Val d'Isere

I'm told in the past that some of the very beginners lifts at the foot of Soliase were free and didn't need a pass can anyone confirm if this is true/still the case ?

Been there a few times but never something I've had to worry about till now.

Help apprecitaed.

Dave

Yes, two or three lifts at Solaise and one (I think) at la Daille are free.

I didn't come across any free lifts in Val when I was there last year and the skiing back into the resort was very difficult for beginners in my opinion.
If you are looking for a great selection of free lifts and easy beginners runs then go to Courchevel. Courchevel 1650 has 2 free lifts, and 1850 has about 4 free lifts. Once you learn a little bit you can buy a Minipass that gives you access to a large area for a beginners including chair lifts, gondolas and buttin lifts, and all the slopes back down to the village are easy. That is really something you should look at when booking your holiday. there is nothing worse than not being able to ski home at the end of the day!

Hi Rustyinn, I pretty much have to agree with Julia re Val D'Isere. Although it is a great resort, it can be a right pain for complete beginners to ski back to. I would have thought that most would end up getting lifts back down, or skiing down to other areas and getting the bus back.

If my memory from two years ago is correct, the only lift which may have been free is a very small one just to the left of the solaise lifts. But it is not a lift I have ever used so cannot be sure.

Also, I would have thought that beginners would be in a class of some sort, at which point they are going to need a pass in Val.

There are easy slopes at the bottom of Solaise, but I'm not sure if they are free. There are also easy lifts and even a green at the top of the Solaise cable car. I'm not keen on exhausted novice skiers feeling they just have to ski back at the end of the day. It's a recipe for accident and injury.
Another option would be to encourage the learners to take lessons in UK before heading out, which would reduce the problem.

bandit wrote:I'm not keen on exhausted novice skiers feeling they just have to ski back at the end of the day. It's a recipe for accident and injury.

I agree bandit, but there seems to be some sort of stigma attached to getting a lift back to the resort :cry:

If you think about it, it is quite easy to return to Val without skiing down. There is the gondola back from both Solaise and the top of La Face, or the gondola or funicular down to La Daille, and then a short free bus back to Val.

Yet every time I go, I see loads of people struggling down runs they are not suited to, which leads to runs which are simply massively overcrowded because people are blocking them up.

It is perhaps one of the few downsides of Val D'Isere in my opinion.

Totally agree with the thoughts re Val and beginners.
My second week ever on snow was in Val - by chance not choice.
It was a baptism of fire and 90% of the lift pass was wasted.
Much better resorts for beginners.
But, a learner as part of a group would still get a good experience. The key being feeling OK and being shown how to use the lifts to get back down.
Copied from www.valdisere.com
SKIING IN VAL D'ISÈRE, IS RESERVED EXCLUSIVELY... FOR EVERYBODY

If you are a beginner or an occasional skier?
Val d'Isère puts at your disposal 5 free ski lifts at the bottom of the skiing area to accompany you in your first slopes.
At la Daille : Ski lift Lanches
Bottom of Solaise : Skilift of the Legettaz, Chairlift of the Rogoney, Skilift of the Savonnette et Chairlift of Village

And then the area between the top of the Bellevarde and the top of the bubble from/to La Daille - called "Ski Tranquille" is a marvelous novice playground which has the advantage of not really being a through route for faster skiers.

Val would be a great choice for a beginner but very expensive and the hard core element to the resort could be off putting.

Have been to Val several times so I know it's not an ideal resort for total beginners - but a crowd of us booked ages ago and now one of the guys girlfriends (who has never skied before) wants to join us.

So we are kinda stuck with the resort on this occasion - we'd have chosen differently if we'd been aware from the start that we potentially had a beginner in the group.

Was just trying to guage what it was going to cost her on top of the basic trip/lessons/ski hire - obviously if she can avoid having to buy a lift pass (at least for the start of the week) then it could make a big difference cost wise.

Thanks for all the advice, info and comments folks.

:)