Val d'Isère ski holidays

More than 300 km of slopes shared with Tignes, with 161 marked runs and 71 lifts between 1,550 m and over 3,400 m (Val d'Isère). The linked area was long known as the Espace Killy, after the Olympic champion Jean Claude Killy.

On the Val d'Isère side the skiing climbs from the village to Solaise and Bellevarde, and up the valley toward Le Fornet and the Pissaillas glacier. The Face de Bellevarde, the race run above the village, held the men's downhill at the 1992 Olympics (Wikipedia) and hosts the Critérium de la Première Neige, the World Cup races each December (Val d'Isère).

Yes, if you know where to start. Three lifts are free for beginners: the Savonnette tow and the Village chairlift in the centre, and the Lanches tow at La Daille (Val d'Isère). Higher up, Solaise has gentle slopes and the ValKids area, and the Jardin des Neiges takes children of 3 and 4 in groups of eight at most (Val d'Isère).

With 32 black runs in the linked area, strong skiers are not short of terrain, and a mixed group splits easily. We book private instruction by level rather than one lesson for everyone, and plan the day so the group meets again for lunch. Our guide to family ski lessons explains how that works.

January and March for the quietest slopes, and April for long spring days: the 2026/27 season is scheduled from November 28, 2026 to May 2, 2027, with snowmaking on more than 65 km of slopes (Val d'Isère). The French February school holidays run in three zones from February 6 to March 8, 2027 (Service Public).

Early December has its own reason to come: the Critérium de la Première Neige, the World Cup weekend, is set for December 12 and 13, 2026 (Club des Sports). It is a good week to watch racing and a busy one in the village, so we plan the rooms early.

Christmas, New Year and the February weeks fill first, so for those dates we book the instructor before anything else. Our guide on when to book a ski trip covers the timing week by week.

Chambéry is the nearest airport, about 2 hours by car; Grenoble is about 2 hours 30, and Lyon and Geneva about 3 hours. The train station is Bourg Saint Maurice, about 40 minutes below the resort (Val d'Isère).

Coaches arrive at La Daille, where a free shuttle reaches the centre in under ten minutes (Val d'Isère). We arrange the transfer from whichever airport or station suits your flights, and private charter when the schedule calls for it.

The village at 1,850 m has narrow streets of restaurants, bars and shops and the free beginner lifts at its foot (Val d'Isère); La Daille, at the entrance of the resort, has its own free beginner tow; Le Fornet is the quieter hamlet up the valley, toward the glacier.

We do not sell from a fixed list of chalets or hotels. We look at who is coming, how each of them skis and how they like to spend the evening, then tell you where to stay, and why.

Everything between the flight and the last run: where you stay, a private instructor for each level, lift passes, transfers, equipment and a concierge on the ground, with one point of contact from the first message to the flight home.

Patagonia Living is a ski travel agency based in Patagonia and operated worldwide, and skiing is all it plans. The full list is in what a private ski trip includes. When you are ready, plan your next trip with us.