The highest resort in Europe, with snow to match.
Val Thorens sits at 2,300m, the highest ski resort in Europe, so snow is about as reliable as the Alps get. It anchors the top of the Three Valleys, which means the biggest linked ski area in the world starts right outside the door.
Know the mountain before you go.
The skiing
The terrain is mostly above the tree line, wide and open, and there is a huge amount of it before you even leave the resort. Snow sure early and late season conditions make it a favourite for December and April trips.
The village and the evenings
The village is compact and almost entirely ski in and ski out, and it has a well earned reputation for a lively evening scene. It is high energy rather than quaint, and it suits groups who want to ski hard and then celebrate.
Beyond the skiing.
Free, and worth knowing
The Montagnette trail. The walk to do if you want the mountain without paying for a lift. It starts from the village, it is signed the whole way, and it is roughly three kilometres and a bit over an hour there and back. Proper boots rather than trainers, and take a layer more than you think you need, because it is a lot colder standing still than it is skiing.
La Piste aux Etoiles. A short toboggan run in the middle of the village, 250 metres with a few proper turns in it, and the two covered carpets that carry you back to the top are free. It runs into the evening on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from the middle of February, which makes it a good hour before dinner if you have children who are not tired yet.
Peclet by Night. The Funitel de Peclet stays open on Wednesday evenings and it costs nothing on top of a lift pass you have already bought. One run down in the dark with the village lit up underneath you is the sort of thing people put on their phone and then talk about at dinner.
A few of the rest
La BEE. Three linked zip lines running 1,800 metres in total, up to 65 metres above the pistes, finishing right in the middle of the village at Place Caron. You can go on your own or side by side with somebody, which is what most people end up doing. One price whether or not you ski, and the chairlift up is included in it. 20 to 50 euros.
Cosmojet. Five kilometres of toboggan run starting at 3,000 metres at the top of Peclet, and it is the longest in France. Three quarters of an hour down. The evening descents on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are the ones to go for, and the second descent costs about half what the first one does, which is usually the point at which people decide they are doing two. 20 to 50 euros.
Moon Xperience. Inflatable rings down a groomed lane at the top of the Campagnols carpet, which you get to from the village on the free carpets, so nobody needs a lift pass for it. Half an hour is plenty for most people and an hour is for the ones who are competitive about it. Trainers or snow boots are a lot easier than ski boots. Under 20 euros.
All 23 picks for Val Thorens, dining included, live in the Ski Snug app.
These are our own picks, not paid placements. Prices and opening times change, so it is always worth checking before you set off.
Getting there
Fly to Geneva or Chambéry and transfer in around three hours, with the final climb up the valley part of the fun.
Val Thorens guides
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