A ski is not a neutral object handed to you for the week. A piste ski 76 mm underfoot flicks from edge to edge in a heartbeat on groomed snow, then sinks as soon as there are twenty centimetres of fresh. A 100 mm freeride ski does exactly the opposite. Between the two there are some twenty families of skis, and only one will really suit you.
Our advisers spend the whole season on this ski area. They will ask you three questions: where you ski, how you ski, and how many days you have ahead of you. The answers determine the ski, its length and its binding setting. It is quicker than comparing spec sheets, and more accurate.
Alpine skiing, carving, freeride, ski touring, snowboarding, telemark. Boots, helmets and poles at the same time, and snowshoes for those who would rather walk. Val Thorens opens onto the 600 kilometres of Les 3 Vallées: you can spend a week here without skiing the same run twice, as long as your equipment keeps up with your plans.
Between hires, every pair goes back through the workshop: base, edges, waxing, binding check. Nothing goes back into the shop without passing through there.
Setting your bindings is not a formality. It is calculated from your weight, height, boot size, age and ability, according to ISO and ASTM standards. Set too tight, the binding won't release your boot when it should. Set too loose, it releases mid-turn. We set it in front of you, and we check it.
