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Nursery slopes, first greens & later blues

Val d’Isère for beginners.

For first turns on Solaise, use Pim Pam Poum’s magic carpets. Take the gondola up and back down.

Still learning to stop and turn

Your first day on Solaise.

  1. Up: Solaise gondolaBoard at the village snow front.
  2. Practise: Pim Pam PoumTwo covered magic carpets for short, repeatable laps.
  3. Home: the same gondolaYou do not need to ski down to the village.
Lift map & directions ↓Lesson, ticket & first session ↓

Booked a lesson? Follow your school’s meeting point. Some lessons start on the village slopes rather than at Solaise’s carpets.

Pim Pam’s covered magic carpet on Solaise, photographed on a snow-free slope before winter
Pim Pam’s covered carpet. Before winter, November 2024.Photo: Rémih / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Full photo, resized only.

Get to the right lift

Solaise starts at the village snow front.

By train, travel to Bourg-Saint-Maurice, then take the bus to Val d’Isère. Use the local shuttle or walk to Solaise from your accommodation. By car, follow the P1 Face de Bellevarde parking directions below.

Start here

Solaise gondola

Village snow front, Rue de la Face, Val d’Isère, France

Car directions ↗Train & bus directions ↗Walk from my hotel ↗Open map ↗

Choosing a hotel or apartment? Enter its address as the starting point in walking directions, then check the route to this lift.

Solaise · Pim Pam Poum

A first ski day with a simple finish.

The Pim Pam and Poum carpets let you repeat short practice slopes without taking a chairlift. At the top of Solaise gondola, the Lounge and ValKids area are nearby.

  1. Board Solaise in the village.Start at the snow front on Rue de la Face. The neighbouring Olympique lift goes to Bellevarde.
  2. Find your practice slope.For Poum and ValKids, walk along the left of the Lounge after leaving the gondola. Follow your instructor to the right starting slope.
  3. Finish by gondola.Return to Solaise’s top station and ride down. You can have a mountain day without skiing into town.

Find Poum & ValKids ↗

After the practice slope

Madeleine is the green.
Col de la Madeleine is blue.

Once stopping and turning feel familiar, green Madeleine is a next option to discuss with your instructor. The operator’s approach uses Solaise gondola, then the slope to the right of the Pim Pam carpets down to Madeleine chair.

This adds a chairlift and a longer outing. Keep your first attempt with someone who can show you the route back to Solaise.

See the operator’s Madeleine guide ↗

MadeleineGreen run · a step beyond the carpets

Col de la MadeleineBlue run · a separate descent and return lift

When blues already feel familiar

Two Solaise blues for later.

These laps need controlled turns on blue runs. Their return includes Datcha chair before the gondola down; neither is a first-day nursery slope.

Blue run · Solaise

Plan Milet

A high-mountain blue with a chairlift circuit. Preview Ivo Koimecs’s February 2020 descent below.

Run video
Skiing 'plan milet' nice blue piste in Tignes Val d'Isere. — Ivo Koimecs Original on YouTube ↗
Get to the run
From the village snow front, take Solaise gondola. Follow blue Lac-Parc to the Glacier chair, then take the chair up and follow the blue Plan Milet signs.
Repeat or finish
Take Datcha chair back towards Solaise, then the gondola down to the village. For another lap, return to Glacier chair.

Remember. Plan is a separate red run. Do not follow it downhill to the village when you mean to stay on Plan Milet. The Leissières chair crosses the ridge into another sector; you do not need it for this lap.

Full Plan Milet guide →
Blue run · Solaise

Col de la Madeleine

Watch the run

Col de la Madeleine, from the slopes

Matt · @mathilts

Open on Instagram ↗

Loads Instagram’s player when you choose to watch.

Get to the run
From the village snow front, take Solaise gondola. Head downhill to the right of the Pim Pam carpets to reach Madeleine chair. At the top, follow the blue Col de la Madeleine signs.
Repeat or finish
Follow Col de la Madeleine down to Datcha chair, then ride back towards Solaise. Return to Madeleine chair for another lap, or take Solaise gondola down to the village.

Remember. Madeleine, without ‘Col’, is a separate green run. Follow the blue Col de la Madeleine signs for this lap. Plan is a red descent towards the village; use Solaise gondola for the ride down instead.

Full Col de la Madeleine guide →

Your way back

The gondola home is part of the plan.

Red Plan and black Face de Bellevarde are different ski descents. They are not the finish to the Solaise learning session above. Check Solaise’s last downhill ride before going up; for the later blues, leave time to take Datcha back towards it.

Official lift & return information ↗Open the ski map ↗

Before your first Val d’Isère ski trip.

Is Val d’Isère good for complete beginners?

It can work well when you choose the learning area and the way home first. Use the village nursery slopes or Solaise’s carpets for first turns; save the longer blue circuits for later. A big ski area does not mean every route is a beginner route.

Are there free beginner lifts?

The tourist office lists Savonnette drag lift and Village chairlift on the village snow front, plus Lanches drag lift at La Daille, as free. Solaise gondola is a separate paid ascent. Match the lift to your lesson rather than buying a full-area pass automatically.

See the free-lift list ↗
Where do children’s lessons meet?

Check your booked school’s meeting point before taking a mountain lift. For example, ESF uses Centre and La Daille village meeting areas; those are separate from the Solaise carpets. Take the exact course sign and location from your confirmation.

ESF meeting points ↗More on learning with children →
Can I use the €25 carpet pass for Plan Milet?

Do not assume so. The carpet plan uses Solaise and Pim Pam/Poum. Plan Milet uses Glacier and Datcha chairs as well. Ask the lift company or school for a pass covering all the lifts in your chosen outing.

Where should a beginner stay?

Check the journey to your lesson meeting point first. For Solaise practice, look at the village snow front and the shuttle journey from your accommodation. A hotel near La Daille may suit a La Daille lesson but leaves another journey to Solaise.

Val d’Isère starting areas & accommodation →
Official maps & sources · checked 28 October 2026

Learning-area and pass details come from the operator and tourist office. The two later blue-run connections use the official ski map and the full run guides linked above. Videos stay with their original creators.

Choose the next step that fits today.

Compare beginner slopes →More Val d’Isère runs →