Val d'Isere Skiing Revealed

The Espace Killy piste map shows the pistes and ski areas of both Val d'Isere and Tignes, and gives you a broad picture of how everything is connected. There's a whole load of skiing to be done in the Espace Killy area! For a more detailed map when you get on the mountain, pick up a paper copy of the piste maps from the lift company when you buy your pass.

The Espace Killy is located in the Tarentaise area of the Savoie department in the Northern Alps, and is the name given to the combined ski domain of Tignes and Val d’Isere. Named after France’s Olympic downhill skiing champion Jean Claude Killy, the ski area offers over 300kms of pisted skiing and some of Europe’s most spectacular scenery. The area remains a firm favourite with both the British and French because of the huge variety of ski terrain available. The 'Espace Killy' is dedicated to all aspects of skiing, and is set to host the World Skiing Championships in 2009. Due to its location against the peaks of the Italian border, the Espace Killy's record of snowfall is exceptional. Whilst benefiting from the same Atlantic depressions as other French resorts, it often receives heavy falls of snow from the Mediterranean low pressures which dump their snow on the Italian Alps. The snow coverage tends to be one of the best in Europe, and conditions normally facilitate good skiing right to the end of the season (May 8, 2005). The 96 lifts spreading the ten miles across Val d’Isère and Tignes can now carry 149,425 skiers per hour. Most of Val d’Isère’s lifts are long and rapid, travelling vertically more than horizontally, so there’s a lot of skiing back down for a short trip up.

Val d'Isère is located in a steep valley and it is these steep slopes that have attracted the hard core skiers since the resort opened for downhill skiing in the mid 1930s. There is a vast choice of slopes in the high Alps where intermediate skiers and boarders can sample the stunning views and learn from those on the steeper pitches, on the bumps and in the snowpark.

The skiing area in Val d'Isere can be broken up into 3 areas, namely Le Fornet, Le Solaise and Bellvardes,all varying in style and complexity. ... see "Val d'Isere Skiing Area" for more

Tignes is approximately equivalent in size to Val d’Isere. During the winter months, it offers 47 ski lifts which include a funicular railway, a cable car, 24 chairlifts and 19 drag lifts, enabling you to ski round the 150 kilometres of pisted terrain.

Tignes has a variety of skiing for all levels and can be split into four areas, La Grande Motte Massif, Palet/L’Aiguille Percée, Toviere and Les Brévières. The Grande Motte offers a good choice of wide open blues, but it can often be deceptively cold on the glacier, and not always conducive to learning. There are a number of cruisey intermediate runs and although there’s not a huge selection of blacks, you can try the 'Sache', a long black run from the top of the L’Aiguille Percée to Tignes Les Brévières - it provides some fierce moguls and challenging skiing. ... see "Tignes Skiing Area" for more

There are two nursery areas in Val d’Isere – one in the centre of the resort and one in La Daille. Here, there are gentle slopes which are ideal for beginners and in addition, there are 7 lifts in total which are completely free of charge - 2 chairlifts (Village & Rogoney) and 3 drag lifts ( la Savonette 1/2 & la Légettaz) in the Solaise area and "Les Lanches" 1 & 2 drag lifts in La Daille.

After feeling more confident on these nursery slopes, the Solaise and Bellevarde areas are a good option as there are several slow and steady runs. Many of the instructors progress in this way with their beginner classes.

Val Park

Val d'Isere is a 'Mecca' to snowboarders the world over and the town positively encourages boarding - there are no pistes which are closed to boarders and there are vast areas of fantastic off-piste. Boarders and free-style skiers have access to the Val Park in the Bellevarde area via the Bellevarde or Olympique cable cars or the La Daille funicular.  If you are coming over from Tignes you can take the Bolin Express from Val Claret or the Aeroski.

The park boasts loads of different hips, jumps and rails for all levels as well as a boarder cross and half pipe. If you'd rather just watch the action, the chill chalet is a great place to catch some sun with music, BBQ, facilities, chairs and tables.

There is also a large snowpark over in Tignes Val Claret with a similar atmosphere and two large half-pipes, see Tignes for Skiing & Snowboarding to find out more. During the summer months you can top up your goggle marks on the Grande Motte snowpark which is open for most of the year, go to Tignes Summer Activities for more details.

With such a big ski area to explore, it's sometimes good to have a little bit of inside information… For your pleasure, we’ve compiled a list of our favourite runs throughout the Espace Killy and suggested some itineries for you to try. There are also sections on where to find the best off piste, where you're most likely to find the quietest pistes, and where to find the nicest mountain restaurants for lunch. Happy exploring! ... see "Where to go in the Espace Killy for..." for more