{"id":559,"date":"2014-08-14T11:57:23","date_gmt":"2014-08-14T09:57:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mountainpassions.com\/wordpress\/?p=559"},"modified":"2019-10-23T11:08:21","modified_gmt":"2019-10-23T09:08:21","slug":"ski-val-disere","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mountainpassions.com\/winter\/ski-resort-reviews\/alps\/ski-val-disere\/","title":{"rendered":"Val d\u2019Is\u00e8re"},"content":{"rendered":"
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D<\/span>riving to Val d\u2019Is\u00e8re, particularly in the chill darkness, feels like a real to-the-end-of-the-road experience. When the snow-line creeps down from the Col de l\u2019Is\u00e8ran and closes the road at the end of the valley just beyond the Fornet cable-car, that\u2019s exactly what it is. Over the years we’ve driven the route up from Bourg Saint Maurice many times, but the frisson of excitement during the climb remains as strong as ever.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to do justice to the enormity of the Espace Killy without getting impossibly wordy, so instead we\u2019ll offer our first impressions below, to which we’ve added our most recent experiences of dropping into \u2018Val\u2019 from Tignes in our Tignes Resort Review<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\nCugnai, an older fixed chairlift serving a single red groomed piste (along with some worthwhile off-piste terrain), fires us off abruptly onto a tight 180\u00b0 hairpin turn followed by a steep plunge back to the Col de la Madeleine blue.\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\n\"The
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The arrival point of the Rocher de Bellevarde (2827m) is these days a model of ski resort sophistication.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\n\"Snowboarders,
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Definitive scenic skiing and snowboarding doesn't disappoint - if you're up to the challenges.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Spoilt for choice in Val d\u2019Is\u00e8re<\/h2>\n
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Having enjoyed driving the Route des Grandes Alpes<\/a> in autumn, we\u2019re now looking forward to finding out how one of the more memorable sections looks and feels beneath our skis.This slightly surreal experience will have to wait, however, until after we\u2019ve devoted some time to getting our bearings, particularly as we\u2019re based at the opposite end of the valley. Fortunately La Daille is far from isolated, having three high-capacity ski-lifts of its own, including the metro-like Funival funicular, which dives deep into the mountain and emerges way up at the Rocher de Bellevard (2827m).<\/p>\n

Ahead lies a vast panorama, and a dazzling choice of ski runs. This being Day One, we pass on legendary descents like the Face Olympique de Bellevarde and \u2018OK\u2019 Coupe du Monde and instead warm up on a gentle cruise over to the Borsat Express lift, then to theCol de Fresse chairlift. From here we could drop more or less straight down into Tignes<\/a> Val Claret, but elect to stick closer to home and see a little of what the local terrain has to offer. The snow quality, although becoming a little tired, is nevertheless pretty good, so we work our way eastwards.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Passing below le Rocher de Bellevard (2827m) we reach Santons, a blue-graded piste which plunges down into Le Ch\u00e2telard, close to the heart of Val d\u2019Is\u00e8re 1850.<\/p>\n

When we drop in the restaurant sun terraces are already starting to fill up, but we’re more concerned with pressing on, taking the Solaise Express chairlift up to 2560m. We\u2019re getting into our stride now, making relatively smooth progress through the lift system and the connecting runs. Minutes later we\u2019ve ridden the Madeleine chairlift, swooped down the blue-graded Col de la Madeleine and joined the Glacier chair.<\/p>\n

The security and effectiveness of these modern lifts becomes apparent when Cugnai, an older fixed chairlift serving a single red groomed piste (along with some worthwhile off-piste terrain), fires us off abruptly onto a tight 180\u00b0 hairpin turn followed by a steep plunge back down onto the Col de la Madeleineblue once again. Next time we\u2019ll be prepared for that.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\n\"Grand
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Definitive scenic glacier skiing (in summer, too) is your reward for a haul on one of the world's best-known cable-cars.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\n\"Val
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The main village seen from the road, where some of the larger developments look rather more assertive than when seen by skiers from the opposite 'front de neige' side.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Up and over to the glacier<\/h2>\n
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Not that newer high-speed lifts don\u2019t occasionally serve up a few surprises of their own from time to time, as we discover when the Leisi\u00e8res Express takes us over a high ridge, before making a steep and rapid-feeling descent into the neighbouringVallon de l\u2019Is\u00e8ran. It\u2019s a fun ride, not least for the surprised expressions on the faces of those heading over the ridge from the other directions on this two-way lift.<\/p>\n

By now we\u2019ve almost reached our target, the Pissaillas Glacier (above). Even before we step off the lift we know we\u2019ve found somewhere special \u2014 not in terms of size (in absolute terms it\u2019s pretty modest) or terrain (the pistes are likewise undemanding). It\u2019s quite simply a magical spot, with vast, top-of-the-world views over to the distant Grand Motte Glacier, silhouetted almost 3500m above Tignes \u2014 about the same altitude as we are now, in fact.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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