Val Disere, French Ski Resort, Only A Hop-skip-and-jump From Italy

Today, the stream of Killy's success still permeates the local village of less than 2,000 people. In and around town, you can hear locals at the outdoor market and shops still speaking his name proudly. Killy left his name and, more importantly, a great ski resort for the rest of us.

Val d'Isere is only a hop-skip-and-jump from Italy. On the border of the huge Vanoise National park, Val d'Isere French ski resort ranks among the worlds' bests. It even calls itself the Most Beautiful Ski Area in the World. And, given all the people who come to ski the slopes and ride their boards, they may very well be right. In fact, there have been people living here since before the Romans and well after France became part of the EU. The first church was built in the area in the mid-1660s, giving churchgoers a place to call home. The church still stands in the center of town, awaiting visitors and members alike.

The center of town, however, has changed a lot since Val d'Isere was a lonely parish town. Today, the center of town is full of clubs, bars, restaurants, shops, and other touristy venues. There are more than enough places to listen to live music, gulp down shooters French style and party to the wee hours of dawn. If you're looking to get out of downtown and into a more quieter, natural surrounding, then try Le Chatelard, La legettaz, Le Cret or Le Joseray. Le Fornet, too, offers traditional stone chalet accommodation and gives you the shortest access to some of the most popular skiing. Though you might pay a few more Euros more for these accommodations, it may be the only way to escape the center's boisterous late night charms.

Val d'Isere ski holidays cater mostly to an intermediate crowd. That said, you'd find lots of good runs for intermediate go-getters who like to challenge themselves on upper-level slopes. If you're a beginner who wants to try some easy-intermediates, you won't find them here. You'll have to either stick to the many beginner pistes or get lucky on some harder ones. Experts will have a tough time completing some of the harder black runs without faltering. A good rule of thumb at Val d'Isere is to think of the color runs (green or blue) as harder than the Piste Map suggest. Be cautious and careful in choosing a run that may be too hard for your ability level.

At Val d'Isere you'll find over 10,000 hectares of skiing. From 300 km of marked paths to breath-taking altitudes of 3,550 meters, Val d'Isere caters to a lot of skiers at any one time. There are lifts, gondolas, cable cars and a funicular that get you to more trails per hour than any other French ski resort. With an area so large and expansive, it's no wonder that the queues are nil to nonexistent.

The resort altitude starts at 1850 meters with skiable terrain all the way up to 3550 meters. The longest run last for over 10km, and requires some good turning on your part to escape unscathed. Moreover, there are nearly 150 total runs with a nice breakdown: nearly 90 total runs for beginners, though some are very easy and won't challenge even those; almost 40 intermediate runs that are a definite challenge; and, 16 expert runs that pose several challenges.

At Val d'Isere, you'll find plenty of ways to the top. With a surprisingly large 97-lift system, the cable cars, chair lifts and draglifts can handle any number of high season ski traffic. Come December, in fact, the lower and upper slopes average 74 cm and 100 cm of snow. By March and April, the lower and upper slopes get a whopping 115 cm and 147 cm of snow each. When snow is never lacking, you'll have plenty of nice ski days giving way to sunny skies. The snow cannons provide plenty of snow for the long November to May ski season anytime there may be a lack of powder. However, later in the season it's very unlikely that there would not be enough snow in Val d'Isere.