Val d’Isere is celebrating the start of the ski season in November with free children’s ski lift passes, new luxury accommodation and two restaurant launches.
When the season opens on 26 November, the French resort will offer free lift passes for visitors under the age of eight, and it will welcome the first Club Med Exclusive Collection resort in the Alps in December.
Following a full renovation, the Club Med Val d’Isere now offers the option of an all-inclusive ski holiday. It features 215 rooms and suites, two restaurants, wellness experiences, a wine cellar and a bar with live entertainment.
The destination will also introduce two luxury slope-side ski chalets from boutique chalet company Hip Hideouts. The Chalet Cala Slopeside and Chalet Loup in Le Fornet both sleep 10.
Dining options in the resort have been expanded with the addition of local restaurants Rene, which is a family-owned venue with views across the mountains, and L’Empreinte Avaline, which is home to a 150-seat bistro serving seasonal dishes.
The season will start with the annual First Tracks Weekend on 26 and 27 November, alongside the Ski Force Winter Tour, where guests can test the latest ski and snowboard equipment. Other upcoming events include the FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup in December, the Magic of Christmas week, and the classic music festival Classicaval in January and March.
A number of eco-initiatives have also been unveiled. For this season the 39 slope groomers will be powered by hydro-treated vegetable oil (HVO) fuel, which is 100% renewable and reduces CO2 emissions by 90% and fine particle emissions by 65%.
This season also sees the introduction of two electric buses which will reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of the service by 90%, with the rest of the bus service moving to HVO biofuel. By 2025 Val d’Isere aims to have 15 electric buses running between the village and its surrounding hamlets.