Skiing in Val Thorens

Val Thorens is a high-altitude ski resort located in the French Alps and forms part of the Three Valleys ski area. It offers access to over 600 kilometres of marked pistes suitable for all levels, from beginner to expert. The resort has a range of ski schools and easy-to-use lifts, making it straightforward to get around the mountain. You’ll find a mix of gentle slopes, steeper runs and off-piste options. The high altitude also means good snow-sure conditions throughout the season.

Challenge your friends and family to a boarder cross race in the snowpark. With linked turns, hills and over 1.4 km of the course to race down, you can enjoy challenging your friends and family to a race down the boarder cross. The giant air cushion is the perfect solution if you want to learn or improve your freestyle skiing or snowboard technique. If you don’t ski but still want to make some moves through the air, the AIR TUBBY is for you! Settle yourself into a rubber ring, slide down the run and land gently on the airbag.

Get back to nature and explore the lovely tranquil cross-country ski trails. There are two different techniques – classic and skating. Classic is the easiest for beginners; you simply place your skis in two parallel grooves, push off and glide around the trails. Skating is more energetic and a slightly harder skill to grasp; you push your feet out to either side as though you are ice skating and use your poles simultaneously to gain momentum. You can hire the comfortable boots and lightweight skis and poles fairly inexpensively from most sports shops and book a group or private lesson to learn the basics from most ski schools or private instructors. Several adventure companies also offer cross-country skiing guiding, tours and lessons too. Find your way around with the country skiing maps.

Enjoying the thrill of being on the pistes need not escape you if you're less mobile or have special physical needs. Resorts all over the Alps offer equipment and fully qualified guides to help you get the most out of your experience. Sit-ski, taxi ski, Vertiski, Handiski... whichever method you're used to, or would like to try there will be at least one ski school or activity company in Val Thorens that offers this service.

Val Thorens is popular for ski touring, whether it's going up the pistes that most people normally ski down, or tackling more of a backcountry route. Several ski schools, private instructors and companies can show you around, or if you've got all the necessary equipment you can head out in your own group. Recently Val Thorens created a marked 1.5 km route for those who want to give it a go in a safe environment. After gaining 280m in elevation, you can ski back down the Plein Sud blue run.

Val Thorens has a 70,000m² snowpark on the Plateaux pistes, reachable by the Moutière chairlift and Plateaux drag lift. It’s ideal for freestyle fans, offering a variety of jumps, kickers and technical features that stay in great shape all season thanks to the resort’s high altitude.

The snowpark features an 800m boardercross, freestyle areas for beginners, intermediates and experts, plus a Jump’Air with an airbag for safe trick practice. You’ll also find Whoops (wave-like bumps), big air jumps, wall rides, rails and a half pipe. The runs are colour-coded by difficulty from easy greens to tough blacks, so there’s something to suit every level.

Telemarking is a form of downhill skiing where you are only attached into the binding at the toe, so to turn, you have to lunge and bring your heel upwards. Talk to one of the ski schools or private instructors who can teach you how to telemark and take you out on excursions using this technique.

If this whets your appetite for more ski talk, check out our recommendations of the best pistes in Val Thorens. Take a look at this year's ski pass prices or, if you're not sure which pass to buy.