Les itinéraires mythiques du hors-piste
Guided off-piste skiing
Val d'Isère is one of the few resorts whose reputation rests not on its pistes but on what lies between them. Three itineraries come up in every conversation among guides, and they are nothing alike: Col Pers is a long high-mountain traverse, Cugnaï a closed and wild valley, the Tour du Charvet an introduction. We will not sell you all three in one day, materially possible and perfectly absurd. A word on method, because it sets us apart: the guide chooses the route on the morning itself, after reading the bulletin and seeing what the night has done. This is not a formality. These descents cross terrain that slides, and the right slope on a Tuesday can be the wrong one on Wednesday. He decides, not the client, and we do not bend on it. Level required: being able to ski ungroomed snow without being exhausted after three turns. It is not a question of style but of safety for the whole group.
The options
Col Pers
Eleven hundred metres of descent from the Pissaillas glacier to the floor of the Fornet valley at Pont Saint-Charles. It is not the steepest run in the resort (far from it) and that is precisely what makes it unforgettable: you ski for a long time, through a mineral landscape entirely cut off from the ski area, without passing a single lift. It is the one we recommend to anyone who wants to understand Val d'Isère's reputation.
Cugnaï
Nine hundred metres, from the Cugnaï chairlift at three thousand metres down to the Manchet Express at one thousand nine hundred and twenty. A small wild valley that gradually closes in, facing the Charvet. The terrain is more varied than on Col Pers and you quickly feel alone, it is the favourite run of most guides here, which is a fair indication.
The Tour du Charvet
Seven hundred metres from the Grand Pré chairlift on the Bellevarde side. It is the most approachable of the three and the right starting point if you have never skied off-piste: the gradient stays reasonable, the terrain reads easily, and it holds up as well in powder as in spring snow. Many of our clients start here on the first day and move on to Col Pers the next.
A full day
Winter, according to the state of the snowpack and the day's avalanche risk
Pricing
From €600 per day, for one or two people
The entry rate covers the guide for one or two people. Beyond that each additional skier is quoted separately, and the price a head drops sharply at four. Safety equipment (transceiver, shovel, probe) is provided and included. The lift pass remains yours to buy. If the snowpack does not allow it we postpone: we do not substitute a day on the piste at the same price.
Activities in Val d'Isère
Care to discover Val d'Isère with us?
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