Useful Facts
Radio Val gives the weather….
...and many more information in English at 08h.10, 08h.40, 09h.10, 09h.40, 10h.10 and also 17h.10h,17h.40,18h.10,19h.10 and last one at19h40.
96.1 FM
Supermarkets….You buy, they drop….
The 3 supermarkets deliver free of charge.
Once you have done your shopping, just notify the person at the till, within 2 hours approximately the shopping bags will be dropped!
Very practical indeed.
Tel: +33 4(0)79 06 02 66
Val d’Isere’s Market every Monday
Every Monday there is a market in the center of Val d’Isere where you find cheese, ham, bread, fabrics, jewelry, clothes, and many other articles….
It could be raining, snowing or minus 20, the market will be open from 9 am to 7 pm.
English Medical Center
Tel: +33 (0)4 79 06 13 70
ENGLISHMEDICAL@aol.com
Open from 09.00am to 18.30 pm, 7 days a week, no appointment necessary during the ski season.
Doctor Alan Griffiths has been running the British surgery since 1998.
Located near Hotel le brussel’s and the front de neige.
A snow boarder himself, Doctor Alan Griffiths has published many papers about ski and snow boarding injuries, the problems associated with living at high altitude, the necessity of wearing a helmet….
If you have some specific questions you can contact him by email.
The free buses in Val d’Isere run from:
8.30 am to 5.30 pm every 6 minutes
Every 10 min on la Daille line
Every 15 min on Le Fornet line
From 8.pm to midnight every 30min
Boring but useful
If you wish to know when the little frogs are on holidays:
The 2012/2013 season.
December/January (2012/13)
22December to 5th January
February/March (2013)
France is divided in 3 zones, each zone has 2 weeks, the zone to avoid is the Parisian one: zone C
16th February to 23rd February (zone B) And also British Half Term
23rd February to 2nd March (zone A+B)
2nd March to 9th March (zone A+C)
9th March to 16th March (zone C)
April/May (2012)
13th April to 20th April (zone B)
20th April to 27th April (zone A+B)
27th April to 4th May (zone A+C)
4th May to 12th May (zone C)
Office Tourisme Tel: +33(0)4 79 06 06 60
Where to leave my luggage on Saturday?
Val d’Isere is not well organized! The bus station is the only place where there is an old shelf for that purpose!!. The welcome is a bit hit or miss, if your expectation of service is low you will not be disappointed. What a shame! We are lobbying for a better place, service and organization, if you want to help, send us your ideas, complaints and comments. We suggest you negotiate with your renting agency/hotel/chalet to keep your belonging for the few hours.
Tel: +33(0)4 79 06 06 99
Open 15 Nov to 15 May 2012 Monday to Friday 8h30 to 12.30 14h00 to 18h00.
Saturday 8h30 to 12.30.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5…THE EAGLES OF VAL D’ISERE
When you book an hotel, you have a pretty good idea of what to expect according to the stars. When it comes to renting a flat it is a lot harder to imagine what it will be. To help the clientele figure out the level of comfort, of equipment, of quality of the surrounding, of decoration etc… Val d’Isere has put in place last year a classification called the Eagles from 1 to 5.
Slowly, this classification is appearing, part of the details of the flat or chalet to rent. Val Agence is using it.
This chart is specific to Val d’isere and according to the office of tourism, it should not be compared to the hotel classification. At the moment the differences are not very clear between the Eagles, it is certainly a good idea and hopefully it will help people to grasp a better understanding of the property to rent.
INSURANCE TO HAVE….INSURANCE TO HAVE….INSURANCE TO HAVE
In a nut shell:
1/ HAVE THE EHIC CARD Free, to be obtained in the UK before departure, it covers medical care.
2/ HAVE A SKI INSURANCE It cost around 63€/year or a lot cheaper for the week when buying the ski pass.
The CARTE NEIGE ( by the French Federation of Ski) sold at the office du tourism in Val d’Isere covers skiers on piste and off piste, in France but also world wide… Skiing, snow boarding, jumping, free ride etc…
The Carte Neige is not the only insurance suitable for skiers, but it’s conveniently available here in Val d’isere at the tourist office. Ski Club of Great Britain propose also a good insurance.
63€ might appear expensive, but remember that a ride in an helicopter to Grenoble Hospital can easily cost several thousand pounds!
Ski Rental on the Internet?
We all have noticed the advertisement on the road to Val d’Isere
How does it work?
Shops either pay a membership or a commission to be part of the system, you are given a voucher which gives the right to hire the equipment. SkiSet is not alone, Intersport, Skimium, Sport2000 offer the same service
Yes it can be cheaper..
although one problem we heard is that often the site gives little or unclear information on what each level of equipment means so when skiers decide to upgrade to a more suitable category once at the shop, they spend more than anticipated. Generally you will get more ski for your money if you go directly to the shop. Some shops will give you the same price as the one advertised on the hiring site.
There is no evidence that time is saved.
The client may have booked and paid for the hire many weeks or months in advance but often the shops get no information at all in advance and know nothing about them until they walk through the door and if they are informed they are just told that Mr X has booked the golden, bronze or black package with no more details about heights or sizes so nothing is prepared waiting for you.
Shops here are very efficient in preparing the right equipment. The whole process of renting shoes and skis can be done in less than half an hour. If you take time to have a chat with the guys working in the shop you are more likely to end up with the right gear for that particular week.
Conclusion
We came to the conclusion that skiers are better off looking at the shops’s websites to have an idea of the prices and maybe reserve directly with the chosen shop. At Intersport Mattis (a very large rental shop) the rental is cheaper through the shop’s rental website than on the Intersport website for the same package! and the same package is cheaper than if you just walk through the door!
If you stick to the package chosen you will save money if not time.
FAMILY SKI PASS
Family Lift Pass Option
If you are skiing “en famille” then Val d’Isere has a Family Pass option for two adults and two children under 18 (from the same family) whereby the 4th and subsequent passes are half price. The exact price will depend on the age breakdown of your family (kids/teens) and it also includes students up to the age of 22 if skiing with Mum and Dad.
The offer is valid on 6 or 7 day duration passes for the whole of the Espace Killy area and don’t forget that the under 5′s ski for free! Proof of age and student status will be required and each member of the family will have their own hands free pass.
STANDARD PRICES
