Snow advisory updated Wednesday 9th July at noon Sydney time: Expect further snow for the Victorian Alps and Snowy Mountains accompanied by blizzard conditions at times. Snow settling to increasingly low levels. The worst of the the weather will be on Wednesday and Thursday. Clearing from the west in time for the weekend with just a few light showers affecting the Snowy Mountains on Saturday. Snow continuing to affect large areas of the Boland Mountain ranges in Western Cape, South Africa. Conditions easing on Thursday.

Val d'Isere, France

Resort Info	Webcams	Snow Report	Historical Snow	Current Weather	Resort Reviews
6 Day Forecast (free) top: 3550m mid: 2700m bot: 1850m	2 Day Detail (subscribers) top: 3550m mid: 2700m bot: 1850m	9 Day Forecast (subscribers) top: 3550m mid: 2700m bot: 1850m	Piste Map	Weather Maps	Snowfinder

Val d'Isere, in the Savoie area of France, is a colourful winter sports haven that began as a farm community in the years BC. It is the better-known part of Espace Killy. The huge skiing domain, shares itself with, purpose-built, Tignes. The area is named for Olympic hero Jean-Claude Killy, who grew up in Val d'Isere. The charming village finds its 1,800 residents outnumbered 15 to one by guests in winter. Espace Killy has 300 kilometres of maintained slopes cut through vast snowfields that stretch to the horizon. Ninetynine lifts can move more than 135,000 skiers an hour, uphill. Much of the terrain is ideal for cruisers, but there are many opportunities for snowboarders and powder skiers to show their stuff. A lot of skiers accept the challenge of the Bellevarde downhill, designed for the 1992 Olympics. Some parts of the 915 metre drop have a 63 percent angle and running it earns bragging rights in the lively apres-ski scene.

Resorts close to Val d'Isere include: Tignes (4 km), Bonneval sur Arc (12 km), Bessans Val D'Arc (15 km), Sainte Foy (16 km), Villaroger (16 km),

	Trails (Pistes): 124	Halfpipes: 1
	Summit: 3550 m	Toplift: m
	Beg: 60% Int: 30% Adv: 10%	Terrain Parks: 1
	Vertical Drop: 1700 m	X-Country: 44 km
	Lifts: 50 (24 chair lifts, 21 surface lifts)	Snowmaking: 15%
	Gondolas / Cable Cars: 6	Slopeside accom.: Y
	Restaurants: 70	Acres of ski: 2471
	Bars: 10	Nearest Airport: Geneva
	Nearest Train: Bourg St Maurice	Info phone : +33479060660 \| Val d'Isere Resort Info Website

Visitor Reviews of Val d'Isere

ben from UNITED KINGDOM writes:

Had a week in Val over New Year, my first visit there after about 10 years of returning time and again to the 3 Valleys (3V). Like millions of other Brits, I guess. But having heard so much about EK being the best ski area in the world, I wanted to compare and contrast with 3V.

So how do the two areas compare? Purely a personal view of course, from an experienced intermediate who enjoys fast reds, a few mild blacks, and will dabble cautiously with a bit of off-piste. I would rate the pros and cons as follows:
1) Far better and easier off-piste opportunities in Espace K.
2) For long cruising blues and reds, 3 Valleys has many more satisfying long runs (few runs in EK to compare with Mont Vallon or Creux, for example).
3) 3V is much better for treeline ski-ing (important when visibility is poor).
4) Much better ski in/out convenience in many 3V resorts than in Val (Tignes is better I guess). One you are up on the mountain you really don't want to be going all the way down again to Val for a lunchstop, unlike say Courchevel or Val Thorens. And for beginners/early intermediates, most of the runs back home are a real pig!
5) EK is considerably higher on average than 3V and therefore generally more reliable snow (a factor with global warming...). It was a pleasure not to have to endure the slush and ice of Meribel this year!
6) EK just can't match the feeling you get in 3V of so many interesting and challenging journeys to take, via so many different routes from one valley to another. Not a fair comparison perhaps, as EK is half the size....
7) Not scientific, but my gut feeling was that most prices in mountain restaurants etc. are significantly cheaper in EK than 3V. Can't speak for the bars in town, never had the energy to drag myself down there.....

So on balance for me, 3V has it by a short head. But for any confirmed 3V addicts like me, do give EK a try - if only to remind yourself what you are missing!

Ben

2004-01-11

Click here to read 26 more reviews or submit your own