Val d'Isère To Offer Skiing on Winter Slopes in Summer for First Time Ever
Val d'Isère To Offer Skiing on Winter Slopes in Summer for First Time Ever
Published : 26-Apr-2018 10:42
After the huge snowfalls in the French Alps this winter, Val d'Isère, which closes for the season next Tuesday May 1st, has announced it will re-open a couple of its winter lifts for summer skiing this year.
Although Val d'Isère is one of three French ski resorts still offering summer glacier skiing, this will be the first time in the famous resort's 82-year history that some of the winter pistes, just above the resort, will re-open in summer.
After nine metres of snowfall recorded at the resort this winter, the snow is still more than a metre deep in the village and 245cm (over eight feet) deep on the higher slopes.
The summer ski season will begin only 33 days after the winter season ends, on 3 June 2018,
Pistes that will re-open – from 7 am to 12 pm – include the top of the OK World Cup downhill and the less demanding Verte (snow-conditions permitting).
Skiers will reach the area by the Funival funicular from La Daille and the slopes will be served by the six-person Marmottes chair just above the Folie Douce; exactly the same as in winter.
The resort is hoping these runs and lifts will stay open for two weeks until the warmer weather prevails, at which point the normal summer ski area on the Pissaillas Glacier, above Le Fornet, will come into play.
Apart from making use of the extraordinary snowpack, this gives the snow-clearing teams extra time to clear the road up to the glacier and the Col de l'Iseran, the highest paved road in Europe and summer gateway to Italy. Lift passes will cost from €28 pp per day, or €330 pp for the full summer season.
Although many of the hotels, chalets and apartments will not be open at this time, there are still places ready to welcome hard core skiers and snowboarders. Shared taxi services such as SnowDrone (snow-drone.com/) can transfer guests from/to Geneva airport (the usual buses will have stopped).
There were formerly up to eight French ski areas offering summer skiing but resorts including Chamonix, Val Thorens, La Plagne, Les Arcs and alpe d'Huez no longer do.
Les Arcs claimed earlier this month that it would re-open for summer skiing this year but that later turned out to be an April Fool prank.
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