What's New in Val Thorens 2026-27
4th October 2026
An independent guide to Val Thorens
4th October 2026
The latest changes and developments in Val Thorens and the 3 Valleys
in advance of the Winter season 2026-27.
Le Bouchon Alpin replaces La Ferme de Rosalie, a longstanding
restaurant in the Balcons Quarter of resort.
It is inspired by Lyon's bouchons - cosy restaurants serving hearty, homemade food. Le Bouchon Alpin will offer both Lyonnais and Savoyard cuisine in a relaxed and convivial setting.
Running the restaurant is Jérémy, who has worked at the Chalet de la Marine for the last 13 years.
Meanwhile Le Nêva restaurant replaces Le Mazot, at the far end of the Rue Piétonne de Caron near the Carrefour Montagne supermarket.
They specialise in traditional French cuisine, and get a lot of good reviews.
Alpine Fleet ski transfers are easy, reliable and convenient. Based in Geneva, the company's founders Hugh and Simon are British and British-Italian. Find out more about Alpine Fleet.
Alpine Fleet offer shared and private transfers to Saint-Martin, Les Menuires and Val Thorens (and other ski resorts). Use the form below to get a quote in Swiss Francs, CHF.
When you proceed to booking, use the code ValThorensG to get a 5% discount.
Already popular in Les Menuires, Zig Zag Café is opening a branch in Val Thorens. It's at Olympiades in the Rue Piétonne de Caron.
It's essentially a café-bakery offering speciality coffees and teas, homemade cakes, and soup and toasted sandwiches.
It's the sort of relatively reasonably-priced eatery Val Thorens needs, and I'm sure it will be a success.
Kart Xperience offers a thrilling downhill ride on a specially-designed three-wheeled mountain kart.
It's a group activity led by a lift company employee. Take the Funitel Péclet up, then descend on the piste with your group. You should expect sweeping turns, controlled drifts, and plenty of excitement.
Kart Experience is a new addition to Val Thorens' programme of activities.
The Pashmina Hotel's chef Camille Vallet is holding five cullinary masterclasses. He will teach the five or six participants about his cooking, including his signature dish, Péla du Piémont.
The dates are:
Last winter, a fully autonomous drone was installed on the roof of the Lac du Lou refuge. It could be operated remotely, and was used to survey the whole of the Vallon du Lou off piste area.
It made a panoramic reconnaissance flight each morning, and expert assessment flights. It also supported 20 operational interventions, helping the ski patrol to rapidly assess situations before sending rescue teams.
In the coming winter, a second autonomous drone will cover another
sector of the resort.
The Caron 3200 building is offering a virtual reality experience called 'Everest: Unknown Territory'. Participants can relive the first ascent of Everest from 1953.
There will also be a big LEGO portrait of astronaut Thomas Pesquet by Belgian artist Tom Brikx. Val Thorens claims it will be the highest street art installation in Europe.
In my view Val Thorens has ruined the natural beauty of the Cime de Caron by cluttering it up with ugly buildings like 3200, and putting on a film about Everest doesn't mitigate that.
There's to be an exhibition called 'Archives Berthon 1986-2026' at the Chalet Péclet this winter.
Freeride skier Kelly Berthon presents her images alongside those of her father Patrick.
Read more about what's new in Val Thorens in 2026-27.
Courchevel is investing €5 million in replacing the La Tania gondola (re-using existing elements where possible).
The most noticeable aspect will be new 8-seater panoramic cabins.
Also in La Tania, there's new accommodation at Bârma Hotel & Spa.
The Châtelet chairlift in Méribel Mottaret is to reopen. It was taken out by an avalanche last winter.
Meanwhile, Méribel is investing €3 million in improving the snowmaking system on La Truite piste. Also, there's to be a new toilet block at La Chaudanne.
The Biolley magic carpet in Saint-Martin is to be replaced. Les Menuires and Saint-Martin are investing €7 million in snowmaking.
There's to be a new beginners' area at the top of Roc 1 in Les Menuires.
A 320m² building, Chalet Taïga, opens its doors this winter, as does Chalet de Beauvoir.
Orelle is opening a new ski touring area away from the pistes; it's called La Trace du Loup.
Skiing Made Easy is a Kindle ebook and paperback. It's a practical guide to learning to ski, based on many happy seasons of ski teaching in Val Thorens.
'This is the book I wish I'd had when I started skiing' - Amazon reviewer.
Read more about Skiing Made Easy.
Buy the paperback direct for the best price. Or buy the paperback on Amazon or the Kindle ebook (affiliate links).
Skiing Made Easier is the follow-up to Skiing Made Easy, and covers technique beyond basic parallel turns - carving, short turns, bumps and off piste.
Read more about Skiing Made Easier.
Buy the paperback direct or on Amazon. Buy the Kindle ebook (affiliate links).
Backcountry Access BCA Tracker 3 on Amazon (affiliate link).
£337.61 at the time of writing.