Val d'Isere Luxury Ski Resort

Luxury chalets and hotels in Val d'Isere rival any other ski resorts throughout the world. With such an abundance of exclusive ski chalets, Val d'Isere is one of the most popular European destinations to take a ski vacation....chalet holidays are what Val d'Isere is all about!

Considered by many to be the world’s premier luxury ski resort, Val d’Isère is hard to fault, offering some of the best skiing anywhere together with exciting and lively après ski. The village dates back to the 13th century and the Espace Killy has 97 ski-lifts whisking you in all directions up to heights of over 3500m, including the Le Fornet glacier, guaranteeing snow.

Val d’Isère, situated at the head of the Tarentaise Valley, induces a level of passionate commitment among its devotees that is unequalled elsewhere. Together with neighbouring Tignes, it forms a rugged, boundary-free, snow-sure playground that is marketed as L’Espace Killy. Two reasons for Val’s appeal are apparent: firstly, its altitude and micro-climate ensure that skiing is possible from the beginning of December until early May. Secondly, its off-piste terrain is some of the most enjoyable, demanding and easily lift-accessed of any in Europe.

The quality of the skiing in the area is so varied and demanding that it has raised a whole generation of international experts who never ski anywhere else. Val d’Isère alone has eight major points of mountain access, including a high-speed underground funicular. A giant gondola, with 30-person cabins, from the village to the top of Bellevarde provides the speediest way of reaching most of the skiing.

In the 2003–4 season the six-person Lessières Express lift replaced the ancient double-chair, up-and-over link between Solaise and L’Iseran. Another important innovation in recent seasons has been the upgrade of the Tommeuse and Fresse chairs to high-speed detachables. These provide the important all-weather links to Tignes. Together with other modern lifts, including the Glacier Express, it is now perfectly feasible to ski the entire length of the area, from Le Fornet to Tignes and back in a single morning.

You don’t have to be an expert to ski here, but you do need to be prepared for an alternative standard of piste-marking. Green means blue elsewhere. A ‘benign’ red would be classified as a black throughout Italy or Austria. The resort has good – and free – nursery slopes right in the centre of the village.