Mountain Magic (Val D'Isère in general)

Member Name: mr_shagwell23

Product:	Val D'Isère in general
Date:	22/04/03 (490 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great skiing, Good night life, beautiful scenery

Disadvantages: expensive, cold!

I've just spent 18 weeks in Val d'Isere and I'm still getting my breath back - and I returned two weeks ago! Its the most incredible place I've ever skied, or been not only for the fact that it is probably the best skiing area in France but also for the lively night life, the general charm of Val d'Isere and the contrast of people you meet out there (le Blizzard hotel is around £2000 a week to stay there, but pikies live in La Daille!).

It really is superb, though expensive. I've heard that it is only second to Courchevel 1850 in the most expensive resorts to stay in Europe but trust me, the money is worth it.

Val d'Isere is situated about 4 hours away from either Lyon or Geneva, the two main airports that feed the resort. Its not the easiest resort to get to, as there is only one road in and one road out and that road also feeds Tignes (monstrous horror of a resort).
This one road will take you to Bourg Saint Maurice which has a train station, which you can get to from Geneva or Lyon. Trains in France/Switzerland are very cheap, I got a train from Geneva to Bourg for about £20. However, you then have to get a bus from Bourg to Val. Buses run to and from Geneva direct from Val d'Isere which makes life that bit easier, though they are a bit more expensive about £50 it worked out as for a return.
Bourg Saint Maurice is basically the main base for getting to other resorts if you go by train, with the 3 Valleys, Les Arcs, Le Plagne and La Rosiere all in close proximity.

But lets not think about that - lets talk skiing! Theres just too much to tell anyone about in words. Val, or the Espace Killy area, named after the famous French skier Jean-Claude Killy who grew up in Val d'Isere, has about 400km of piste which is a plenty, I tell you, and its the second largest skiing area in France (only the 3 valleys with 620km of piste has more).

The runs range from Green to black, and then some off pis
te. However, the Espace Killy area is more of an advanced skiing area. Not meaning to put people off but it appears that the Val d'Isere planning committee decided to put green runs on the map just to attract beginners! I've been to Schladming, Austria and Pas de La Casa, Andorra (read my reviews!) and some of the blue runs in Val were easily red runs in the other resorts. But don't be put off, because this just makes for fast and challenging skiing. And besides, you haven't had a good day skiing unless you've stacked it proper!

There are so many gorgeously wide and fast runs that I wouldn't know where to start! The longest run is around 5km but there are many of similar length, particularly from the top of the Olympique bubble lift (the main, 15 man seated bubble which takes you from Val to the top of the Bellevarde mountain) to the bottom of La Daille. There are about 5 different routes to La Daille ranging from green to red, the red runs being used as part of the Alpine Skiing World Cup at the start of December.

My personal favourite though was from the top of the Grand Motte. Beautiful up there it is. The Grand Motte is the highest point in the Espace Killy area, only accessible by a Cable Car and standing at about 3600m. It gives you a view for miles which takes your breath away. Mont Blanc is just to the left if you look out from the cable car, and it looks incredible though close. Its actually about 20 miles away, and when you consider how much further you can see around it its awesome, a thousand sugar coated peaks. Brilliant.
The run down from there is about 5km (the red run) and its just sheer adrenaline all the way down to the ugly sister of Tignes, Val Claret.

Let me tell you, no matter where you live you will never see so many crimes against architecture as you will in Tignes and Val Claret (the product of speeded up French 60's development). You really wonder why they decided to ruin the alps
like that. Val d'Isere isn't much better, but Val has a certain sense of charm about it when viewed from the Face de Bellevarde (the olympic run, black with about a 45degree gradient on it!) or the top of the Solaise mountain.

But anyway, the skiing is fantastic and thats that! Theres enough runs to keep all levels of skiers happy, so many blues and reds and then the black runs if you're confident. Theres also two quite big snow parks for the slightly more adventurous and these are filled with hips, kickers, spines and rails, which are also fun to just sit and watch the more experienced rifers show off. The runs over on the Solaise mountain are probably best for starting out with nice, reasonably long blue runs all over.

This obviously doesn't include the considerable amount of off piste area there is, which is vast. Some off piste is easily accesible such as the off piste area running from the 'Germain Mattis' to 'L' or the parts off the Grand Motte. Others, and the best less tracked out off piste areas need to be hiked to which is obviously only for the advanced skier, but for that skier who is prepared to make the effort they will find themselves with almost double the skiing ground available already.

These areas include the mountain sides viewed from the Grand Huit lift or by the side of the Aigulle Percee, and there are many others. The best powder can be found over at La Fornet, the skiing area furthest away from Tignes on the Val side. This is quite a hassle to get to, well not really its just not as easily accessible as the Bellevarde or Solaise areas. However, this means that few people go there so on a powder day its well worth a visit, and if you do visit take the some what annoying button lift to the top of the signal and ski off the back of it - magic on a mountain side!

Val also has other activities available, many which I personally couldn't afford but always looked fun. Val Circu
it particularly, which is a racing circuit on ice where you can race skidoos, quads, go-karts and even rally cars!
There's also parapenting which looked brilliant and well worth doing. I can imagine the views would be amazing, and for only 70 euros!
Val has the customary après ski type things to do like ice skating, sledging or swimming (very good for the muscles after skiing) though my personal favourite has to be the outdoor Jacuzzi!
This was situated down at the Toit du Monde restaurant in La Daille and was absolutely super. For 15 euros you got the steam room and the jacuzzi for 40 minutes, as well as a champagne cocktail. Take some gold medallions and a cigar with you, some sexy women or hunky men and just be a king/queen/whatever for 40 mins. You can see Val just down the road. Come on, imagine it - middle of the alps, snow all around you, brilliant day skiing and now just chillin? in a jacuzzi! Thats how life should be lived!

The night life in Val is also good, ranging from crazy scandi bars to the uncomfortable down stairs area of bananas, and then finishing off in Dicks Tea Bar which is highly overrated.
The Pacific bar shows all the sport and the Rodeo bar has a bucking bronco and for the more chilled out places there?s the Lounge Bar or the Foret bar. All good, but to really mess your self up have a Attitude Adjuster at Victors, a few 2-for-1 Red Eriks (evil stuff) at Le Petit Danois, a few Freestylers at Bananas and then pass out in Dicks. Vive Val d'Isere!

Top tip: Claim to be a seasonnaire, lie and say you work for a company or bar and you'll get cheap drinks! Sorted! Don't feel guilty either because the prices in val are extortionate, a Long Island Ice Tea at Dicks after 10 is about £12 and a beer £5. Rip off or what?!

I would recommend to anyone to do a season in Val if only for the views at the top of the Motte and the Bellevarde mountain but even more so for the beautiful scandi women!
>No really, Val is the best skiing, the best night life, the best everything.

Val Rocks!

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