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val d’isere- Author; chisloup- Wikimedia

Top 10 Fascinating Facts about Val-d’Isere, France

Val d’Is猫re  is a commune of the Tarentaise Valley, in the Savoie department (Auvergne-Rh么ne-Alpes region) in southeastern France.

It lies 5 kilometres from the border with Italy. It is on the border of the Vanoise National Park which was created in 1963.

1. It is a known and popular spot for alpine skiing

Alpine skiing- Image by Oleksandr Pyrohov from

During the Albertville 1992 Winter Olympics, the Face de Bellevarde was the site of the men’s downhill race.

Other alpine skiing events held during those games included men’s giant slalom and alpine combined.

Val d’Is猫re regularly hosts World Cup alpine events, usually for the men in early December, and hosted the World Championships in 2009.

It is located in the Savoie r茅gion with good transport links in and out of Lyon, Geneva and Chamb茅ry.

The ski area of Val d’Is猫re and Tignes forms the Espace Killy, named after the triple Olympic champion Jean-Claude Killy who grew up in Val d’Is猫re.

2. It has two mountain huts known as ‘refuges’

The ‘Refuge’ at Val-d’Isere- Author; Anthospace –

There are two mountain huts (called 鈥渞efuges鈥� in French) owned by the Vanoise National Park on the territory of Val d鈥橧s猫re: le Refuge du Prariond and le Refuge du Fond des Fours.

3. Well recognized for its architectural designs

Val-d’Isere- Photo by Yann Allegre on

The western and central areas of Val d’Is猫re are most recognizable by their “chalet” architecture, while in the eastern part of the town high-rise architecture dominates the landscape.

Along with nearby Tignes the area forms part of the “l’ Espace Killy”, the self-titled “Most Beautiful Ski Area in the World”.

4.Val-d’Isere usually have snow fares for the skiing events

Skiing down to Val D’Isere- Author; Ian Gratton-

The Pissaillas Glacier offers summer skiing, as well as the usual winter fare. Snow cannon are placed on certain slopes to accommodate heavy skiing.

The ski slopes themselves are equipped with a high-volume gondola, able to transport standing skiers, the funicular Funival  from La Daille via a tunnel to the top of Bellevarde, traditional chair lifts鈥攕ome with windshields and many detachable, button/disc-pulls and tow-ropes.

There are both groomed slopes and backcountry skiing. The slopes’ difficulty levels are particularly high.

However, as in Tignes, there are wide, easily navigable pistes for those of the beginner-intermediate level as well.

Val d’Is猫re is renowned as having some of the world’s best lift-accessed off-piste and has many independent instructors and guides who specialise in off-piste tuition and guiding.

5. Proof of human habitation at Val-d’Isere has  been found to have traces of celtic tribes

Celtic gold- Author; Numisantica-

Human habitation of the valley dates back to before Roman times with traces of Celtic tribes found in the area.

The Celts were a collection of tribes with origins in central Europe that shared a similar language, religious beliefs, traditions and culture.

It鈥檚 believed that the Celtic culture started to evolve as early as 1200 B.C. The Celts spread throughout western Europe鈥攊ncluding Britain, Ireland, France and Spain鈥攙ia migration.

Their legacy remains most prominent in Ireland and Great Britain, where traces of their language and culture are still prominent today.

6. Val-d’Isere received parish rights in 1637

A parish- Photo by K. Mitch Hodge on

The town received parish rights in 1637 and the parish church, which is still a landmark in the town centre, was built in 1664.

Val-d’Isere was part of the historical land of Savoy emerged as the feudal territory of the House of Savoy during the 11th to 14th centuries.

The historical territory is shared between the modern countries of France, Italy, and Switzerland.

The House of Savoy became the longest surviving royal house in Europe. It ruled the County of Savoy to 1416 and then the Duchy of Savoy from 1416 to 1860.

7. The skiing that is so popular at Val d’Is猫re has its roots back in the 1930s

Skiing- Author; Hans B茅zard-

Skiing in Val d’Is猫re has its roots in the 1930s when a drag lift was built on the slopes of the Solaise. This was followed by an aerial tramway (a cable car).

During WWII, the village secretly housed Jewish children; the former mayor of the village, Dr. Frederic Petri, sheltered a young woman in his chalet and nursed her broken leg

8. Val-d’Is猫re is typically characterized by a subarctic climate kind of climate

Val d’Is猫re, France- Author; Pete Coleman- Wikimedia

The subarctic climate is a climate characterized by long, cold winters, and short, warm to cool summers.

Val-d’Is猫re , therefore, has a subarctic climate where the average annual temperature in Val-d’Is猫re is 3.8 掳C (38.8 掳F).

The average annual rainfall is 912.9 mm (35.94 in) with December as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in July, at around 12.5 掳C (54.5 掳F), and lowest in January, at around 鈭�4.6 掳C (23.7 掳F).

The highest temperature ever recorded in Val-d’Is猫re was 29.3 掳C (84.7 掳F) on 27 June 2019; the coldest temperature ever recorded was 鈭�25.2 掳C (鈭�13.4 掳F) on 31 December 2000.

9. Hosts the Alpine Ski World Cup every year

Photo by Banff Sunshine Village on

The resort hosts every year a round of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup for both men and women.

The men’s Downhill, Super-G and Giant Slalom of the 1992 Albertville Olympic Winter Games were held on the Face de Bellevarde in Val d’Is猫re.

The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2009 were also held in Val d’Is猫re.

10. Val d’Is猫re have been featured in a movie, a tv show and a video game

Image by imageworld from

Val d’Is猫re was made well known as the vacation spot of characters Edina and Patsy in the British sitcom, Absolutely Fabulous.

Although the movie Les Bronz茅s font du ski (French Fried Vacation 2) has been a great success in France, only a few people are aware that it was shot in Val d’Is猫re.

In 1994, a video game named after the resort, Val d’Isere Championship was released for the Super NES, after it was featured in an episode of GamesMaster.

Another game called Val d’Is猫re Skiing and Snowboarding was released for the Atari Jaguar in 1995.