The benefits of altitude Mountain training | Val d’Isère : Alps ski resort and winter sports

Why train at altitude? Understanding the effects on the body

Training at altitude in Val d’Isère offers significant advantages for top-level athletes. Located at an altitude of 1,800 metres, this Alpine village offers an environment where the air is less rich in oxygen, prompting the body to produce more red blood cells. This physiological adaptation improves endurance, optimizes respiratory capacity, and boosts overall performance by increasing muscle oxygenation.

Training in Val d’Isère, with its varied mountainous terrain, allows you to diversify your sessions between running, cycling, cross-country skiing or hiking, while offering breathtaking scenery. These majestic panoramas are not only aesthetically pleasing; they also promote concentration, motivation and mental well-being, bringing a deep connection with nature.

The challenges of altitude and mountainous terrain strengthen athletes’ physical and mental resilience, preparing their bodies and minds to excel in competition. What’s more, Val d’Isère boasts modern facilities for training in the best possible conditions, including the Manchet and Centre sports parks and our Aquasportif Center.

Summer Tennis in the Manchet Valley at Val Disere

After the effort, the comfort Our recovery tips

The ultra-equipped Centre Aquasportif features a 25-meter swimming pool with saunas, a steam room, whirlpools and an ice shower. As you may know, alternating hot and cold is ideal for speeding up recovery. You’ll also find plenty of swimming pools and spas in private hotels – find out more here.
For the more courageous, we recommend a trip to the Isère springs: simple, natural and effective! You can head for the Pont St Charles or Les Sources in the direction of La Daille. Soaking your legs in this icy water is a great way to avoid aches and pains.
Eating a well-balanced diet and filling up on proteins and vitamins is a must, and we’ll give you the good addresses here! For incredible pasta dishes, head to La Casa Scara restaurant, and for sports breads, energy balls and desserts of all kinds, we recommend Oh Crazy Barms bakery and tea room. Le Val d’Isère Café offers salads, bowls and grilled meats, and last but not least, we love Le Garage for its superb, flavorful Italian pizzas!

Customized formulas to take care of yourself!

Two hotels in the village invite you to take a wellness and recuperation break, specifically targeting sports enthusiasts. We invite you to discover these addresses together:

Le Yule and its health center, with personalized preventive and curative treatments, find out more.
The Spa du Refuge de Solaise with its “pass recharge” ritual and energizing, sports-oriented physiotherapist massages. Treatments menu.

Champions, athletes, competitors... They train here in Val d'Isère

Many athletes have chosen Val d’Isère as their training ground! Here, they find both a variety of routes and paths with a high altitude gradient, and the peace and quiet in summer of a small mountain village surrounded by exceptional natural beauty to help them recuperate.

Among our most loyal followers are Anne-Lise Rousset, a French long-distance runner specializing in trail running and skyrunning, and her husband and trainer Adrien Seguret. On their Instagram stories, you can see them running on the Balcons trail!

To take things a little higher, there’s paragliding and speed riding/flying by Léo Taillefer, our resort ambassador, freestyle ski champion and director of spectacular videos, andEliot Nochez, three-time French champion and freestyle paragliding world cup winner. These two long-time friends train in Val d’Isère in summer and winter alike, delighting Avalins and holidaymakers alike with a host of shows, notably at the Joyeuse Sauterie and Leo’s Invitational.

Every year, we meet up with our ski champions, Victor Muffat Jeandet, French alpine skier, athlete of the Val d’Isère Sports Club and Olympic medallist at the Pyongyang Games. He takes advantage of the Bike Park to work on his commitment and trains on the ski area in winter and on the Pisaillas glacier in summer. Clément Noël, medallist on numerous occasions and loyal to the Club des Sports de Val d’Isère since 2012, regularly warms up on our beautiful black pistes.

You may also come across local resident Nouria Newmann, who trains regularly in our ski area, at the Centre Aquasportif and in Isère, before heading off on her extreme kayaking expedition.

Training ideas At altitude

Bike Park
Mountain biking
Hiking
Trails and Treks
Spa

Bike Park Tignes - Val d'Isère

Accessible to beginners and advanced riders alike, the Bike Park Tignes – Val d’Isère is suitable for all types of riding: DH / Downhill, XC / Cross Country, Enduro, etc.

On mountain bikes or VTTAE / E-Bikes and even Fauteuils Tout Terrain (FTT), hurtle down our 230km of dedicated trails and courses, for your greatest pleasure!

Bike Park

Mountain biking

Our professionals and mountain bike schools offer all levels of downhill and enduro coaching in the form of private or group lessons.

Hiking tours

Setting off on an expedition to discover our landscapes has never been easier! From short strolls to long hikes with varying gradients, there’s something for everyone to enjoy at their own pace, so put on your trekking boots and head off into unknown territory with your eyes closed!