Off-piste skiing in Val d'Isère, from your first powder turn to the steeps

In brief

Your level

you can link your turns down a red run, on hard snow and spring snow alike

How long

by the full day (morning meet, back by late afternoon), from one day to a whole week

Group size

private, or a small, well-matched group of one to six

Safety kit provided

avalanche airbag pack, transceiver, shovel and probe, checked before every departure

Led by

a qualified ski instructor specialising in off-piste; for the occasional route that calls for one, a mountain guide can be brought in on request

We meet

Val d'Isère, first thing, tourist office quarter, Avenue Olympique

Price

from €600 per day (one to four people); all our prices on our ski school page

Season

from the lifts opening through to spring, snow depending

Off-piste skiing is everything beyond the groomed runs: unmarked, unpatrolled snow, reached from the lifts or, a little further, on skins. In Val d'Isère you ski it with us, as our guests have since 2001, from the first powder turn to the experts' couloir, privately or in a small, well-matched group of one to six. Each morning we read the faces before choosing where you'll ski; the avalanche airbag pack, transceiver, shovel and probe are provided, and the person leading you knows the ground by heart.

From €600 a day, for one to four.

Your day, from the first lift to late afternoon

We meet in Val d'Isère before the lifts open. Avalanche airbag packs, transceivers, shovels and probes are handed out and checked; then the bulletin, read together, and a sector chosen for the snow and your level.

The first descents show us how you stand in powder, and we refine it from there. Lunch wherever the view deserves it. In the afternoon, if the group is ready, a steeper bowl or a short climb on skins to a quiet slope beyond the lifts. The snow sets the plan.

From Solaise to the Couloir des Pisteurs: terrain that grows with you

Val d'Isère and the Espace Killy open onto some of the largest off-piste terrain in the Alps. The Val d'Isère ski map stops at the edge of the patrolled area, and that is where your day with us begins. The altitude that keeps the snow cold here is the subject of our Val d'Isère snow page.

Solaise is the powder classroom: gentle open ground where you learn to float in fresh snow on forgiving slopes. It lies in the shade early on, which keeps the snow cold, until the sun reaches it later in the morning. Bellevarde, above the village, is the way into the real thing, a run of open slopes, rollovers and bowls where you learn to read the terrain before you commit. The Couloir des Pisteurs is one of the hardest lines in Val d'Isère, steep and narrow from the top: we suggest it only to very strong skiers, guided, equipped, and when the snow allows.

Some days we take you beyond the ski area on a day trip towards Sainte-Foy, Bonneval or La Rosière. For high altitude and long untracked vertical, there is heliskiing and the Italian-side drop.

Off-piste or ski touring: which suits you?

Off-piste starts from the lifts and runs down ungroomed terrain. Ski touring adds a short climb on skins, from ten minutes to an hour, to reach a slope beyond the lifts, still untracked since the last snowfall. A few kick turns and an easy pace are enough. If you take to it, our ski touring courses in Val d'Isère are the natural next step. Riders join us too, for off-piste snowboarding and splitboard days.

Private off-piste lessons, and the level you need

Guided off-piste is open to any confident skier. You need to link your turns down a red run, on hard snow and spring snow alike, keep your balance on ungroomed snow, and want to learn. We take children from around ten once they are at ease on the ski area, and skiers well past eighty. In private off-piste lessons, or a well-matched group of one to six, the pace is set by the most cautious skier. If you'd rather polish your piste skiing first, private ski tuition in Val d'Isère sets the stance that will serve you in powder.

• New to powder · the gentle open ground of Solaise.
• Intermediate · the Bellevarde bowls, a first day on skins.
• Advanced and expert · couloirs and north faces, when conditions allow.

Avalanche safety: the kit you carry, and how we read the snowpack

Avalanche safety starts with the kit. You set out with an avalanche airbag pack, a transceiver, a shovel and a probe, handed out and checked one by one. All of it is included in the price.

Each morning we read the Météo-France avalanche bulletin, set it against what we saw on the ground the day before, and choose the sector from there. For the hazard scale itself, the European Avalanche Warning Services is the reference.

When the hazard rises, we adapt the day and pick the sector to match the bulletin. Choosing the slope, and knowing when to turn back, is what you engage a professional for. Our avalanche safety page takes you through the 1 to 5 scale, wind slabs and the terrain.

What we provide, what you bring

We provide the guiding and the full safety kit (avalanche airbag pack, transceiver, shovel and probe), plus skins and ski crampons when the route calls for them.

You bring all-mountain or freeride skis (hire available locally; we'll suggest the width), waterproof layers, warm gloves, goggles, a helmet, and your lift pass, bought at the resort.

What your day costs, and how to book it

A guided day is €600 for one to four people (€650 in school holidays) and €700 for five to six (€750 in school holidays), by the full day or the whole week at the same daily rate. Lift passes, ski equipment, meals and insurance are for you to arrange. The whole offer is on our ski school page, the detail on the prices page. Write to us through the contact form with your dates and level, or simply call, and you'll have our reply within 24 hours.

A word from the founder

We have skied a good part of the world, from the Alps to Japan by way of Iceland and Svalbard, and since 2001 we have skied Val d'Isère in every weather, from bluebird to whiteout: it is still the mountain that teaches us most. We know the piste map by heart; what we love to pass on to you is everything around it, and a feel for the right moment to go.

Boris Malesset, founder of PowderWeGo, off-piste ski professional since 2001 and former director of the TopSki school in Val d'Isère

Off-piste skiing and ski touring take place on unmarked terrain, outside the piste patrol's remit. Your day is led by an off-piste ski instructor or mountain guide, the guide joining on request. We provide and check the safety kit before every departure (avalanche airbag pack, transceiver, shovel and probe). We follow the avalanche bulletin and the snowpack daily, and adapt, or postpone, any outing the conditions require. Beyond the kit, safety rests on preparation, a close reading of the terrain, and the good sense to turn back when the day calls for it.

FAQ

What exactly is off-piste skiing?

Skiing away from the groomed, marked and patrolled runs, on natural snow left just as the mountain made it. In Val d'Isère much of it lies a few minutes from the lifts; with a short climb on skins, far more opens up. We ski it guided, with an avalanche airbag pack, transceiver, shovel and probe for everyone.

What ski level do I need to ski off-piste in Val d'Isère?

You need to link your turns down a red run, on spring snow and hard snow alike, and keep your balance on ungroomed snow. Leave the expertise to us: we fit the terrain to your level and start, if need be, on the gentle open ground of Solaise. Curiosity counts as much as technique.

Is the safety kit provided?

Yes, all of it. Each skier is given an avalanche airbag pack, a transceiver, a shovel and a probe, checked before every departure. It is included in the price; you bring only your skis (hire available locally) and your clothing.

How much does a guided off-piste day cost?

From €600 a day for a group of one to four people (€650 in school holidays), and €700 for five to six people (€750 in school holidays). That price includes the guiding and all the safety kit; lift passes, ski equipment, meals and insurance are for you to arrange.

What happens if conditions are poor?

We plan every day around the conditions. If the avalanche danger is high or the visibility poor, we choose more sheltered terrain, cut the day short, or postpone if conditions require it. Knowing when to turn back is part of the craft: you engage us for our judgement, on the quiet days as much as on the deep ones.

Can you ski off-piste as a family, with children?

Yes, from around ten years old if the child is at ease on the ski area, and at any age after that: we guide skiers past eighty. In a private group the pace is set by the most cautious skier, and every slope is chosen within everyone's reach.