Snowparks in Val d'Isere

Snowboarders and free-style skiers have access to the Val Park in the Bellevarde area via the Bellevarde or Olympique cable cars or the La Daille funicular.  

If you're coming over from Tignes, take the Bolin Express from Val Claret or the Aeroski. The Val Park, as it's known, lies in the centre of the Bellvarde bowl just under the Mont Blanc chairlift and is serviced by the drag tow that runs up the side of the slalom course. 

The park is clearly set out in different sections so that the jumps (kickers) are grouped together depending on their difficulty. Like pistes, they are green, blue, red and black. If you're new to the slopes it's best to start on the greens, just like on the slopes. There is also has a section designed for riding rails with some easy boxes for beginners as well as the more technical rails.

The park is well maintained by a dedicated team and some of the kickers here are specially shaped for photo shoots and competitions meaning that they can get quite big and can change often. 

The biggest problem with the Val Park is not the kickers and rails within it, they are uniformly good, it's the location. Although it lies in a natural sun trap and is sheltered from the wind it's a short, wide run meaning that the lifts that access it run first along its base and then up its side, so you can easily spend more time on the lifts than you do on the features.

In Tignes, the snowpark can be found at the top of the Grattalu chairlift. 

The park is on a long flowing run with a good high-speed chair at the bottom or you can also use the Col du Palet drag lift. 

The features are better suited to beginners and intermediates as the kickers are not that big, certainly smaller than the biggest ones in Val. If you're new to the slopes you may find it easier to use the Grattalu chairlift to access the park as the drag tow that runs up its side is long and maybe a little tricky if you're still finding your balance.

The park in Tignes is also fitted with an airbag which is free to use and open daily. A perfect place to try a new trick without fear of injury.

Probably the best freestyle feature that Tignes has to offer is its halfpipe. This sits at the base of the Les Lanches chairlift at the top end of Tignes Val Claret. The pipe itself is impressive, not many resorts in France have one.