With its succulent snow, eye popping peaks and crazy cabaret shows, Val d’Isere is a triple threat when it comes to picturesque, party, ski resorts.  We went on a family trip with our teenage daughters so were a little low key on the party side of things but that didn’t stop us from enjoying the afternoon cabaret at La Folie Douce, a glass of après ski gluhwein as we wandered the vieux ville and a couple of unforgettable dinners out.

The skiing was the true highlight for us and as we stayed in the vieux ville (also known as central Val) our closest ski areas were Solaise via the Solaise gondola or Solaise Express chairlift, which has intermediate slopes and also access across to the Le Fornet ski area with some pretty high-altitude skiing options including the Pissailas Glacier.

Our other fav place to start our day’s skiing from the village was to take the Olympic cable car or Bellevarde Express, to the 2,827m summit. Then we could ski the long black or red runs all the way down or start weaving our way across to Val Claret then up the cable car to the marvellous La Grande Motte peak at 3656m.  There’s also the funicular train which we took a few times when it was very windy and better to stay grounded and some lovely red runs in this area too.

We had a couple of big blizzards when we visited so had to take the bus to the Funival funicular a couple of mornings as the chairlifts were closed and the funicular shot straight up the tunnel inside the mountain to deliver us almost above the cloud.  From the top of the Funival you can take connections to Tignes. The village of Tignes lacks charm as it is mostly high rise hotels buts the smaller villages of Tignes le lac and Le Lavachet or Val Claret have some good lunch options and access to a mix of red, black and blue runs.

 Of course, on our way back to the vieux village one day we had to stop in at La Folie Douce which is at the top of the La Daille gondola in the heart of the Espace Killy ski area. You can hear the club before you see it as the music starts around 1 and on a good day the outdoor deck is packed with ski boot thumping dancers and on a bad weather day the show goes on inside. We almost choked on our soup and baguette as lithe lycra clad bodies gyrated along the table tops past us and skimpily clad men and women with tres athletic bodies performed seductive dances. Quite a departure from the bowls of chilli on a cramped shared cafeteria table we were used to in the North American resorts!

Highlights at a glance:

• The rich history as a 1930s pioneering village
• The Connected Ski Area: Together with Tignes, it forms the massive “Tignes-Val d’Isère” ski area (formerly Espace Killy), offering 300km of runs, 78 lifts, and 2 glaciers.
• Historic Village Charm: the town retains its Savoyard charm with traditional architecture, and restaurants still serving classic cassoulets.
• Great mix of lifts: The “Funival” funicular inside a mountain, the Perce Neige Funicular and cable car up to La Grande Motte to mention a few.
• High altitude fun – You can’t miss La Folie Douce in the Tignes side of Val d’isere where you can catch the spirit of Miami and Ibiza – in the snow!