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Val Thorens Resort Reviews

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Visitor reviews for Val Thorens Ski Resort

Val Thorens Ratings

Overall: 4.3. Based on 59 votes and 41 reviews. Vote

Snowsure: 4.8

(1) Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing, (2) is often closed due to a lack of snow, (3) occasionally suffers from a lack of snow, (4) rarely suffers from a lack of snow, (5) Val Thorens is snowsure even in the poorest seasons.

Variety of pistes: 4.6

(1) The ski runs are featureless and unvaried, (3) the ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week, (5) Val Thorens has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain.

Off-piste: 4.5

(1) No off-piste worth mentioning, (2) off piste is out-of-bounds, (3) some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days, (5) a vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days.

Scenery: 4.1

(1) An ugly resort in a bland setting, (3) average mountain views and resort, (5) a spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town.

Access: 3.9

(1) At least one overnight stop, (2) requires a whole day, (3) requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns (4) arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon, (5) there is a main airport within an hour of Val Thorens.

Public Transport: 4.3

(1) There are no buses or taxis to Val Thorens, (3) there are slow or infrequent buses / trains available, (5) getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections.

Accommodation: 4.7

(1) No places to stay in/near Val Thorens, (3) a few places to stay in the resort, (5) a wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets.

Cheap Rooms: 3.7

(1) No budget accommodation available, (3) just one or two hostels so book ahead, (5) several cheap hostels and pensions available.

Luxury Hotels: 4.7

(1) No luxury accommodation available, (3) just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead, (5) several up-market hotels in Val Thorens.

Ski in/Ski out: 4.8

(1) The ski area is located far from any accommodation, (3) a free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip, (5) Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available.

Childcare: 4.3

(1) There are no child care facilities at Val Thorens, (5) the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche.

Snowmaking: 4.3

(1) Val Thorens relies entirely on natural snow, (3) there are just a few snow cannons, (5) there are snowmaking facilities on all pistes.

Snow Grooming: 4.4

(1) There are no snow groomers at Val Thorens, (3) occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state, (5) all the runs at Val Thorens are groomed daily.

Shelter: 3.1

(1) there is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut, (3) there are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close, (5) Val Thorens is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close.

Nearby options: 4.3

(1) If snow conditions are poor at Val Thorens, it will be poor everywhere nearby, (3) there are good alternatives within an hours drive, (5) other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions.

Regional rating: 4.8

(1) Val Thorens usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region, (3) has average conditions for the region, (5) usually has the best snow conditions in the region.

Lift Staff: 4.3

(1) The staff at Val Thorens are rude or unhelpful, (5) lift staff at Val Thorens are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help.

Crowds/Queues: 3.9

(1) the resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues, (3) it is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays, (5) it is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare.

Ski Schools: 4.7

(1) No ski schools available, (2) one or two ski schools but local language only, (3) a few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors, (4) plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available, (5) excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors.

Hire and Repairs: 4.8

(1) Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex. (3) there are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance, (5) good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible.

Beginners: 4.3

(1) Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard, (3) a few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week, (3) Vast areas of gentle terrain.

Intermediates: 4.8

(1) No intermediate terrain at Val Thorens, (3) intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days, (5) vast areas of cruising runs.

Advanced: 4.8

(1) Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders, (3) enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste, (5) Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week.

Snow Park: 4.4

(1) Not even a kicker at Val Thorens, (3) average sized park quite well looked after, (5) huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails.

Cross-country: 3.1

(1) There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Val Thorens, (3) there are some cross country trails available, (5) the area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails.

Luge/Toboggan: 4.5

(1) No designated luge or toboggan runs, (3) there are toboggan runs that open quite often, (5) Val Thorens has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages.

Mountain Dining: 4.5

(1) Nowhere to buy food by the pistes, (3) some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive, (5) there is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets.

Eating: 4.6

(1) Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop. (5) A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants.

Apres-Ski: 4.7

(1) Nothing to do, not even a bar, (3) there are a few bars in the resort but nothing special, (5) clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere.

Other Sports: 4.5

(1) No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts, (3) resort has just a small public swimming pool, (5) resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool.

Entertainment: 3.7

(1) Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here, (3) the non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week, (5) the resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports.

Winter Walks: 3.8

(1) Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails, (3) a couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails, (5) extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities.

Ski Pass Value: 4.3

(1) A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available, (3) the ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts, (5) ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area.

Value (National): 4.2

(1) Overall, Val Thorens is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money, (3) overall represents average value for money, (5) overall offers the best value resort in the country.

Value (Global): 4.3

(1) Overall, Val Thorens is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world, (3) overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries, (5) internationally the resort offers excellent value for money.

Show all 35 ratings

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December 25, 2019
Stephen from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Very much a good skiers resort. Just back from a week before Christmas. At 2300m so feels Arctic at times (especially noticed when you ski back from Meribel or Courchevel). No trees in sight but plenty of high quality skiing with great snow. Stayed at Les Balcons which is ski in-ski out for a good skier (just off a red piste). Lovely apartments with gym, pool, supermarket and ski hire in the complex. Highly recommended.
June 07, 2016
Alex from Ski Belgium Belgium
We went there with Skikot, a famous travel brand in Belgium who were really good. We had a small (perhaps too small) room for 4 pers. at the foot of the slopes and the ski lift. We all had a wonderful time in the sunshine; nice for the après-ski at the Folie douce! The resort was also good for the nightlife with a large amount of bars, restaurants,... The ski area is available to any ski level, from the beginners to the pros. It's really good if you go there with friends who's got different skiing levels. I recommend it to everyone.
January 04, 2014
Visitor from Ski Germany Germany
Val Thorens was a great holiday; we highly enjoyed it. However, we had one bad experience at the store "Top Photo". This place seems to be not so "Top". Worst photo shop ever! Sold me an overpriced, wrong memory card for a GoPro camera and on complaint just laughed and tried to ignore me. I highly recommend not to go there!
February 10, 2013
Jools from Ski France France
Val Thorens: highest point in 3 valleys ski area with links to Orelle in the 4th valley. Great snow, fantastic skiing, fabulous restaurants, good bars, slightly high prices but quality costs. There is accommodation of all types for all budgets so costs can be kept fairly low. For real skiers/riders it can't be beaten.
January 14, 2011
Kevin Jones from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Stayed at St Jean de Maurienne in the Maurienne valley and used the access to Val Thorens from Orelle. Big advantage is that the telecabine from Orelle starts from about 900m so no having to struggle up and down the road to the 3-Valleys in a snowstorm and having to put on chains. The telecabine rises to 2400m over a run of 5km. The link to Val Thorens is at 3000m so one has to be aware of the developing weather. St. Jean is only 3 hours from Geneva or Lyon using RN and two hours or less on the autoroute. Plus it is very cheap, only 400 Euro for six nights half-board at the Hotel Nord. Of course, there is a lack of apres-ski but this was compensated by the Michelin guide food. If one needs a change from Val Thorens there are 18 other resorts in the environs of the Maurienne valley. La Norma and Val Frejus are the easiest to get to and provide enough skiing above 2000m for a very good days skiing. Expensive day pass at 39 Euros but as commented by others the lifts and perfect snow ensure value for money.
December 07, 2010
Deyan from Ski Bulgaria Bulgaria
I am often amazed by comments putting a lot of importance on the looks of a resort. Granted, a little traditional village always looks better than a purpose-built monster but the latter has many advantages: less distractions, incomparable practicality, closeness to the pistes, price... If you are like me - crazy about skiing and not about the "accessories" around it, you will love Val Thorens. The pistes are open, wide, long, not too busy and incredibly well groomed - perfect for long carving turns that will put a smile on your face for a very long time. The views are amazing. The snow is reliable. The off-piste is everywhere. And this is pretty much all a skier needs. Bottom line is this - if you go there for the skiing itself Val Thorens/Orelle/Menuires is truly amazing. If you go skiing because you want to show off that nice brand new jacket or because you want to experience traditional French culture then go somewhere else.
March 20, 2010
Geoff from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
March 6th to March 13th. Had a great week in VT (Val Thorens) with excellent piste conditions; well groomed and cared for. Excellent company in the chalet. Very little fresh snow but the cold conditions assisted in preservation of the piste. Prices are catching up with the rest of the Three Valleys but you can still get a beer for 5€ if you look around, cheaper if you can get deals through your travel co. The Scandanavians were noisy as reported in other reviews, but its all good humoured and they provide the best bar nightlife. A bit of shouting at 3am but never too bad. Our Chalet had door to door skiing and was only a 10 minute comfortable walk to the main shopping and bar areas. This is a great resort with vast amounts of skiing. The off-piste was just about ok but you can see it would be fantastic and easily reachable following a big dump of snow, especially in the Arolle area. If you ski far, try to avoid lunching in Courcheval - so expensive - it cost me 26€ for a cheeseburger and another 6.5€ for a diet coke. A rip off but that's where the idle rich like to play (or dare I say just pose). You will not be disappointed with VT, it's a great resort and surprisingly charming and cosy.
May 06, 2009
Dani from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Went to VT (Val Thorens) at Easter for 7 days and had an absolutely unbelievable time. Ok, the prices in the town are disgraceful, but isn't that always the case in these resorts? Tip: stop off at a hypermarket on the way there. We stocked up on loads of pasta, cheese, beer etc and saved loads of money. Some great slopes in VT (Val Thorens) for beginners, advanced or experts - caters for all abilities, Tonnes of snow cannons to just give that little bit extra in case it doesn't snow for a few days. In fact, when we went it hadn't snowed for 2 weeks but it was still good...then it dumped down 3 days in with about half a metre in one night - far too much. But it was still immense because it didn't snow thereafter. Unbelievable place, great holiday, will definitely go again.
May 06, 2009
DUSKO KONCAR from Ski Croatia Croatia
Went to ski in Val Thorens on 25.04.2009. not expecting it to be in January skiing condition, but it absolutely was. Snow everywhere, and plenty of it. Snowed for two days, giving everybody a chance to ski off-piste - on piste and they loved it. It was covering tracks over and over again; people went ballistic. Then four days of skiing in short sleeves, using a kilo of sun protection a day. Best time ever.
April 13, 2009
martin mandel from Ski Switzerland Switzerland
I spent a super three days here at Val Thorens on the 5th, 6th and 7th of April 2009. The snow was excellent first thing but in some places was wet by lunchtime. Other areas were good all day despite the warm temps affecting all alpine regions. Still, it was probably better snow than most other French resorts as it is so much higher. Worst queue was at Orelle first thing in the morning. No other queuing problems at all. Usually had to wait 5 mins for the Caron cable car but that is not bad. Caught the last lift down to Orelle every day so conditions must have been ok. I will be at VT (Val Thorens) again for the next two weekends - and there is more cold weather and snow forecasted - yippee.