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Val-d'Isere off Piste & Back Country Skiing Specialists

SKI OFF-PISTE IN VAL-D'ISERE

The Off-Piste Specialists in Val d’Isère

Alpine Experience Ski School has been Val d’Isere’s off-piste specialists for over thirty years. We are a team of dedicated Val d’Isère off-piste guides / ski instructors, who want to share our love of the mountains, and off-piste skiing with you.

Alpine Experience Ski School run groups seven days a week, from November until May. We have groups for off-piste novices, right up to the most experienced off-piste skiers. Our clientele is made up of those passionate about skiing away from the crowds and the groomed pistes.

Not only do we have Val d’Isère and Tignes as our base, but the entire Tarentaise Valley as options, including Sainte-Foy-Tarentaise, Les Arcs, La Plagne, La Rosiere, and La Thuile (in Italy). Our off-piste area offers some of the most stunning, rewarding, and memorable off-piste skiing in the world.

Why Ski Off-Piste in Val d’Isère?

Because Val d’Isère, linked with Tignes, offers an exceptional off-piste domain. It is varied, challenging, and accessible, making it the world’s finest off-piste resort. It offers gentle off-piste routes for off-piste beginners, as well as exciting couloirs and steep slopes for the more advanced. From forests in the valley floor to high mountain terrain, and all the hidden nooks and crannies in-between, Val d’Isère and Tignes have it all! With Alpine Experience you’ll discover the true essence of skiing in Val d’Isère and Tignes!

Plus Val d’Isère and Tignes have the luxury of slopes facing every direction on the compass. This allows us to find the best powder snow protected from the wind, or follow the sun around for ‘perfect’ spring snow later in the season. And Val d’Isère and Tignes can boast about one of the best snow records in Europe. With global warming altitude is crucial, and Val d’Isère and Tignes are two of the highest resorts in the Alps. On top of all of that, Val d’Isère and Tignes share one of the most advanced and sophisticated lift systems in the world. Why would you ski anywhere else?

Off-piste skiing at Vallon de la Sache in Tignes
That's why we come to Val-d'Isere/Tignes

Val d’Isere’s Lift System

Val d’Isère and Tignes have invested heavily in their lift systems, resulting in one of the most modern and advanced lift networks in the world. Thanks to this rapid and sophisticated system, we are able to benefit from run after run of fantastic off-piste descents. If there are too many tracks, we will still profit from the lift system, but with the slight variation of Free-Rando.

Free-Rando in Val d’Isère

In Val d’Isère we have the luxury of some of the most outstanding lift-fed itineraries in the world. But once the easily accessed lift-fed skiing becomes tracked, having the ability to walk, or ‘skin’, becomes a necessity, and this is when we turn to what we call ‘Free-Rando’.

Sometimes all that is needed to avoid tracked-out slopes and find virgin snow is a ten-minute ‘skin’. ‘Free-Rando’ allows us to take advantage of the benefits of these short walks. But, it also allows us to do day-trips off-piste and everything in between. Whether it’s a ten-minute walk, a 30-minute walk, an hour’s  ‘skin,’ or an all-day adventure,  the adaptability of ‘Free-Rando’ allows us to find you the best snow the mountain has to offer. This is when you'll truly appreciate the expertise of Alpine Experience's off-piste guides in Val d’Isère!

Will I Need Touring Equipment?

With ‘Free-Rando’ we are ready to search for fresh virgin snow every day. We simply do not ski in other people’s tracks! This means that sometimes we need to walk to access our snow, and this leads to the question, “will I need touring equipment?” The simple answer is yes! Each client must be equipped with touring gear, and be carrying ‘skins’ in their backpacks.

Always Prepared To Make The Right Choice!

Knowing that our clients are fully equipped eliminates any restrictions to our forward planning. And knowing that everyone is prepared allows us to make spontaneous last-minute-decisions to make the most of your day. Our off-piste guides are experts in taking advantage of all the options that ‘Free-Rando’ gives us, and being equipped is essential.

(All necessary equipment is available to rent or buy at Jean Sports)

Learn Off-Piste Skiing in Val d’Isère

Val-d'Isere off-piste skiing with warning sign at Col de l'Iseran
Go off-piste with a professional guide
To learn off-piste in Val d’Isère, you must already have a good level on piste. Perhaps you are one of those who have not yet dared to test virgin powder snow and venture away from the marked trails? But when you do, don't go alone, or with friends with little or no experience! Analyzing the snow-pack is a real specialty, and all of our Alpine Experience off-piste ski guides are seasoned professionals. Our motto is: safety and pleasure, but safety first. If you do your first off-piste outings with us, it will open a whole new world for you, and your level of skiing will take a giant leap forward.

Perfect Your Skills Off-Piste

Our objective is to share our love of the mountains and off-piste skiing with you. We want you to get the most out of your precious time with us in Val d’Isère.

We search daily for the best un-tracked virgin snow available. Our number one priority is your safety, and while keeping you safe we strive to have fun, and keep a sense of adventure and accomplishment. Our team at Alpine Experience will also teach you about mountain awareness, off-piste etiquette, and off-piste procedures along the way. We want you to become a fully aware and functioning member of our off-piste team. For those in need Alpine Experience's off-piste guides and ski instructors are always ready to encourage and give you timely technical advice. Our goal is to give you the best skiing experience of your life. And one that keeps you coming back year after year.

Off-piste skier in the Fac du Charvet in Val-d'Isère
Pleasure does not prevent working on off-piste skiing technique

Off-Piste Courses in Val d’Isère

Off-piste skiing, short break for fun and technical advice
Short talk break and technical advice in the Leisse valley

Alpine Experience’s groups consist of 6 skiers maximum, but we have exceptions when friends or family are involved, or with private bookings. Our unique "group building" allows you to pay for an individual slot in a group, which saves you from the expensive "private guiding" alternative. It means you can travel to Val d’Isère on your own, and fit into a group of like minded skiers of a similar ability.

Alpine Experience’s regular clientele are very welcoming to new comers. They will do their best to help you feel part of the group, and will readily include you in lunch or après-ski activities. Off-piste skiing is a bonding experience, and it’s been a pleasure to witness the life-long friendships that have developed within our clientele over the years. So don’t be afraid to come on your own, or bring your friends along!

Off-Piste and Ski School Rates and Reservations

SEASON 2023/2024

Groups:
1 to 4 mornings (8:45/1pm) 75 € per skier per morning

5 consecutive mornings 350 € (and 70 per skier per morning afterwards)

Private Tuition

Morning (8:45 to 1pm) 380 €

Afternoon (2 to 4:30) 200 € ( 1 to 2 skiers. 20 euros per each additional skier)

All-Day 490 €

Morning and all-day privates are aimed at people skiing on their own, not in big groups.

We do have a 48-hour cancellation policy and private bookings need a 30% deposit in advance.

JEAN SPORTS generously give Alpine clients a 20% discount on rental . Jean Sports is Val d’Isere’s number 1 ski shop for off-piste equipment.

See all the info on our permanence at Jean Sports store and how to find us.

Our Off-Piste Skiing Itineraries

Off-Piste Itineraries in Val d’Isère

By using the lift system with a traverse of short ‘boot’ we can access:

  • The Tour du Charvet
  • The Face du Charvet
  • The Cugnai
  • The Super Arcelle
  • The Danaides
  • The Super L
  • The Lievre Blanc
  • The Grand Vallon
  • The Vallonnet
  • The Pays Desert
  • The Col Pers
  • The Spatule
  • The Altiport/Familial
  • The Jardin du Borsat
  • The Face Nord du Borsat

Off-Piste Itineraries in Tignes

  • The Campanules
  • The Lavachet
  • The Lognan
  • The Tour de la Grande Balme
  • The Chardonnet
  • The Vallon de la Sache
  • The Glattier

These are to name just a few Val d’Isère and Tignes ‘classics’. But, a few days after a snowfall these easily accessed routes can become tracked out and walking or ‘skinning’, becomes a necessity. This is when Free-Rando comes into its own.

Free-Rando

By being equipped a short ten to 15 minute 'skin' accesses these options :

  • The Pays Desert
  • The Tour de Lechoir
  • The Cabane des Gardes
  • The Col de la Madeleine
  • the Little Borsat West
  • The Sachette

We also have 20 to 45-minute options in search of fresh snow

These include:

  • Variations in the Pays Desert
  • The Glacier Pers
  • The Crete du Genepy
  • Mont Roup
  • Variations in the Vallon de la Sache

And we have longer itineraries:

Off-piste itineraries do vary in the skill level needed to ski them safely. We also have some advanced routes that are only skied with the right group, and on the right day when conditions allow. Many of the above itineraries have ‘advanced’ elements, but below are some serious options for advanced skiers.

More Advanced Options:

  • The Couloir du Pisteur
  • The Couloir 3500
  • The Col des Ves Couloirs
  • The Dog-Leg Couloir (Chardonnet)
  • The Couloir Lorenzo
  • Mickey’s Ears
  • Les Balme Couloirs
  • La Foglietta (Sainte-Foy-Tarentaise)