The Five Best Pistes in Val d'Isere, France
- Henry
- Jun 5
- 5 min read
Henry breaks down his favourite and the best fun that can be had between the piste markers in this iconic French resort.
If you are are a regular reader of this blog – in which case, thank you – or follow me on Instagram (@skiingunlocked if you don’t), it might be easy to assume that I love skiing off-piste and off-piste only.
That is partially true. Skiing powder is amazing, the best feeling in the world, and I do spend a lot of my time with my friends seeking out every opportunity to ski as far away from anyone else as I can.
But first and foremost, I am a piste skier. I trained as an instructor many years ago, and when you spend three months skiing nothing but pistes you get very good at it and you learn to really, really appreciate piste skiing - carving perfect corduroy or slashing quick, short turns on steep pitches. My favourite runs, by a hair, are perfect corduroy, with a rip snorter of a ski under my feet to just crank over and let rip. I finally, finally, managed to convince my friends of the prescience of piste skiing on our trip this year, which you can see more of here.
Val d’Isere is a resort I have skied the most of any. I have ticked off pretty much every line, both on- and off-piste, and have my firm favourites, those that stand out as the best in resort. So without further ado - and in no particular order - here are Val d’Isere’s five best pistes.
Looking to play along at home? Find a piste map of Val d'Isere here.
Diebold
Diebold is one of a collection of pistes that flow down from the top of the Rocher de Bellevarde – the jump off for the La Daille funicular and Olympique gondola. It is the only blue, but don’t let that fool you. Diebold can be fast and steep in places, the varying terrain part of what makes it so much fun to ski.
The top part starts wide and fast, gently curving around the other runs that wind down towards Tommeuses lift. The snow here is almost always perfect, groomed overnight making it a perfect warm up run first thing in the morning.
As you head further down, however, this can change. The run loses around 1,000m vertical from top to bottom, so you will regularly get a snow transition around halfway down normally as you dive into the trees. This can add an extra challenge especially early and late in the season when the artificial base struggles to adapt to the conditions.
Despite this, Diebold is a seriously fun piste to ski, allowing you to open the gates early but challenges you to control your skiing and technique more further down.
Montet/Champions/Pisaillas
This collection of pistes high up on the Pisailles glacier are by far and away my favourite runs in Val d’Isere, normally for one key reason – elevation. At their lowest point, they meet the Col d’Iserean at 2,762, and start up high at around 3,000m.
As a result, it is always cold up here even early and late in the season. The snow is fast and firm and grippy, often with a thin layer of fresh snow as the weather is regularly different up here compare to the rest of the resort.
I love skiing up here, the rollercoaster pistes softened by this nice snow to make it, simply, fun.
Plan Millet
Plan Millet is very similar to the collection of pistes up on the Glacier. This time, we’re back over in the Solaise sector – just a short hop from the famous up-and-over chairlift.
Plan Millet is another run that is defined by its snow, another one that’s almost always cold, firm, and grippy. The run itself is wide and fast, but to add a little spice you can turn right onto Lessieres and take a real rollercoaster of a run, rolling up and down and side to side.
This run is busier than some of the others because it is so accessible; it’s a great area for skiers looking to improve their technique or begin to get their carve on, so definitely aim for a couple of runs on Plan Millet if that sounds like you.
At the same time, the exhilarating nature of the piste makes is a must-ski on my list of favourite runs for so many skiers.
German Mattis
Another piste that reaches the very bottom of the slopes, I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with German Matthis. This red run runs from the bottom of Datcha, and can be used as a continuation of Plan Millet if you fancy a real leg burner!
The cat track here is a great place to stop and take in the views, as well as catching your breath. From the turn off, however, it instantly heats up, a relatively steep pitch compare to what we’ve touched on previously on this list.
In good conditions – first thing in the morning, after a few centimetres of snow, German Mattis is loads of fun. It winds its way through the trees, narrowing at times, taking in a few fun fast corners, really challenging your skiing but in a nice, supportive way.
Later in the day, however, it catches the sun and turns mogul-y, quickly. It remains possible to find rivers of good snow down the sides of the piste, but be prepared to be side slipping in parts – this is a red run, after all!
This more challenging version is still fun, but far more type 2 fun. The challenge of staying in control and finding the nice snow is tricky in the moment, but conquering this leads to a great, almost euphoric feeling!
Face de Bellevarde
One of Val’s most famous runs, on-piste and off, Face (as it’s known simply to the locals) is best known as the host run for the 1992 Olympic downhill run; it continues to host the “technical” events, GS and Slalom on both the men’s and women’s World Cup circuit.
This thing is steep, but more than that, it is without flat sections; it is the steepest slope on the FIS World Cup circuit at around 32% on average.
And boy is it fun. It is a real test of your skiing ability, after a challenging-but-okay run in at the top it quickly turns sharp and steep. There is an escape route off to skier’s right, a red run that zig-zags in parallel to the main slope. But the main slope is where the real fun is, and I’ve had so many good runs down here really pushing my skiing on to the next level as a result.
Best skied first thing in the morning after a fresh layer of snow, it can get really icy and nasty, especially in the late-season sunshine. It should be treated with care at all times. But if you can, the challenge of Face is serious, unparalleled, and a joy to overcome.
Final Thoughts
I have loved skiing every corner of Val d'Isere over the past few years. These are my favourite pistes, but they are also the best. There is a common theme of being fast and challenging, but many of them - especially the blues mentioned early on - are accessible for any level of skier, and a great vehicle to really see the resort and clock up the miles.
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