Guides & Tours in Val d'Isere — 12 of Our Favourites

L'Espace Killy offers you some of the best off-piste that any resort can offer from easy introductory pitches to touring and freeride.

The fully qualified team, with years of experience and great knowledge of the terrain, will make your off-piste experience one to remember. 

They offer the following:

Introduction to off-piste clinic

Meet like-minded people of a similar standard whilst learning the basics of off-piste safety, etiquette and technique. With a maximum of six per group you are guaranteed to make great progress. 

Off-piste clinic

Aimed at those who have skied some off-piste before and are comfortable doing so. Off piste safety, etiquette and techniques are covered but the main emphasis is on the skiing and finding great snow.

Heli-skiing

There are two heli-ski options available in Val d'Isère. 

• ride to Lac de Chavril and take a helicopter back to the Tête de Solaise

Or 

• ride the back of Le Fornet to a small resort call Bonneval sur Arc, enjoy lunch and a quiet day in the resort before flying back to Tête de Solaise

Ski touring weeks

A fun and relaxed way to ski with others of your own ability whilst finding great off-piste and spring conditions. They offer both introduction weeks and advanced weeks where a good level of fitness is expected.

The school will provide you with the very best equipment free of charge; ABS Airbags, Ortovox transceivers, aluminium shovel and probe.

As well as offering off-piste private and group outings to help you improve and perfect your technique away from the groomed pistes, Evolution 2 also offers several ski tours where they will take you away from the beaten track and into the wilderness of the mountains around Val d'Isère.

All of their off-piste sessions, whether in a group or individually, come with free use of all necessary avalanche safety equipment. You will be briefed on how to use this equipment and trained in the proper procedure to follow in the event you’re caught in an avalanche.

Evolution 2 have two standard off-piste tours that you can join:

Toviére to Chevril (a reverse heliski experience)

• suitable for both skiers and snowboarders
• experience of different types of off-piste snow required
• the instructor may adapt the route to take advantage of the best snow conditions
• they provide you with ABS back-pack, transceiver, shovel and probe
• maximum six people per guide

Tarentaise Tour

• suitable for experienced off-piste skiers, but not snowboarders because of a long flat traverse
• enjoy 6km of vertical descent
• they provide you with ABS back-pack, transceiver, shovel and probe
• maximum six people per guide

Make the most of each powder day. If you want to explore the true terrain of the mountain, learn how to ski across powder and ride the line of the season, they are there to help.

They offer sessions for those that are just starting to explore off-piste through to those that already have plenty of experience and want to find the best powder spots in the valley. All their mountain guides are fully qualified and have plenty of experience in the local terrain.

They all speak English (other languages are also available) so you can relax and communicate with ease. They take safety seriously. That’s why when you book one of their lessons they provide transceivers, shovels, probes and ABS bags completely free of charge. 

At this school, they know how to handle the mountain with care.

After a short 10min briefing on how to run the machine, you'll have 20mins to experience driving in a truly spectacular location surrounded by the Mont-Blanc, Bellevarde summit and the Sache.

Available from Wed-Fri between 10:00 & 17:00. Minimum age for drivers is 18 yrs and minimum age for passengers is 9 yrs.

How it works:

Jump out of bed early and head to the shop to collect your e-bike and protective gear. Then, with electric assistance, pedal up to a local viewpoint with a guide to watch the sunrise before enjoying the descent back to the resort.

Alternatively, you can rent a bike yourself for one or two hours in the afternoon and head up the hill for a fun-filled ride down the snow.

Experience the magic of the mountains and enjoy the spectacular landscapes. 

Half-day excursions are available for all levels, from beginners to advanced walkers and over 12 years old.

You will be picked up in Val d'Isere at 7pm and taken to a secret spot in the woods of Les Boisses. A short walk to the campsite reveals 3 Mongolian Yurts and a Tipi all around a central campfire.

On arrival, you will be given an aperitif and soup. After your apero, you will move into the yurt for your fondue dinner which will be served with bread, potatoes, salad, cured meats, wine, and genepy. A dessert du jour will follow. 

After dinner, you will enjoy a luge to Les Brevieres, and be taken back to Val d'Isere at 10.30pm.

Please make sure you dress warmly (ski trousers & jacket, gloves, goggles, and sensible footwear). 

Takes place on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Private trips can be arranged outside of these days for parties of 15 people or more. 

Alpamayo offer guides for off piste adventure, ice climbing and heli-skiing tours in the winter months. And in the summer months the guide glacier hikes, mountaineering and climbing courses, ascents of Mont Blanc and other high mountains in Switzerland and Italy.

Open 1st July - 31 August, from 10:00-19:00.

Supervised by qualified instructors you can enjoy the forest and trees as you zip-line, climb and explore. All the safety equipment such as harnesses and helmets is included, just make sure you wear some comfortable clothes for playing in the trees.

With different levels of difficulty you can start off with an easy discovery route (green) and if you are feeling brave finish on the extreme course (black).

Children under the age of 14 must be accompanied by adults.

The school mainly specialise in off-piste guiding, ski touring and lessons, and they also offer telemarking and snowboard lessons.

Off-Piste lessons and guiding

Off-piste is their main focus. 

Whether you want to try off-piste skiing for the first time, improve your technique or have a go at ski touring, they have instructors and guides available to help. 

Val d'Isère is a great resort for off-piste adventures, from gentle ‘beginner’ slopes to thrilling gravity runs, steep couloirs and tree skiing. The experienced team can find you the most beautiful spots, the best snow and the best conditions every day.

Tuition and guiding is all on a private basis, limited to a maximum of six people per group for the comfort and safety of all concerned. Their instructors will help you improve your technique off-piste, discover new routes, perhaps try your hand at ski touring and of course find the best snow available for you to enjoy.

Depending on conditions, you can also ski in other nearby resorts such as Sainte Foy, Les Arcs/La Plagne and La Rosiere/La Thuile (worth it just for the pasta!).

If you'd rather stay on the pistes, they also offer private ski, snowboard or telemark lessons!

Offering a host of mountain activities highly qualified and trained guides can take you out to explore the mountains:

• Climbing
• Glacier walking
• Heli-skiing
• Ice climbing
• Mountaineering
• Skiing