Category Archives: Easter Holiday Skiing

Top 5 Springtime Spots in Val d’Isere

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Val d’Isere has had endless bluebird days now followed another continuous dumping of fluffy perfect snow.

When the skies clear again and the sun reappears here are the best places to lap up the end of season festivities and sunshine in style:

 

1. La Folie Douce and La Fruitiere restaurant – alfresco dancing bar with live music and exceptional restaurant on piste OK.

2. Le Signal – mountain lunch spot at the top of the cable car station in Le Fornet with excellent bronzing terraces.

3. Hotel Le Brussels – beautiful hotel at the bottom of the nursery slopes near the Solaise chairlift with oodles of sun loungers, live music and delicious cocktails.

4. On a chairlift! Just about all of Val d’Isere’s slopes bask in the sun all day long.

5. Parapenting – April is popular for parapenting (paragliding) and the colours of the gliders against the blue sky is always striking to watch.

International Adventure and Discovery Film Festival

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The 16th annual International Adventure and Discovery Film Festival, one of the highlights of the spring season, comes to Val d’Isere again from 16-19th April.

Eleven widely-different travel, wildlife, sport and adventure documentaries will be shown and then discussed with their makers.  Better still, you can watch them all for free.  The jury of five big-name adventurers will decide on three prize-winners, the audience get to vote for their favourite, and a new award means another winning film gets a showing on the Ushuaia TV channel.

As well as the main film shows there will be non-competition films, photo exhibitions and author interviews.   Frank Bruno will discuss his autobiography at the Mediatheque-Salle du Conseil Municipal on 18th April at 9.30 am; you’ll even be offered breakfast!

On 18th April an unmissable slack-wire demonstration on the main drag of Val’d'Isere will showcase the athletes of the film “I Believe I Can Fly”.  Slack-wire artistes don’t use any form of balance-bar.  Be prepared to scrape your jaw off the pavement by the time they finish.

Sherkan, a fish eagle, and Leman, a bearded vulture, who appear in the films Les Aigles de Leman and L’Envol du Geant, will be on hand to meet their fans at the Centre de Congres on 17-19th April; on 17th April, following a showing of L’Envol du Geant there will be a discussion about the re-introduction of the bearded vulture into the Vanoise national park and Leman will be appearing then too.

And of course, Val being what it is, skiing on brilliant spring snow will still be an important part of the agenda in between all the jollies.

Sounds like a terrific four days’ entertainment!

 

 

Val d’Isere Easter Egg Hunt

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Val d’Isere is hosting an Easter Egg Hunt extravaganza!

The hunt is for children of 12 years and under at 5pm on easter Monday 9th April in the ESF (Ecole du Ski Francais) snow garden (Jardin des Enfants).

It is a superb entertainment for children and families and an opportunity for children to make friends, have fun in the snow and devour some fine French chocolate.

They just have to find them!

The chocolate shops and bakeries in resort are bursting with easter goodies and in France the day isn’t just celebrated by chocolate eggs but also with chocolate bunnies, bells, hens and fish. 

At Le Chardon this easter our chefs are making our own chocolate eggs and easter treats and we will have our very own hunts taking place in our chalets!

There is still room in our chalets this Easter for families to experience some easter skiing.

Spring Skiing in Val d’Isere

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Wish you were here?

Val d’Isere has had some spectacular sunshine! The sun is hot, the skies are cloudless and blue and the mountain restaurants and apres ski spots are buzzing happily. Despite all this recent spring weather it still continues to snow as another dump fell on the resort at the weekend.

Val d’Isere, with its village base at a high altitude 1850m, terrain as high as 3456m and 2 glaciers, is one of the highest resorts in the Alps with a long ski season and has had a record amount of snow this current season. With over 300km of pistes and 2 snowparks the resort offers skiing and snowboarding for all levels.

The season is set to be a long season this year with good snow in April. The advantages of April skiing in Val d’Isere, aside from the sunshine and the opportunity to ski in shorts and t-shirt, are the warmer temperatures and longer lift opening hours. Both The Guardian and The Telegraph Travel rate the Espace Killy ski area (Val d’Isere and Tignes) as one of the top destinations for April skiing.

Swap your goggles for sunglasses and come to Val d’Isere for Spring skiing!

Take a look at our live resort webcam:

http://www.lechardonvaldisere.com/webcamimages.htm

 

 

Half Term skiing with Le Chardon Mountain Lodges

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If you are looking for a ski chalet for half term in February then come and stay with Le Chardon Mountain Lodges in Val d’Isere.

We have just 2 special chalets remaining.

Let Le Chardon’s Concierge Service take the stress away and plan your holiday for your family including arranging children’s activities and ski school. Le Chardon will ensure you enjoy a relaxing family holiday.

Chalet Mistral and Chalet Le Chardon are available 12th-19th February.

Easter Skiing in Val d’Isere

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With only a short time until Easter, there is still some availability for great Easter ski holidays.  Val d’Isere, at an altitude of 1850m, has the best of the snow until late in the season.

A luxury catered ski chalet is perfect for family or group Easter skiing holidays as the children can relax and there is lots of flexibility with meal times, plus the amount of space in the chalet means they have more freedom to run around inside.

If your Easter ski holiday is going to be your first skiing trip this season, get into ski shape over the next few weeks to build stamina and improve your flexibility.  This should include some running, which is a great way to build strength in your calves and hamstrings.  Cycling is also a good all-rounder for aerobic exercise.

Once you’re on holiday, try and remember to do your warm up exercises each morning. Doing this will help reduce the risk of injury, encourage greater blood supply to your muscles and wake you up properly!

Easter Skiing Holidays in France

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With only a few weeks to go until the end of the ski season, there is still some availability for great family ski holidays or group ski breaks. Choose your resort carefully to ensure the best skiing conditions – ideally high altitude for perfect powder, with a wide variety of runs for all levels of experience. Val d’Isere, at 1850m, is one of the best high-altitude ski resorts in Europe, if not the world.   You’ll get a decent tan and come back honed and fit, what more could you ask for? For a vibrant après-ski scene, Val d’Isere has that magical combination of powder and party that makes it one of the top ski resorts in the world.

Our fully-catered ski lodges are perfect for family Easter skiing holidays as everyone can relax and there is plenty of space  for the children to run around inside.  There is also lots of flexibility with meal times, and your chef will ensure that everyone is happy with the daily menu. Our luxury chalets offer privacy and space for individuals with large communal areas for getting together at the end of the day.

If your Easter ski holiday is going to be your first skiing trip this season, try and stick to an exercise programme over the next few weeks to build stamina and improve your flexibility. This should include some running, which is a great way to build strength in your calves and hamstrings. Cycling is also a good all-rounder for aerobic exercise. If you’re a member of a gym or have a personal trainer, they should be able to advise you of other useful exercises.

Once you’re on holiday, try and remember to do your warm up exercises each morning. Doing this will help reduce the risk of injury, encourage greater blood supply to your muscles and wake you up properly!

Half-Term Skiing in Val d’Isere

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So, why book a ski holiday in France when the UK has seen the heaviest snowfall since records began?  The Scottish ski resorts are reporting their busiest season ever, with excellent skiing conditions for all levels.

Well, this is exactly the reason why you should still consider going further afield for your annual powder fix.  British skiing is wonderful when you can get it, but the travel time for many of us means that skiing abroad is a more convenient option.  If you then have to queue endlessly for the lifts, the restaurant, it quickly loses its appeal.

A resort such as Val d’Isere is geared up for a massive influx of visitors every year, with over 300 km of pistes and a combination of cable cars, funicular, chair lifts and tows totalling over 100 lifts which serve 135 runs.  Even at the height of the season, queues are virtually non-existent as there are over 78,000 rides per hour to whisk you up the slopes.  Add to this the bluebird days and spectacular scenery, and you’ll be in ski heaven.

If you want to be truly pampered, look at our selection of luxury catered ski chalets for a unique and memorable experience.  The winning combination of luxurious yet welcoming surroundings, fine cuisine prepared to your tastes, hot tubs and ski in, ski out access is unforgettable.  For families, we can arrange nanny services in addition to our experienced and welcoming chalet staff and concierge service.  The resort itself has excellent creche facilities and ski tuition for all levels.

For children, there are endless activities to choose from. Every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 5pm, they can ‘airboard’ – a snow bodyboard that gives the sensation of flying above the snow; Snake Gliss -  a “snow snake” sleigh for up to 20 people (minimum age 7); or play 5-a-side snow football.  This all takes place at the foot of the Solaise area.

So, how do you get there?  Val d’Isere travel options include flights to Grenoble, Geneva, Chambery or Lyon from many UK airports.  If you prefer to let the train take the strain, the nearest station, Bourg St Maurice, is only a 20 minute taxi ride from Val d’Isere.

Le Chardon Mountain Lodges

Family Ski Holidays