Val d'Isere (French Alps) trip

March 3-12, 2006.  We had 7 full days of skiing at the famous "Espace Killy" (the Killy Space) comprising of Val d'Isere and Tignes, the place where Jean Claude Killy honed his skills. 

Not everyone skied all 7 days. Besides, every evening we took the time to explore the town of Val d'Isere and its local cuisine.  We tried several Creperies (where they sell crepes), as well as sea-food restaurants, and others.

We found that wine and beer were often less expensive than bottled water or orange juice!

We experienced a mix of sunny days followed by fresh snow dumps, fog, and wind. Some days were warm, others chilly.

The staff at our Hotel Danival were very warm, pleasant, and helpful.  They served a great breakfast every day, with several kinds of cheese, the obligatory baguettes and "jambon" (ham), and complete with "oeufs a la coque" -- boiled eggs.

Cheese was served on almost everything. Not just fondue and raclette, but also a dollop of grated cheese placed on top of pasta dishes, soups, salads, etc. Someone in our group called it "blockage". As in: "Would you like some more blockage on top of your soup?"

The ski terrain was vast. Nobody skied all the available lifts. There were several very interesting lift solutions. We found one of the longest platter lifts in the world, going uphill and downhill and making two left turns.  There were 8-passenger lifts, with a moving carpet at the loading station.  There were two funiculaire trains pulled by cables at a high speed (much faster than any express lift). There was a "roller-coaster" lift that made some people scream as it crested a ridge and started going downhill on the other side. Another lift had two separate lines, and every other chair went in a different direction. One was free and turned back at the mid-station, but every second chair would continue straight on for another mile.

We had several powder days, but also days when the snow was so grabby we were confined to the groomed trails. The avalanche danger was at its highest the day we arrived. In fact, two people were swept away by an avalanche on the road ahead of us. A German tourist told us he had been coming to Val d'Isere for 35 years and never once had to chain up, but this time the police would not let anyone through without chains. 

SEE MORE VAL D'ISERE TRIP PHOTOS IN OUR SNAPFISH PHOTO ALBUMS!