What's the deal with the Val d'Isere tunnel

Hi,

I'm hoping to get to Val for a week in March / April. It would be my
first time there, and while I was swotting up on the piste map I noticed
a tunnel over on the left hand side. I googled this group, and there
was a posting about it back in '96. Has it changed at all since then? If
I read correctly, you have to ski through it, but its one-way traffic
[ two-way could be interesting ;-) ]. I also notice there are black runs
either side of the ridge. I would class myself as a red run skier, but
I'll do blacks if pushed. Sometimes literally. Are these serious blacks?
It would be a shame not to be able to get over to that valley, but it
looks as though there's plenty of other stuff to do in Val.

Walter

"Walter Wright" wrote in news:mrzXd.42$ox4.0
@newsfe4-gui.ntli.net:

Hi,

I'm hoping to get to Val for a week in March / April. It would be my
first time there, and while I was swotting up on the piste map I noticed
a tunnel over on the left hand side. I googled this group, and there
was a posting about it back in '96. Has it changed at all since then? If
I read correctly, you have to ski through it, but its one-way traffic
[ two-way could be interesting ;-) ]. I also notice there are black runs
either side of the ridge. I would class myself as a red run skier, but
I'll do blacks if pushed. Sometimes literally. Are these serious blacks?
It would be a shame not to be able to get over to that valley, but it
looks as though there's plenty of other stuff to do in Val.

Walter

The tunnel is served by a button tow, and is very rarely open. Indeed I
thought I had heard that it had collapsed, but there were tracks leading
from it when I was there in December indicating that it had recently been
open. On the Solaise side it's a very short, steepish but straightforward
slope. On the Pisailles side it's a bit longer, and a bit rocky and rutted
at the top.

You can cross the ridge slightly lower down to access that area using the
Leisse lift (better check the name - I haven't got a piste map in front of
me - but it's obvious which one to take) or you can take the bus to Fornet
and go up from there.

For red run skiers looking for blacks to try, I'd recommend the Sache piste
in Tignes for a long, not too difficult run (nice restaurants in Brevieires
at the bottom) or maybe the Face de Bellevard for thrills (if you're fit
and fairly brave; it's bumpy and steep in places).

Jeremy

Walter Wright wrote:

: I'm hoping to get to Val for a week in March / April. It would be my
: first time there, and while I was swotting up on the piste map I noticed
: a tunnel over on the left hand side. I googled this group, and there
: was a posting about it back in '96. Has it changed at all since then?

You undoubtably mean the tunnel reached by a very steep drag lift near the
Lessieures chairlift between Solaise and the Col d L'Iseran ski areas.

I have *NEVER* seen this open in about 7 visits to Val over a few years - the
latest at New Year this year. Is it EVER open these days?

Jeremy Mortimer wrote:

: For red run skiers looking for blacks to try, I'd recommend the Sache piste
: in Tignes for a long, not too difficult run (nice restaurants in Brevieires
: at the bottom) or maybe the Face de Bellevard for thrills (if you're fit
: and fairly brave; it's bumpy and steep in places).

I would disagree about Sache - at New Year the bottom section of it was FAR
the most difficult skiing in the whole resort. La Face was trivial after it!

Brian McIlwrath wrote in
:

Jeremy Mortimer wrote:

: For red run skiers looking for blacks to try, I'd recommend the Sache
: piste in Tignes for a long, not too difficult run (nice restaurants
: in Brevieires at the bottom) or maybe the Face de Bellevard for
: thrills (if you're fit and fairly brave; it's bumpy and steep in
: places).

I would disagree about Sache - at New Year the bottom section of it
was FAR the most difficult skiing in the whole resort. La Face was
trivial after it!

Really? What was the problem? I've seen large patches of bare mud in
spring, but nothing too bad when it's actually got snow on it.

Jeremy

Been to Val & Tignes 5 times in the last few years and it has never been
open. Seeing as they've replaced the crappy 2 man "up and over" chair close
by with a new quad, there seems litle point either.
Rob
"Walter Wright" wrote in message
...
Hi,

I'm hoping to get to Val for a week in March / April. It would be my
first time there, and while I was swotting up on the piste map I noticed
a tunnel over on the left hand side. I googled this group, and there
was a posting about it back in '96. Has it changed at all since then? If
I read correctly, you have to ski through it, but its one-way traffic
[ two-way could be interesting ;-) ]. I also notice there are black runs
either side of the ridge. I would class myself as a red run skier, but
I'll do blacks if pushed. Sometimes literally. Are these serious blacks?
It would be a shame not to be able to get over to that valley, but it
looks as though there's plenty of other stuff to do in Val.

Walter

Jeremy Mortimer wrote:
:
: I would disagree about Sache - at New Year the bottom section of it
: was FAR the most difficult skiing in the whole resort. La Face was
: trivial after it!

: Really? What was the problem? I've seen large patches of bare mud in
: spring, but nothing too bad when it's actually got snow on it.

There wasn't that thick snow cover at New Year which might have coloured my
experiences! I do recall the very last black section of La Sache (down to
where it joins the red run) being steep, narrow in places and quite tricky -
with the odd bush to be avoided. Perhaps not too awful but, after skiing
about 3/4 of the run, it was a definite "sting in the tail"

Rob White wrote:
: Been to Val & Tignes 5 times in the last few years and it has never been
: open. Seeing as they've replaced the crappy 2 man "up and over" chair close
: by with a new quad, there seems litle point either.

Might disagree! The tunnel looks like it would lead to a steep black from near
the top of the ridge. "Lessieures" gets you over just fine but you don't
ski anything! Given the number of off-piste tracks always on that whole
ridge it looks popular to climb and then ski back down.

"Jeremy Mortimer" wrote in message
...
Brian McIlwrath wrote in
:

Jeremy Mortimer wrote:

: For red run skiers looking for blacks to try, I'd recommend the Sache
: piste in Tignes for a long, not too difficult run (nice restaurants
: in Brevieires at the bottom) or maybe the Face de Bellevard for
: thrills (if you're fit and fairly brave; it's bumpy and steep in
: places).

I would disagree about Sache - at New Year the bottom section of it
was FAR the most difficult skiing in the whole resort. La Face was
trivial after it!

Really? What was the problem? I've seen large patches of bare mud in
spring, but nothing too bad when it's actually got snow on it.

Jeremy

Hi Jeremy,

In mid-February the last 300m were treacherous. There were huge moguls,
most of which had coatings of ice on. A few members of my group ended up
taking their skies off and walking. The rest of it though was a delight to
ski, nothing more than a hard red.

Joe

Jeremy Mortimer wrote:

The tunnel is served by a button tow, and is very rarely open. Indeed I
thought I had heard that it had collapsed,

You heard right but they have rebuilt the tunnel at a cost of some
150,000 Euros so it should be open again. You can also climb under the
tunnel doors when they are closed if you have a shovel to access the
piste on the other side but I don't suggest anyone does this, I just
note that it is possible.