View of Mt Blanc from Val Thorens

Val Thorens Guide

Combe de Caron, Val Thorens

Val Thorens Season Dates 2023/24

Jupiter the fox in Val Thorens

The 2023/24 ski season in Val Thorens starts on Saturday 25th November 2023 and finishes on Sunday 5th May 2024.

See the ski pass prices for the 2023/24 Winter season.

Geneva - Val Thorens bus times now available on the buses page.

Skiing Made Easy

Skiing Made Easy

Skiing Made Easy is a Kindle ebook and paperback. It's a practical guide to learning to ski, based on many happy seasons of ski teaching in Val Thorens.

'This is the book I wish I'd had when I started skiing' - Amazon reviewer.

Read more about Skiing Made Easy.

Buy the paperback direct or on Amazon. Buy the Kindle ebook.

Val Thorens Resort

The resort of Val Thorens in the evening

in the Val Thorens resort section, discover the resort facilities including the tourist office, post office, banks, medical centre, church, parking, radio station, and the cinema.

There's also a Val Thorens resort maps page, and information about the sports centre, market, and resort shuttle bus.

Find out more about the resort of Val Thorens.

Val Thorens Ski Area

Signpost at the top of Cime de Caron, Val Thorens

The Val Thorens ski area section covers the beginners' area and the ski area sector by sector.

You can also find information about off piste itineraries, a piste map, and the ski pass prices.

Finally, there's a guide to the mountain restaurants.

Val Thorens Accommodation

Hotel Fahrenheit 7, Val Thorens

Val Thorens offers a wide range of accommodation, including luxury hotels, comfortable apartments, catered chalets, and budget self-catering.

Discover the range of accommodation in Val Thorens.

Les Clés des 3 Vallées

Clés des 3 Vallées

Les Clés des 3 Vallées is a guide to the off piste itineraries of the 3 Valleys written in both English and French.

Buy Les Clés des 3 Vallées.


Shared and Private Transfers with Alpine Fleet

Alpine Fleet offer shared and private transfers to Val Thorens. Use the form below to get a quote.



Val Thorens Travel

Airstrip, Val Thorens

The Val Thorens travel page has information about the ski trains to the French Alps, plus flights, and advice on travel to Val Thorens by car.

There's a section on transfer companies, and we have bus times, and the route and times of the resort shuttle.

Find out more about travel to Val Thorens.

ValThorensGuide Newsletter

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Val Thorens Webcams

Webcam, Rond Point des Pistes, Val Thorens

The best webcams, so you can check out conditions in resort before you arrive, and even have a look at the top of the mountain while you're eating breakfast, to see if it's clear high up.

Find a Val Thorens webcam.

Advertise on ValThorensGuide

Val Thorens from Cime de Caron

Would you like to advertise your business on ValThorensGuide?

It's a trusted source of information about Val Thorens, and has been running for 13 years.

Get in touch and tell me your requirements and budget - contact ValThorensGuide.

Val Thorens Ski Schools

View of ESF office, place Caron, Val Thorens

Details of the six ski schools in Val Thorens, to book lessons for adults or children in skiing or snowboarding.

Also, find out about high mountain guides, plus the best options for private lessons in Val Thorens.

Val Thorens Ski Shops

Goitschel ski shop, Val Thorens

Details of all the ski shops in Val Thorens. For ski and snowboard hire and sales, boot-fitting, servicing of your own equipment, and accessories, read about ski shops in Val Thorens.

Val Thorens Events

Skicross World Cup race in Val Thorens

All the special events in Val Thorens during the winter season. Val Thorens opens in late November with la Grande Première. Early season events include the Trophée Andros and the Skicross World Cup. One of the end of season highlights is the 3 Vallées Enduro Rally.

Val Thorens Restaurants

La Chaumiere restaurant, Val Thorens

Many of the restaurants in Val Thorens serve Savoyard specialities like fondue, but there are many other dishes on offer, including pizza, steak, and delicious salads. For burger and chips, or more refined cuisine, find out about it in restaurants in Val Thorens.

Val Thorens Bars & Nightclubs

Val Thorens at night

From the traditional British and Irish watering holes, to the distinctly European venues, find the best bars and pubs in Val Thorens. Intentionally or not, you may find yourself rolling into one of the nightclubs in Val Thorens - research here the next morning to see where you were.

Val Thorens Activities

Zip wire in Val Thorens

A guide to non-skiing activities in Val Thorens.

They include the Bee Zipwire, ten pin bowling, tobogganing, ski doos, ice skating, ice driving, e-mountain biking, paragliding & paramotor, and dog sledding.

Read more about Val Thorens Activities.

Val Thorens News

Newspapers in Val Thorens

Reports on the new developments in advance of the ski season, and on the events during the winter season.

Read the news from Val Thorens, and see photos and videos. 

Val Thorens Weather

Sea of cloud, seen from Mont de la Chambre

The weather in Val Thorens, including 'good' winter weather - anticyclones, or snow from the north west - and the 'bad' weather - SE Foehn winds.


Why Val Thorens?

Powder skiing in Val Thorens, April 2016

Why do we love Val Thorens?

Above all for the snow and terrain. As the highest resort in Europe, it often has some of the best snow. Why ski on icy hardpack, when you've got the option of soft, cold, fresh snow in VT?

As for the terrain, there's an extensive beginners' area, kilometres of varied pistes for intermediates and experts, a top-class snowpark, and a World Cup Skicross course. You can find a wealth of off-piste, too, including some of the most charming itineraries in the Alps.

The lift company continues to invest in the ski area, with improvements for each new winter season.

The big challenge for Val Thorens now is how it plans for the future in the context of our climate crisis.

The risk is that its response is gestures and greenwash: attract clients who fly hundreds of miles to get here and stay for just a few days, but put them on an electric navette around resort. It's logically incoherent as a solution to reducing carbon emissions, but it's easy to imagine the electric bus on the cover of a brochure, to support claims that Val Thorens is taking global warming seriously.

Genuine and fundamental changes are needed, based on rigorous and honest thinking. That should start now.

This guide is based on many seasons in Val Thorens, and I hope you find it useful. Happy skiing in Val Thorens.