Beginner ski areas in Val d'Isere

If you're a complete beginner you will probably start off in the nursery areas. You'll be making use of the free beginner ski lifts or just practising on the slopes without using any lifts at all.

In the two nursery ski areas there are a number of lifts which are free of charge for beginners. 

Solaise

In the Solaise area the lifts available are:

• Solaise gondola
• Rogoney chairlift
• Legettaz chairlift
• Glacier chairlift
• La Datcha chairlift
• Madeleine chairlift
• PIMPAM carpet
• POUM carpet

La Daille 

There are two drag lifts: 'Les Lanches 1' and  'Les Lanches 2'.

After gaining confidence on the nursery slopes, the Solaise and Bellevarde are good places to progress to as there are several wide and easy green pistes in each place. 

Bellevarde

You'll find plenty of variation for all levels of skiers in the Bellevarde area, and there are even different ways to head up the mountain depending on how confident you are. For leisurely and beginner skiers, it's worth noting that there is a slightly steep, busy section to the piste at the top of the Funival and Olympique lifts in the Bellevarde area. 

To avoid having to ski this, take the Train Rouge bus to La Daille and here, take the La Daille bubble, then the Mont Blanc chairlift. You will then have access to the easier slopes and the Borsat Express which will give you access to Grand Pré, Genepy and Borsat which has a selection of long, easy, wide and gentle runs.

A good beginner route to take is to go from top of the Borsat Express down to the Fontaine Froid lift via the gentle green Genepy run, from the bottom of here take the Fontaine Froid lift and head down the Verte (green), Diebold (blue) or 3J (blue) which will conveniently take you to Folie Douce for lunch. After lunch, head up the Tommeuses where you can ski the blue runs Creux and Edelweiss at a leisurely pace before taking the Verte piste or the bubble back to La Daille.

Le Fornet

To access the beginner pistes at Le Fornet, take the free shuttle bus out of Val d’Isère centre to Le Fornet, then Le Fornet cable car followed by the Vallon de l’Iseran bubble lift to the base of the glacier. From here you have a selection of long, rolling blue runs in and around the Vallon bubble and back down to resort. The pistes should be very quiet, as they tend to be less popular than the Solaise and Bellevarde area but just as good!

In the afternoon, the best snow will always be higher up so head back up the Vallon de L'Iseran bubble and all the way up to the Cascade chairlift where you'll find more easy blues. From the top of the Cema chair, at the foot of the glacier, there is a long, gentle descent down the blue pistes Col, Vallon and Mangard back to Le Fornet village. If you have tired legs and fancy an easier way down, you can always take the bubble and the cable car down on this route.

Even if there are several equipment options to choose from, we recommend you go for the most basic.

Beginner skis are short, flexible skis that are easy to turn or, if you're snowboarding, you'll have a shorter stiffer snowboard that's easier to control and generally cheaper too. 

You won't need to know about the technical aspects of any of the equipment as ski hire shops will advise you to get the best model for your ability and size once you've booked. 

If you're learning to ski for the first time, Val d'Isere has plenty of choice of ski schools who teach children and adults.  

Children's lessons are determined by their age and ability, whilst adult lessons are determined by ability and interests.

If you're a skier looking to progress after having already learnt the basics, you can buy a beginner pass for one day at a time or six days. 

You should consider buying a Val d'Isère only ski pass at this point, rather than the Espace Killy ski pass (which includes the neighbouring resort of Tignes).

Children under five ski for free. 

Buying all the gear before you go can be daunting if you’ve never set foot in a ski resort before. The key items to bring with you, along with the obvious ski jacket, ski trousers and goggles are as follows:

• Layers - thermal tops and leggings, fleeces, hoodies, hats and a good pair of ski gloves and a helmet. Weather on the mountain can change pretty quickly, and you are much better off wearing layers of thinner items as opposed to a big, bulky jumper.
• Socks - a variety of socks ranging in thickness, it may sound weird but in our experience hire boots can be quite painful with the wrong socks.
• Sun cream - even when it’s cloudy the sun here can (and will) still get you, and don't forget the underneath of your chin as the sun reflects off the snow too. Don't forget a lip salve with an SPF.
• Piste map - make sure to always have one in your pocket while you're out on the mountain. You can pick up paper copies from the lift pass or tourist office once you've arrived in resort.