It is on the border of the Vanoise National Park created in 1963, with good transport links in and out of Lyon, Geneva and Chambéry.
The ski slopes themselves are equipped with a high-volume gondola, able to transport standing skiers, the funicular Funival from La Daille via a tunnel to the top of Bellevarde, traditional chair lifts—some with windshields and many detachable, button/disc-pulls and tow-ropes.
Human habitation of the valley dates back to before Roman times with traces of Celtic tribes found in the area.
The resort hosts every year a round of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup for both men and women.
The men's downhill, super-G and giant slalom of the 1992 Albertville Olympic Winter Games were held on the Face de Bellevarde in Val d'Isère.
Due to unexpected bad weather – a hailstorm resulting in landslides on the road along the ‘Lac du Chevril' – the organisation of the Tour had to cancel the stage passed the Col de l'Iseran.
[9] Val d'Isère is the location of the annual winter sporting event GEM Altigliss Challenge which is organised by Grenoble School of Management.
Each February over 1000 students from 30 Grandes écoles of France participate in the week-long skiing and snowboarding event which takes place in Val d'Isère.
Although the movie Les Bronzés font du ski (French Fried Vacation 2) has been a great success in France, only a few people are aware that it was shot in Val d'Isère.
In 1994, a video game named after the resort, Val d'Isere Championship was released for the Super NES, after it was featured in an episode of GamesMaster.