Val d'Isère Ski Schools,
Instructors & Mountain Guides
05. Off Piste Guiding
Along with neighbouring Tignes, Val d'Isère is rightly famous for its off-piste skiing and it's one of the reasons so many people come back year after year.
There are plenty of easily accessible runs close to the pistes or just a short walk from the top of a lift. For those who are prepared to work for their turns, an hour or two (or three) of ski touring opens up some of the best unspoiled backcountry anywhere in the Alps.
Even if you don't think you're going far off the beaten track, you can't just head off into the unknown (and whatever you do, don't EVER follow another group). You absolutely must know where you're going, what you're doing, how to keep yourself and your group safe and, just as importantly, what to do if the worst happens.
This is where an experienced instructor or mountain guide comes into their own. They know the local area inside out, understand how the conditions are changing, assess the avalanche risk on different slopes not just for today but for right now and an hour from now, and know where to find the best, most untracked snow without compromising your safety.
For off-piste skiing and ski touring, our favourites would be any of the team at Alpine Experience or The Development Centre. Both offer private guiding for your own group as well as the chance to join others of a similar standard, and both run regular "Introduction to Off-Piste" groups.
Alpine Experience, in particular, specialise exclusively in backcountry skiing and, when conditions allow, usually run several off-piste groups every day catering for a range of different abilities.
There are also a few excellent English-speaking instructors who work independently. They're often fully booked well in advance but, if you can get a half day with Dougie Mill, or Terry James Walker, we can't recommend them more highly — if you can get them.
