Val d'Isere

Val d'Isere has the reputation for being very English due to the number of English skiers that go there. We found nothing of the kind with the sleepy town quite French and very charming.

There are a number of places to eat in town including British and French.

The skiing was very good with a mixture of very high and very low pistes offering easy and difficult ski runs though generally most runs were moderate in difficulty.

Some of the best skiing we had were the red runs (“Moraine” and “Cascade”) off of the Cascade lift - Sometimes narrow but it was easy to see and very comfortable skiing. Often this area was closed though due to it's altitude. It is difficult to get to but worth the trip.

If the weather is bad we liked the runs off of the “Glacier Express” though this area tends to be very busy with beginner skiers. Head over to Rocher de Bellevarde if you want a bit more peace and quiet. Long runs such as “Grande Pre” (yes, a green, but nice in places) are wonderful if the weather is right.

At the top of the Roche de Bellevarde we very much enjoyed the lunch buffet at the Restaurant Bellevarde (the RESTAURANT upstairs - looks expensive but really not much more than the cafeteria downstairs). Generally we found this true of many restaurants on the slopes - The proper “sit down” restaurants were not much more expensive than the cafeterias and served far better food in much nicer surroundings.

The “Espace Killy” ski pass allows access to both Val d'Isere and Tignes.

For further information please see:

• The Official Val d'Isere Site