Val D'Isere?

A snowHead

We're a couple of strong Intermediates, thanking about Val for next March. We were initially going to go first week, but it's still French half term, so we can shift it to the second week. We really like what we've heard about the extent and variety of runs, and the lift accessed, easy off piste to dip our toes into.
Our concern is a) crowds and queues, and b) prices.
We can offset b) by going half board, but will I spend the whole week getting increasingly grumpy about lunch prices on the mountain? What are people's experience of lift queues and on piste crowds outside of the school holidays?
Any alternatives you'd suggest? Doesn't have to be France, or a huge extent. Just enough to keep us busy and have a bit of a challenge over the course of the week. Oh, and reasonably quiet if possible.

A snowHead

By the first week of March do you mean the week beginning February 28th?

Half term will be over on the 7th March so the resorts should be a lot quieter. Crowds and queues will be a lot less that week, but prices will be pretty much the same. Val d'Isere is a bit more of a pain to get back to the town for lunch than most French resorts, but by scheduling your day it is fairly easy to save a bit by going into Tignes for lunch. Or take a packed lunch.

As to alternatives, may I humbly suggest Tignes; a bit cheaper, less English and easier access to the better skiing.

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Having an apartment in tignes, I may be a bit biased - but there's no way that Espace Killy would disappoint. In fact be prepared to be blown away by the scale, variety and extent of the ski area.

We've skied there mainly in low season (but Feb French hols as well) for the past seven years and I would comment as follows:

- Queues and crowds: Lots of fast lifts and even at busy times queues tend to be bearable. Some home runs and popular areas near to the villages can get very busy but once you are further away in the lift system, things tend to be fine. There are no real issues in low season, except home runs from Val D connections back to Tignes can get very busy at the end of the day.
- Prices: Pretty standard for the mega French resorts rolling eyes

- Large beer €5-6; hot dog/baguette etc €4-5; pasta dish €12-15; pizza €10; fondue €18-20; tartiflette €14-16.
- Accessing the slopes: johnE is correct. Val D is the nicer looking town if you are going there for architecture but Tignes wins hands down for resort runs. Generally speaking, Val Val D's home runs are far less user friendly/difficult.

In terms of alternatives, where else have you skied ajpaul? That would assist in advising you on possibilities.

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Thanks for the replies so far. Places we've really enjoyed in Europe: La Thuile, Avoriaz/Morzine, Schladming. We're keen to try somewhere new this year though.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

ajpaul, if expense is an concern, maybe look at Italy or Austria instead of France?

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ajpaul, I'd add my vote for Tignes. And for missing the French school hols. If you have a big breakfast and are looking forward to a big dinner, you won't need a big lunch too, will you? But if expensive prices are really going to make you grumpy, don't go to a French mega resort. Though really, the marginal additional cost of a modest lunch in Tignes, in the context of a ski holiday, is not going to break the bank.

There's not much point going to Val d'I unless you are going to do the rounds of the apres-ski bars etc. And that could well make you a lot more grumpy. People say that Val d'Isere is "attractive" but that's only really true if you compare it with Tignes, which isn't a tough test of architectural appeal. wink

And if you like to ski home at the end of the day, comfortably and safely, Tignes is far better. In Val d,Isere, even if you are able to ski the home runs competently you'll be surrounded by people who aren't but are determined to do it anyway. Evil or Very Mad

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Lunch prices are _okay_ and in march you can often sit outside and picnic/burger, it's dinner prices that are truly terrifying. I don't remember queues being an issue on any of our trips (like you we go shoulder season rather than peak). That said it wouldn't be my top choice unless you are desperate to go there, or have found an excellent accomodation deal. I'd suggest Les Arcs, Montgenevre or Serre Chevalier as cheaper alternatives that might work better.

After all it is free

ajpaul, Val/Tignes doesn't really go with cheap or reasonably quiet in my mind: as others have said it's the archetype of a French mega resort used by British tour operators. The skiing is of course very good. I'd suggest anticipating eye watering lunch prices if your priority is to avoid disappointment Happy

They're not always that bad and you can shop around: I always feel I get better value from a nice restaurant at lunch than a self-service -- yes it costs a little more, but the food is better and the altitude mark-up feels like a lower proportion of the cost. Packed lunches or skiing through and taking slightly early cake as the light fades will also work.

The Dolomites is worth considering for lots of quiet pistes and good value restaurants both on and off the mountain, and there are plenty of good suggestions of less expensive but still plenty large enough French resorts in the thread.

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We were in Selva a couple of years ago, agree with Pam, it really was too crowded for me. Anywhere in Austria fit the bill? We really liked Schladming, but could do with a bit more variety nowadays.

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Don't be put off by crowds at Val - the lift systems are fast, and peak morning queues at the nearest 2 lifts to the centre can be avoided by opting for the 10 min bus ride to Le Fornet, Le Laisenantor La Daille etc. We often took the chairs initially, just to get out of the valley, and then worked our way across the ranges.

Tignes le Lac has a very afferent architecture to the other parts of Tignes (le Lavachet, tignes les boissons, val claret) - stay near the top of tignes le lac by the lifts & lake, and the architecture and atmosphere is fine.

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You can get unlucky with bad weather in Val d'Isere, although the same does apply anywhere. FWIW, I had a week in Val last January which was horribly busy. The conditions were tricky - lots of runs were closed because of poor coverage, lots of other runs were closed because of avi risk, the ones left over had three times as many people on them as you'd expect. Lots of runs were scoured by strong winds and heavy traffic. I had a superb day's guided off piste, but I can't say I enjoyed the rest of the week as much as I'd hoped to.

I'm more of a Tignes fan, too. In that same week, I had much more success in Tignes finding enjoyable runs that weren't too busy. Getting to and from the snow is much easier. Obviously, if you stay in either place you can ski in the other.

I don't really understand the issue with the architecture in Tignes, personally. It's clearly a totally unnatural settlement; why not embrace it? It's more appropriate for it to look like a moon colony than to be a fake "alpine village".

The shopping in Val is something else, tho. It's the only place I've seen a set of skis on sale for €6,200 Shocked

You know it makes sense.

ajpaul,
I can't add that much to what has been written and agree with much of it.

I have skied quite a lot in Val D'I and Tignes down the years, though not as a family holiday.
It's particular strengths and weaknesses don't suit us as a family group. I find it very pricey unless you are prepared to have cramped accommodation particularly during school holiday periods.
The occasional regular visitor says you can eat cheaply, personally I have not done so and most infrequent visitors complain about the prices.

As far as queues go, I have found the lift system very efficient and in general they are not a problem though there can be individual pinch points such as getting on and around the glaciers on warm sunny days. On the other hand the efficient lifts definitely make for pistes that are more crowded than most resorts. The off piste is easily accessed and there is plenty of it for most standards, certainly to well above my standard however don't expect to get first dibbs at fresh powder to often it gets skied out very quickly.

Architecture and village looks, well they are both purpose built resorts . Tignes has been constructed by a neo brutalist architect of the 70's school with a hangover. Val looks like it has been constructed by the same architect who then realised that his offerings were to be judged by Prince Charles and put in some faux alpine wooden bits as a concession. Neither is very attractive though the scenery is standard alpine with some fine looking peaks around.

Personally I think it is a resort well worth skiing which most competent skiers will find a lot to enjoy , whether or not you fall in love with the place as a place to keep coming back to is a personal preference. If you are tight for money I would tend to go elsewhere particularly if lunches on the mountains are part of your skiing thing. or comfort in your lodgings unless you are lucky enough to get a good last minute offer of which there are plenty in low season.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

^^^What he said.

Look at Austria or Alpe d'Huez for cheaper alternatives. I loved Tignes, but some of the runs are a pain esp. the runs into Val D but saying that, the OP is so accessible that it makes up for it.

A snowHead

ajpaul, all depends what you mean by the term 'strong intermediate'. This covers a huge range IMO. Some would describe themselves thus after 3 weeks or so adding they could 'get down blacks', others after 15 weeks but who knew there was a lot they didn't know…

The good
I like the skiing and eating in Val D'Isere very much, lots of good pistes, the naturerides are fun and they have one of my favourite restaurants in the whole world (the Edelweiss at le Fornet whose burger Landaise is to die for (a duck burger, topped with foie gras - I kid you not)). There is a variety of runs but Val itself has an issue with the runs into resort which can be tricky for some. There is no shame in getting a lift down. All the runs into Val itself have some quite steep bits on them. They used to be under graded. Santons in particular (a blue) always has people sprawled across the last narrow bit of the gully and quite often a couple having a bit of a row.

The lift system is excellent with a very big capacity and not too many pinch points. Snow conditions usually as good as anywhere because it is high.

Prices- well you takes your choice. It is easy to spend too much and have bad value I'm afraid. We tend to have a supermarket lunch when the weather permits (bread, smoked salmon, cream cheese etc) and have a nice meal now and again (duck burger topped with foie gras). You don't have to walk into the first self service hell hole you get to. In Val there are some absolutely great places for lunch, the best are much better than the best most places in France I've been to.

The bad
Price generally a bit more for accommodation. A lot of English people, I mean a lot. The scenery is OK but no where near Chamonix. The descents are quite big- but no where near Cham. The lift accessed off piste is quite plentiful- but gets skied out quickly. Drinking / eating expensive compared to Austria.

The Ugly
Not much. A very long transfer - but that is because it is at the top of the valley and is high. The vomiting / Norwalk virus.

A snowHead

I'm a huge fan of Val, and it's the one resort I keep coming back to year after year. I also think it's a very attractive resort, especially when lit up at night in the snow.

Tignes is more like your usual French architecture, but they are both worth staying in. I prefer Val of the two.

There is a huge variety of terrain, fast lifts, great links between the resorts and brilliant apres. The queues are never that bad and they are easily avoided. The biggest queues are usually for the Olympique and Solaise lifts in the morning, but if it's busy just hop on the bus to Fornet 5 minutes down the road and there will be no-one there.

Like I say, I'm a fan - not everyone is - but I think it's up there with the best resorts in Europe.

For alternatives, consider Courchevel/Three Valleys or Alpe d'Huez.

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I was pleasantly surprised by Les Arcs last season, a good variety of runs, I especially liked the unpisted itineries and a 14" pizza for 9 euros on top of the mountain

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Val D'Isere?

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