Val d'Isere's 5 Best Off-Piste Skiing Routes
- Henry
- Apr 10
- 9 min read
Lift accessible, snowy, and amazing - Val d'Isere's variety of off piste skiing is almost endless. Here are the five best routes to help you narrow down your choices.
Val d’Isere is known around the world for its off piste skiing. More that, however, a vast majority of this world-leading off piste skiing is available directly via the lift system. This combination is almost unparalleled anywhere in the Alps, and perhaps even in the World.
Alongside this, Val d’Isere possess superb elevation; a vast majority of the 300km of pistes shared with Tignes sit above 1,800m and some of the best routes are well above 2,000m; superb snow surety is therefore guaranteed, as is really nice consistent snowfall throughout the winter.
These are the best off piste routes in Val d’Isere I've had the immense pleasure of skiing; as a result, my favourite runs, too. All of them lift accessible, there is no need to carry skins for these routes, although with some of them they can be made even better with a few minutes of touring before or after.
All of them are attainable by any level of off piste skier – what I mean by that is we’re not climbing sheer faces to send the thinnest, narrowest of couloirs. Instead, we’re skiing generally mellow terrain, away from complex avalanche risks, and generally assured of nice powder. Some off piste skiing experience and skills will be required, as will basic avalanche safety, but we’re not setting out to recreate a Nikolai Schirmer high drama odyssey.
Here are my five favourite off piste routes in Val d’Isere, where to find them, and how to ski them. Before we crack on, a couple of honourable mentions have to go to Super L, the trees under the Laisinant chair, and Pays Desert, the huge field of snow off the top of the Pisaillas Glacier. Ready? Let’s begin.
1. Tour du Charvet
View Tour du Charvet on Outdoor Active here: https://out.ac/IFsgNZ
The Rocher du Charvet dominates the Olympique side of Val d’Isere, a huge lump of rock down which are carved some of the resorts’ fiercest pistes (looking at you, Face de Bellevarde), as well as pockmarked with couloirs of varying challenge.
But it’s over the shoulders of this rock that one of Val d’Isere’s best off piste runs can be found. From the top of the slow, fixed-grip four-pack Grand Pré chair lift, keep going straight off the top. You’ll need to duck under the rope, but don’t worry, this isn’t enforced like it is in North America; it’s just a marker delineating where ski patrol authority ends.
Don’t forget to stop at the top for a quick picture with the Val d’Isere word sign before you go!
As you go under the rope, look up across the valley; you will see a vast face of snow falling away in front of you, down into the valley far below and currently hidden from view. All you need to do is ski, ski and ski. Generally look to angle to the right, and finish up meeting the gulley at the base near its head. Don’t ski into the gulley, but instead stay high on the left hand side and look for a traverse track – follow this all the way out of the valley and back to the resort, landing by the base of the Manchet chairlift.
It's best to ski this one early in the morning; the traverse track out follows along the foot of several avalanche prone faces, which can produce big slides in the afternoon sun – take your time skiing along here.
I love Tor de Charvet as there is a real sense of leaving civilisation behind; quite literally, as you can feel the eyes of other skiers burning a hole in your backpack as you set off under the rope! It’s accessible, too, with some nice skiing to be had along the way. It’s for these reasons that it makes it onto the list of the best off piste routes in Val d’Isere.
2. Grand Vallon
View Grand Vallon on Outdoor Active here: https://out.ac/nhSrK
Grand Vallon is much like Tor de Charvet, in many ways. From the top of a lift – in this case the short but sharp Signal drag lift. Again, another rope to duck under, but without the spectators this time; the Signal lift exists to serve as an access to Vallon, and little else beside a sharp black run back to the main pistes.
From the rope, follow a series of traverse tracks out … well, as far as you want. A series of bowls await, and whilst the skiing down here can be good, the avalanche risk can be a little dangerous. Most people therefore keep going until the bowls pass, over a ridgeline, where the ground opens out.
A lot of the skiing in Grand Vallon is north facing, and sheltered. This means it holds its snow fabulous well, creating some great skiing; some of my absolute favourite off piste moments have been in the bowls along here. On the leeward side of the Signal d’Iseran, they capture a lot of wind-blown snow, too. This does mean the avalanche risk can tick up, so be careful and plan accordingly before venturing into Grand Vallon. Beware too of the lower slopes, as in the sun they can create an avalanche “micro-climate”, elevating the avalanche risk but for different reasons than higher up.
You’ll finish skiing at a hairpin bend in the road that winds its way up to the Col d’Iseran, covered in snow and therefore closed in the winter; get on this, and follow it all the way back to the Fornet Gondola, a nice easy cruise to reminisce about the skiing that has passed!
3. Cugnaï
View Cugnaï on Outdoor Active here: https://out.ac/IFtN7g
I have such a love-hate relationship with Cugnaï which will come apparent further in this piece, but don't let that detract from the amazing off piste skiing that can be found here! Some of my absolute favourite off piste skiing has been down this route, and it sits within such a grandiose mountain setting that it is impressive just to look at, let alone ski.
Like the first few entries on this list, it is accessible from the top of a ski lift – in this case the eponymous Cugnaï. Where it differs from others is the nesscity to side-step up around 10 paces to access the traverse track after you duck under the rope.
Before you set off into the valley, stop and take in your surroundings. The view from the top of Cugnaï is simply staggering, endlessly vast mountains reaching as far as the eye can see. And in the foreground of this? A ribbon of white, rolling and flowing like a wide river over and round this landscape. It is simply a matter of picking your line down here; everything funnels down to the same point.
As the season goes on, the best snow may be found further round the upper bowl, in the shadow of the mountains on the far side. We scored some serious powder in these shadier parts.
Like with the other routes, the outlet is along the valley floor. Generally it is very safe and secure, but there is a known avalanche path that can slide into the valley from far above if triggered – treat it with care.
In the spring months, a mountain hut is open about half-way along the outlet run. Bring some cash and stop for a coffee or a hot chocolate and enjoy the isolation! Eventually, it will bring you out by the Manchet chairlift, but it is these last few hundred metres that I always struggle with – at a lower elevation and different aspect to the rest of the route, it is almost always difficult snow to traverse across. This is not to put a dampner on the rest of the run – Cugnaï is one of the best off piste routes in Val d’Isere because of the dramatic scenery through which it passes and the excellent snow quality along the way.
4. Moniteurs
View Moniteurs on Outdoor Active here: https://skiingunlocked.hopp.to/oa-moniteurs
Moniteurs is a couloir down the north face of the Rocher du Charvet. Hang on a second, I thought we weren’t doing couloirs? Well, yes, but Moniteurs is different. As you head up the Grand Pré chairlift, look over to your left. The wide, triangular opening in the rock is Moniteurs, and don’t worry, it isn’t nearly as steep nor as narrow as it looks.
The tricky part is the entrance, which must be taken with care. From the top of the Grand Pré chair (again), turn 180 degrees around to the left, and set off as if you were trying to start the boarder cross course. Instead, step up to the right onto the traverse track that should be clearly visible, and follow it almost horizontally along the face as the boarder cross drops off down the hill to the left.
As you approach the couloir entrance, the traverse track narrows until it is only, barely, two ski-widths wide. Here is where you will need to be very careful, as it is not a fun drop off down the hill should anything happen.
Entering the couloir involves several movements in quick succession; follow the traverse track, it will kick up, then drop you into the very top of the couloir; let the flow take you in, and start skiing down straight away – it is an awesome feeling, just letting the skiing take you down this narrow channel of rock!
The north face of the Rocher du Charvet holds snow really well, so this can often be a hidden powder stash even after the dryest of periods. This includes the run out back to the piste and either the Fontaine Froid or Grand Pré chairs, so it’s well worth the effort squeezing in.
I have a real soft spot for Moniteurs; it is, after all, where I lost my couloir virginity! For those really looking for a challenge, you can try Pisteurs – much, much longer, narrower, suitable for only for experts, but a hell of a ski regardless. This one also needs a good half hour boot pack up to the top of the Rocher du Charvet, too!
5. Col Pers & Malpasset
View Col Pers on Outdoor Active here: https://skiingunlocked.hopp.to/oa-col-pers
Col Pers is, easily, my favourite off piste route in Val d'Isere and easily the best. It’s one of the least-skied routes in the resort, partly because it is comparatively tricky to access and relies on good snow to make the absolute most of it.
Pers is, effectively, an extension of Grand Vallon, but rather than accessing from the top of the Signal lift, you instead come in higher up and further along as access from Grand Vallon is blocked by a ridgeline. To access, take the Montet T-bar to the top of the Pisaillas glacier, and take the well-worn traverse track running all the way around the bowl to looker’s left. This will end up at the Col itself, easily distinguishable by the peak of the Signal d’Iseran to the left and the long ridge leading to Aguille Pers to the right.
There is a lower traverse track in, but this requires a significant side-step up at the end. The benefit of the lower route is it avoids a lot of the avalanche paths that line the bowl on this side; this is one to consider carefully and watch the avalanche forecast before going in, if only for the traverse.
From the Col, there is a sharp drop into the bowl, but then it is a case of skiing, and skiing, and skiing. All the way. A vast, open series of bowls and powder fields, all of fairly mellow, from top to bottom. You can’t really go wrong here, as all routes end up down at the Malpasset Gorge. If you are lucky, the gorge is filled in enough that you can ski the gorge from tip to tail, popping up close to the Col d’Iseran road at the foot of Grand Vallon. Note, however, that this has only happened once in the last few years, so it may require a short hike back up to snow level to ski out.
There is one simple reason to fall in love with Col Pers; how empty it is. Almost every other route, unless you are the first ones down, you will see signs of other skiers, be it tracks or watching them skiing the line you were just about to take. Col Pers is, often, empty. Occasionally, you’ll pass a ski touring party coming up the other way. But more often than not, you can score 1,000m of vert all by yourself. Heaven or what?
Final Thoughts
I wasn't really what you would call an off piste skier before I started regularly coming to Val d'Isere. However, four years of being dragged round to every corner of this place, and I'm in love. In love with the feeling of skiing powder, with the feeling of leaving civilisation behind and the feeling of exploring this epic mountain environment that we are lucky enough to ski.
These are my favourite routes, and many would consider these the best, staples of Tignes-Val d'Isere. But there are so many more to explore, so don't let one list curtail your adventures!
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