Snow warranty Ski in all seasons

Thanks to the location of the ski area and the energy of the people downstream, naturally abundant falls (such as the Retours d’Est) are relayed by the regular interventions of the Atelier de la Neige, one of the most efficient in Europe.

A large ski area Exceptional snow cover

Val d’Isère is a ski area with a snow cover and weather conditions that are highly favorable for skiing.

Temperatures are mostly negative during the day and/or at night throughout the winter months, but also in April, which favors the maintenance of the snowpack, even without new snowfalls. Snow cover is always present.

White gold continues to grace Val d’Isère with its presence, even in late spring when snow precipitation can occur regularly, especially above 2000 meters.

Ski all season long with Snow cover

The snow guarantee means you can ski almost all year round, with a break from early May to early June and from mid-July to December. The altitude of the ski area, between 1,900 and 3,000 meters above sea level, is a major factor in this.

Backed by these advantages, Val d’Isère offers a wide range of promotional offers for spring and summer skiing. The latter takes place from early June to mid-July in the mornings on the Pisaillas glacier. A shuttle bus takes you from the resort to the foot of the glacier, with all-inclusive packages and discounts for children.

Give yourself the pleasure of summer skiing at over 3,000 meters above sea level.

Le Retour d'Est Explanations of the phenomenon

Cédric Bonnevie, Director of Val d’Isère’s Ski Department, puts it perfectly:

“Our proximity to the Italian border means we benefit from exceptional, highly localized snowfalls. During disturbances over Italy on a south-easterly flow, we are in fact virtually the only ones to benefit from the “retour d’Est” phenomenon: precipitation overflows abundantly onto the French side, only to quickly fade away.”

Live from Val d’Isère, we are currently under a steady stream of intense snowfall, more commonly known as the ♦RETOUR D’EST♦. For powder snow lovers, this return from the east is a gift from heaven. For mountain professionals, it’s more a sign of vigilance: securing ski areas with the implementation of PIDAs (Plan d’Intervention de déclenchements d’Avalanches), securing villages and roads and consequently the inhabitants.

This easterly return passes through Val d’Isère several times a winter, and the quantities of precipitation (rain or snow) it generates are very significant. Here are a few more technical explanations from Thomas Blanchard, manager of www.meteoalpes.fr:

The easterly flow is a low-pressure system located over the Mediterranean, which brings up warm, moisture-laden air masses from the south.

As it meets the first reliefs of the Italian Piedmont via the Po plain, this air rises, condenses, cools and gains even more moisture (orographic effect). As a result, very heavy precipitation fell on the southern part of the Gran Paradiso massif in Italy, spilling over from east to west (as a result of the east-southeast meteorological circulation) via the sources of the Arc and Isère rivers, which were the worst-hit areas. Snowfall amounts during this episode can reach three meters in two days in these areas. Snowfalls can reach as far as Val d’Isere and Tignes when the weather situation is very dynamic (which is what’s happening these days).

On the other hand, once past the high reliefs from Grande-Casse to Mont-Pourri, the air mass dries out very quickly and warms up (this is known as the foehn effect) as it moves down the valley towards Bourg-Saint-Maurice and the Tarentaise.

Organizing my stay in Val d'Isère

Val d’Isère is committed to retaining its authentic, pioneering spirit and giving you the true mountain experience.