Overview of Ski Area
With a combined ski area of over 300km of slopes, Espace Killy makes the most of its diverse, high-altitude terrain by achieving the near impossible of being all things to all people. Two very different resorts, together with a number of satellite villages, make up the third largest ski region in France.
The traditional Savoyard ambience of Val d’Isère and the purpose-built contemporary winter playground of Tignes provide superb opportunities for skiers of all ages and abilities – but especially for those looking for a challenge.
Resorts in Espace Killy
MAIN SKI RESORTS IN ESPACE KILLY
Val d’Isère
Overview of Ski Resort
You don’t get to be the most popular ski resort for Brits in the world without doing something right, and Val d’Isère, nestled in the Tarantaise Valley, ticks all the boxes and more. With unbeatable terrain, a character-filled traditional centre, consistent snow record and a vibrant après ski scene, if there’s anything this world-class resort is lacking it’s yet to be discovered.
Best for:
- Experts
- Off-Piste
- Intermediate
- Après Ski
- Off the Slopes Activities
Piste Guide
While there are some nursery slopes around the main village to keep beginners happy (and a beginners’ areas at La Daille and Solaise), Val d’Isère is better suited to confident intermediates and experts looking for their next big challenge.
Solaise, with its smart new gondola lift, sits at 2,560m and is a maze of fun-filled intermediate runs. From here, you can ski over to Le Fornet and make your way by gondola and cable car to the glacial heights beneath Pointe du Montet (3,488m) and ski down any number of fabulous intermediate slopes.
For thrill-seekers, Bellevarde, at 2,827m, is home to the infamous La Face, which drops down the mountain in a dizzying gradient reserved for experts. From Bellevarde you can also take on the challenge of the steep downhill run into La Daille.
Facilities
As well as being able to ski between the huge network of pistes, there are actually eight different access points to the mountain, so even in peak times you can usually avoid the queues. There’s a free ski bus to get you to any of the eight points.
Off skis there’s a lot to do as well, including sleigh rides, spa centres, ice-skating, an activity centre, markets, paragliding and watching the spectacular torch-lit descent of the ski instructors coming down La Face.
Après
There’s après action on the mountain at La Folie Douce in La Daille, but most of the fun kicks off in the resort. There’s a host of bars, pubs and restaurants and, although prices can be as steep as La Face, you’ll find some places like the Morris Pub and Pacific Bar that offer happy hours and cheaper drinks.
Dick’s Tea Bar is popular with Brits who want to party on until 5am, while, for a more chilled experience, Café Face and La Cave sur le Comptoir are a little more intimate and laidback. For cooler than cool cocktails and a spot of celebrity spotting, the Blizzard Hotel and Hotel les Barmes de l’Ours are favourites with the stylish set.
Tignes
Overview of Ski Resort
Not just great in winter, purpose-built Tignes is blessed with the opportunity for high-altitude, off-season glacier skiing at Grand Motte. One of Europe’s most reliable, snow sure destinations, its diverse, world-class terrain puts it at the top of the avid skier’s wish list.
Encompassing five villages set at varying altitudes on a mountain plateau at 2100m, the slopes around Tignes offer thrilling blacks for powder hounds, gentle greens for beginners – and everything in between.
Best for:
- Beginners
- Intermediate
- Experts
- Off-Piste
- Snowboarders
Piste Guide
Tignes’ high altitude terrain and off-season glacier skiing mean that its season is longer than almost anywhere else in the Alps. With 150km of its own pistes, along with Val d’Isère it encompasses more than 300km under the banner of Espace Killy and has some excellent skiing for intermediates.
It’s also one of the most accessible resorts, with La Lac, Le Lavachet and Val Claret right on the doorstep at 2,100m, linked to Aiguille Percée at 2,750m and down the mountain to Tignes Les Boisses and Tignes Les Brevières.
Tignes plays its off-piste card to perfection with the magnificent Grand Motte (at 3,455m) providing a range of spine-tingling ungroomed descents, as well as the untamed powder terrain around Le Grande Balme and Petite Balme.
Facilities
While the lifts get busy around peak times, you can minimise waiting time by using alternative routes. Ski or take the bus over to Lavachet, which is much quieter than the gondolas at Le Lac (which service the ski schools), while, if you’re heading over to Val d’Isère, you can avoid the crowds on the Toviere bubble by taking the Paquis chairlift.
Off the pistes there are plenty of activities like outdoor ice-skating, ice diving, mountain biking, a cinema and a sports centre with indoor climbing.
Après
Because Tignes is set over five villages there isn’t a concentrated heart of nightlife venues, as in other resorts, so it makes more sense to plot up in one spot. But there are plenty of great places to do just that.
Bar du Village Montana is perfect for the early birds, with a relaxed, chalet-style ambience – perfect to wind down after a day on the pistes. For live music and a lively atmosphere, the Couloir is the place to see and be seen, with tapas, cocktails and a rotating schedule of DJs, while Dropzone is a vibrant venue with local bands and an adrenaline sports-themed décor.
How to Get to Espace Killy
For those heading to Val d’Isère or Tignes, Espace Killy is convenient to a number of airports servicing the French Alps, including Geneva (GVA), Chambéry (CMF), Lyon (LYS) and Grenoble (GNB).
To complete your journey on to the resorts of Val d’Isère or Tignes, Shuttle Direct offers a convenient, direct transfer service and we’ll also transport your ski equipment for free (please notify us at time of booking). From Chambéry it takes around two hours by road, while Geneva, Lyon and Grenoble are all approximately three hours’ drives.
About Shuttle Direct
As the leading provider of convenient and professional transfers throughout Europe, Shuttle Direct offers services to and from all train stations, airports, cruise ports and hotels. Wherever your ski holiday takes you, our expert drivers have a wealth of experience of winter ski transfers in the Italian, Austrian and French Alps, so you’ll be in safe hands.
Shuttle Direct provides cost effective transfer options to a range of airports servicing the French Alps, including Geneva (GVA), Chambéry (CMF), Grenoble (GNB) and Lyon (LYS). We have shared and private transfers to suit every budget and any group size, from singles and couples to groups and families.
