Skiing in Peisey Vallandry
This lovely resort sits at an altitude of 1600m and is sheltered from high winds and affords sublime views of Beaufortain and Mont Blanc. While some of the modernist architecture in Les Arcs polarises opinions, the style here tends towards the classic chalet silhouette and traditional Savoyard varieties.
You’ll find a variety of flexible ski pass offers for Peisey Vallandry and Paradiski which mean that this resort is ideal for a group of skiers of mixed abilities ̶ with a little guidance it’s easy to ensure that every individual has the time of their life on the slopes here.
From gentle beginner runs to challenging off-piste terrain, Peisey Vallandry caters to skiers and snowboarders of all abilities. State-of-the-art lift systems ensure efficient transportation throughout the resort, providing seamless access to the expansive ski domain. With breathtaking panoramic views of the surrounding mountains, Peisey Vallandry promises an unforgettable alpine experience.
From gentle beginner runs to challenging off-piste terrain, Peisey Vallandry caters to skiers and snowboarders of all abilities. State-of-the-art lift systems ensure efficient transportation throughout the resort, providing seamless access to the expansive ski domain. With breathtaking panoramic views of the surrounding mountains, Peisey Vallandry promises an unforgettable alpine experience.
Peisey Vallandry is actually a smooth and seamless amalgamation of the two villages of Plan Peisey and Vallandry, but it’s now completely integrated, and the only significant indication of its partitioned past is the fact that it still has two separate snow fronts.
Only a 2 hour transfer from Geneva, Peisey Vallandry is a beautiful resort with an excellent mix of accommodation to suit all tastes and types of visitors ̶ whether you’re skiing solo, as a couple, in a family or as part of a group of friends, you can choose from apartments, hotel rooms and detached chalets.
In addition to the undulating snowy slopes, you can see natural plunging waterfalls, picture-postcard hamlets and unique cultural attractions like the Notre Dame des Vernettes chapel. If you are after snow-sure terrain across a wide variety of pistes, first class bars, and fab family attractions, Peisey Vallandry is pretty much perfect!
Peisey Vallandry is at the heart of the world-famous Paradiski area in the Tarentaise region. You’ll find a huge range of pistes at elevations between 810m and 3226m at the Aiguille Rouge. This is a great base for ski parties of mixed abilities, with plenty of good blue and tree-lined red runs, off-piste opportunities, glacier skiing from the Varet and Chiaupe glaciers and an excellent lift system that’s crowned by the Vanoise Express, the dynamic double-decker cable car that only takes 4 minutes to cross the valley that links the Les Arcs and La Plagne sides of Paradiski.
Here’s some information on skiing in this special resort:
Many of the runs in the immediate vicinity are blues and reds, which is great news for beginner and intermediate skiers who want to build their skills while having fun and enjoying the stunning scenery and the long, cruisy Aigle run from the top of L’Ours chair is a particular treat.
More experienced skiers might like to try the 200m vertical drop of the famous Aiguille Rouge run down to Villaroger ̶ at 7km, it’s one of the world’s longest black runs.
There are 19 blacks on the Les Arcs side and the steepest is the 2.5km Robert Blanc, while the steepest gradient on the La Plagne side is the 3.5km Emille Allais. But don’t forget mogul runs like the Dou d’Homme ̶ they’re a worthy challenge too!
There’s some outstanding off-piste skiing available in Peisey Vallandry too ̶ hire a local guide to ferry you safely to the best areas, but La Grive is a firm favourite, with its south east facing open face and super shaded couloirs.
If you’re a keen cross-country skier based in Vallandry, hop on the free Lonzagne ‘lobster pot’ lift down to Peisey then jump on the shuttle bus to the Peisey-Nancroix Nordic area, where there are countless cross-country trails.
All Ski Resort Accommodation in Peisey Vallandry
If you’re a snowboarder, there are plenty of places to rip up the slopes in Peisey Vallandry ̶ here are a couple of tips:
Hire a local mountain guide for a day and they’ll show you where the fresh powder is ̶ there are a lot of fantastic freestyle opportunities on the Les Arcs side and even more in the La Plagne sector.
The variety of pistes around Peisey Vallandry can be useful if you’re a novice snowboarder finding your feet, although obviously you’ll be sharing them with skiers too.
The Apocalypse Snowpark between Arc 1600 and Arc 1800 has blue jumps, black rails and a quarter pipe, as well as a spine jump, rail slides and gap jump for more experienced riders. You can also build up your speed on the boardercross area and practice jumps safely on the big air bag.
The Mille 8 complex in Arc 1800 has a freestyle snowboard area and if you’re popping over to La Plagne, the 7 Cube snowpark has a variety of jumps, rails and boxes to suit all levels of snowboarders ̶ access it from the Colorado chairlift at Plagne Centre.
With plenty of shaded north facing slopes, a reasonable resort altitude of 1600m and highest slopes at 3226m, Peisey Vallandry is snow-sure and conditions are usually good throughout the season, which typically lasts from mid-December to the end of April. Here’s some more info on its historical snow conditions:
The long tree-lined runs of Peisey Vallandry are the best places to ski on the Les Arcs side of Paradiski when a storm descends.
There are over 250 snow cannons, which means that artificial snow can top up the natural snowfall ̶ there’s actually enough capacity to cover 25 of the slopes if necessary.
The snowiest week here is usually the first week of March, with 4.3 snowy days and 34cm of snowfall.
The most recent seasonal snowfall records reveal a total snowfall of 303cm, a total of 31 snowfall days, a largest snowfall of 25cm, average base depth of 77cm, maximum base depth of 115cm, average summit depth of 271cm and maximum summit depth of 430cm.
Since Peisey Vallandry is a conglomeration of two main villages (and several smaller satellite settlements), you won’t find the wildest soirées in Paradiski here, but the following hotspots are still superb venues to unwind, socialise and enjoy yourself:
The Flying Squirrel in Peisey-Nancroix serves tasty gourmet burgers and paninis washed down with cold beer and accompanied by live TV sports and DJS later in the evening.
Greg’s Bar is a popular spot to meet for pizza after an energetic day on the slopes, it also serves a pretty mean mojito and is open ‘till 2am. If you want to mix and mingle with locals and visitors, Greg’s is a sweet spot to spend the evening.
Mojo Bar is a chic and bijou spot for cocktails and cosy chats with your significant other. If you want a laid-back lounge vibe, this is the place to be.
Bar Monty Blanc might be the liveliest venue in Peisey Vallandry ̶ located at the foot of the Grizzly lift, it’s open from 9am-1:30am, serves great pub grub and a wide selection of drinks all day and hosts live bands, DJs and comedy acts in the evenings.
L’Ancolie in Peisey-Nancroix is one of our favourite restaurants in the Alps. You can hire a guide to get you there for lunch or take the bus for a great dining experience. Homemade terrines and a menu filled with locally sourced ingredients make this a restaurant not to be missed. It is so good it is where all the locals eat and you might never find it if you didn’t know where it is. Call and book in advance so you don’t miss out.
Peisey Vallandry has all the facilities you and your family need to feel perfectly at home ̶ as well as comfortable accommodation options, there are plenty of off-slope activities for all ages and tastes, sufficient shops to keep you topped up with essentials and a diverse range of leisure, culture and entertainment activities all year round.
Peisey Villandry is a family-friendly resort, so your kids will feel comfortable here and there are further child facilities and activities throughout Les Arcs if you don’t mind hopping on a shuttle bus.
All Ski Resort Accommodation in Peisey Vallandry