and generally don't go back to the same resort twice, however for Val d'Isere I shall be making an exception, the on-piste skiing being some of the most interesting and varied in beautiful surroundings that I have ever experienced. The Face and the Sache being two particular favourites. Unfortunately there had not been any fresh snow for a while when I had been there, so I was not able to try any of the famous off piste, something that I hope to rectify in the coming winter season. As for the resort itself I went with Mark Warner and stayed in the Chalethotel Moris (above the pub), although the service from the staff was excellent as was the food, the accomodation itself did leave something to be required, although it was at the budget end of the spectrum. For night life the Moris Pub, La Petit Dainoise, and Dicks were more than adequate for the Apres, and surprisingly for a ski resort had a fair number of girls in them as well! All I can say to anyone who is an Intermediate level skier and above and who is wondering what all the fuss is about is get to Val and experience it for yourself.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Jane Lee (22 April 2002)

  This is feedback from a little kids point of view. Very child friendly. Most lifts are chair lifts, well attended with someone to help, or to slow the lift down as necessary. Cable cars were no problem and all attendents were happy to have a tiny helper watching the controls. The t-bar on the glacier was an excellent starting lift, very slow, someone to help and not too many downhill stretches. The favourite run was the natural halfpipe under Borsat Express and it's extension going down from here to the Tommeuses chairs. The top of the green from Borsat Express is undergraded, generally windy and very cold it's a very steep mogul field and would be red in many places, but the combination of this with the gully and the long runs makes for exciting skiing for kids. An other favourite was Santons, treated as a half pipe. This suffered bady from skiers showing off, skiing too fast down the centre, ignoring the little kids sking from side to side. These were never the good skiers, they were on 'Face', but the fast skiers, not quite in control. The run out at the end was quite tricky, very corrugated and I regularly had to collect tiny skis and sticks after my son had taken off. A surprising run the kids enjoyed was piste M, very narrow and bumpy, not often in good condition, with the very steep 'Plan' run to cover first, this became their after lunch favourite. Watching the stretchers go down was an interesting activity. We tried the runs to La Daille, the green was slushy at 10am, and no fun at all. OK was not open all the way, but it was a 'must' on my older son's list, so we did what we could, but it was more mud and slush than snow. The day trip to Le Fornet, using the buses and changing at Solaise was well enjoyed and easy, buses ran every few minutes whatever time of day. The first day we skied in the sun on the Glacier where the rest of Val was in cloud. This was the only sun in the week. It was not a resort for ice creams, they were very rare to find, and even then were in poor condition. We were surprised not to find pizza much, but ham and chips were a very popular lunch. All mountain restaurants seemed to be good, nothing was full, and we were there in the English school holidays, on the week after Easter. All has easily accessible toilets, the better ones were 30 or 40 cents, but tinies went for free. There was even room to sit inside on the very bad days. This trip provided about my worst day's skiing, with a warm sand storm, but a small amount of snow cover the next day covered up much of the yellow top, and gave us back a surface that would slide rather than bring the skis to an abrupt halt.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.

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