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Val Thorens resort snow
Lat Long: 45.27° N 6.58° E
Ski France

Val Thorens Resort Reviews

Weather Forecast for Val Thorens at 2765 m altitude

Issued: 1 am 05 May 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Next snow in Val Thorens: 2.2 cm on Tue 5th  (after 5 AM)

Visitor reviews for Val Thorens Ski Resort

Val Thorens Ratings

Overall: 4.3. Based on 79 votes and 44 reviews.

Rate this resort

Snowsure: 4.8

  • Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing
  • Is often closed due to a lack of snow
  • Occasionally suffers from a lack of snow
  • Rarely suffers from a lack of snow
  • Val Thorens is snowsure even in the poorest seasons

Variety of pistes: 4.6

  • The ski runs are featureless and unvaried
  • The ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week
  • Val Thorens has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain

Off-piste: 4.5

  • No off-piste worth mentioning
  • Off piste is out-of-bounds
  • Some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days
  • A vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days

Scenery: 4.1

  • An ugly resort in a bland setting
  • Average mountain views and resort
  • A spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town

Access: 3.9

  • At least one overnight stop
  • Requires a whole day
  • Requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns
  • Arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon
  • There is a main airport within an hour of Val Thorens

Public Transport: 4.2

  • There are no buses or taxis to Val Thorens
  • There are slow or infrequent buses / trains available
  • Getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections

Accommodation: 4.7

  • No places to stay in/near Val Thorens
  • A few places to stay in the resort
  • A wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets

Cheap Rooms: 3.6

  • No budget accommodation available
  • Just one or two hostels so book ahead
  • Several cheap hostels and pensions available

Luxury Hotels: 4.7

  • No luxury accommodation available
  • Just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead
  • Several up-market hotels in Val Thorens

Ski in/Ski out: 4.8

  • The ski area is located far from any accommodation
  • A free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip
  • Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available

Childcare: 4.3

  • There are no child care facilities at Val Thorens
  • The resort has limited child-care facilities
  • the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche

Snowmaking: 4.3

  • Val Thorens relies entirely on natural snow
  • There are just a few snow cannons
  • There are snowmaking facilities on all pistes

Snow Grooming: 4.5

  • There are no snow groomers at Val Thorens
  • Occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state
  • All the runs at Val Thorens are groomed daily

Shelter: 3.1

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

Nearby options: 4.2

  • If snow conditions are poor at Val Thorens, it will be poor everywhere nearby
  • There are good alternatives within an hours drive
  • Other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions

Regional rating: 4.7

  • Val Thorens usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region
  • Has average conditions for the region
  • Usually has the best snow conditions in the region

Lift Staff: 4.3

  • The staff at Val Thorens are rude or unhelpful
  • Lift staff at Val Thorens are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help

Crowds/Queues: 3.8

  • The resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues
  • It is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays
  • It is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare

Ski Schools: 4.7

  • No ski schools available
  • One or two ski schools but local language only
  • A few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors
  • Plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available
  • Excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors

Hire and Repairs: 4.8

  • Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex
  • There are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance
  • Good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible

Beginners: 4.2

  • Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard
  • A few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week
  • Vast areas of gentle terrain

Intermediates: 4.8

  • No intermediate terrain at Val Thorens
  • Intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days
  • Vast areas of cruising runs

Advanced: 4.9

  • Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders
  • Enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste
  • Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week

Snow Park: 4.3

  • Not even a kicker at Val Thorens
  • Average sized park quite well looked after
  • Huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails

Cross-country: 3.0

  • There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Val Thorens
  • There are some cross country trails available
  • The area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails

Luge/Toboggan: 4.4

  • No designated luge or toboggan runs
  • There are toboggan runs that open quite often
  • Val Thorens has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages

Mountain Dining: 4.4

  • Nowhere to buy food by the pistes
  • Some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive
  • There is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets

Eating: 4.6

  • Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop
  • There are a few places to eat in the resort but nothing special
  • A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants

Apres-Ski: 4.8

  • Nothing to do, not even a bar
  • There are a few bars in the resort but nothing special
  • Clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere

Other Sports: 4.5

  • No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts
  • Resort has just a small public swimming pool
  • Resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool

Entertainment: 3.7

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

Winter Walks: 3.7

  • Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails
  • A couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails
  • Extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities

Ski Pass Value: 4.2

  • A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available
  • The ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts
  • Ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area

Value (National): 4.2

  • Overall, Val Thorens is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money
  • Overall represents average value for money
  • Overall offers the best value resort in the country

Value (Global): 4.2

  • Overall, Val Thorens is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world
  • Overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries
  • Internationally the resort offers excellent value for money

Show all 35 ratings

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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.
April 12, 2009
RickParis from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
12th April 09, Just back from VT (Val Thorens). Had no choice of weeks because of the kids school holidays. There were very bad crowds on the pistes and lifts, poor snow at base (2300mtrs) and nearly everywhere higher too. Real spring snow conditions (15 degrees C at 2300mtrs). I would have expected that in lower resorts but not at this height; very suprised. Worst conditions I have seen in 5 years at Easter (been to Flaine in 08 & 07, Alpe D'Huez in 06 & 05). Maybe because of the crowds, poor snow and lift queues, I did not see the resort at its best. I could see the potential but was unable to exploit and enjoy the area to its fullest. Suprisingly, the best snow and lack of crowds was in the '4th' valley. It was very nice. Shame it was not a larger area or that the off-piste wasn't crusty/tracked out. Looked like the area had not had any significant snow in 3-4 weeks. All in all, I had a good time but it was not the great time I was expecting; shame. I will try to visit Val Thorens outside peak holiday time, if I visit again. Rick
February 01, 2009
Gordon Bloch from Ski Israel Israel
First time in Val Thorens, from 22-31 Jan. Thought it would be more pedestrian friendly with less traffic, but it's a delightful town. We stayed about 5 minutes walk from the "bar" area, which is the noisy area. But this was enjoyable at " Happy Hour" time; usually late afternoon after a days skiing. The slopes are mind boggling at Val Thorens. There are all types of runs. We chose the black and red, and there are plenty of them. There were hardly any queues at the lifts and all personnel were so friendly. There were plenty of restaurants and bars, if so inclined, and also fast food for a quick and reasonable lunch snack, as opposed to the higher priced mountain restaurants. Had a really good time; plenty of snow. Val Thorens is higher than the tree line with no natural barriers for sound, so some nights were noisy with returning revellers. All in all, a good time was had.
January 23, 2009
Richard Bicknell from Ski France France
I can't count how many times I have been to Val Thorens over the past 25 years; 4 weeks in 2008. Simply the best in the Alps. I loved it so much I bought an appartment and moved from the UK to France. 3 Valleys is so big you will not get bored. Unlike many resorts VT (Val Thorens) actually invest in the lift system. A queueing black-spot one year is replaced over the summer with a new high tech lift. I have seen so many changes. Seldom do you have to queue for more than a few minutes. Snow and pistes are well covered in other reviews. Noise only really a problem in the centre around the clubs and 'The Frog'. Have a few good beers in Choucas (place de Caron) and sleep through.
December 13, 2008
Simon Lovering from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Just got back from a 4 day weekend in Val. Second time we have been there, the first time being 2 years ago when the start to the season was so bad, we had to change at the last minute to high altitude. We drove up to Val Thoren on Thursday night (4th), taking an hour longer than planned as the snow was dumping down. Snowed all Thursday night, Friday and through the night into Saturday. By Sunday we were off-piste, waist deep in fresh powder. When we left Val Thoren on Tuesday 9th, it was set to snow again that night, but I have to say all runs were open, loads of off-piste and the snow line was as low as 500m as we drove down the mountain. If you're going out, enjoy. A great start to the season, loads of snow. By the way, Val Thoren town is not bad, and not too expensive even with the current euro/pound situation, but we were there for the free white stuff.
December 10, 2008
The Tank from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Next week, the weekend of the 13th Dec 08 will be my 3rd visit to Val Thorens. As some other people have pointed out, you don't go to Val Thorens to admire the place. It serves a purpose and that is to hit the slopes hard. Some areas are quite picturesque within the town, but the real views come into their element when you are standing at the top of '3 vallees 2', 'Col' or 'Cime Caron'. If it dumps snow which it has done both times I have been there, then there is no end to the possibilities. When all the lifts are running you can steam across to Meribel and take advantage of its beauty and tree lined runs. So if you are there next week keep an eye out for me on the slopes you won't see me because I am too fast. But at night you will find me in the bars and Val Thorens' famous 'Malaysia Club'. Regards.
November 10, 2008
Les from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
VT is the highest winter resort in Europe. Stelvio Pass has much higher hotels both on and above the pass but is mainly a summer skiing area (lessons were fantastic when I stayed there many years ago). VT has a great lift system, many interesting ski runs and some good restaurants. Hotel 3V is friendly, with good service. Never had a problem with drunks but have mainly skied in VT at Easter. The old itinerary route into Meribel, though now mostly pisted, can still be quite an adventure for someone new to the area.
July 20, 2008
Graeme Dunbar from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Visited Val Thorens in mid April 2008 and was very impressed. It was a great season and (as I understand it) the snow was exceptional for the time of year. The skiing is extensive even on the local pass, and there is something to suit all levels. If the weather draws in it is a bit wild (we had 30cm of snow in as many hours) and lifts do close, but it is the price of being so high and well worth it. The black runs from the top of the Cime de Caron lift are spectacular to ski when freshly pisted and are highly recommended. It is an expensive resort and unless you are loaded you perhaps have to eat in more than you would usually, but you can cut your drinks bill by using 'happy hour' at the end of the afternoon. We stayed in the Village Montana apartments and thought they were better than comfortable and extremely handy for slopes and ski-school. Whole family used Prosneige ski school and would recommend them. All in all a great place for a late season ski and we will be back in 2009.