Val-d'Isère

History

Human habitation of the valley dates back to before Roman times with traces of Celtic tribes found in the area. The town received parish rights in 1637 and the parish church, which is still a landmark in the town centre, was built in 1664. Val-d'Isere was part of the historical land of Savoy emerged as the feudal territory of the House of Savoy during the 11th to 14th centuries. The historical territory is shared between the modern countries of France, Italy, and Switzerland. The House of Savoy became the longest surviving royal house in Europe. It ruled the County of Savoy to 1416 and then the Duchy of Savoy from 1416 to 1860. Skiing in Val d'Isère has its roots in the 1930s when a drag lift was built on the slopes of the Solaise. This was followed by an aerial tramway (cable car). During WWII, the village secretly housed Jewish children; the former mayor of the village, Dr. Frederic Petri, sheltered a young woman in his chalet and nursed her broken leg.

Geography

Val-d'Isère has a subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification Dfc). The average annual temperature in Val-d'Isère is . The average annual rainfall is with December as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in July, at around , and lowest in January, at around . The highest temperature ever recorded in Val-d'Isère was on 27 June 2019; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 31 December 2000.

Most-observed species

• Alpine marmot

  Marmota marmota (Linnaeus, 1758) · Mammalia
  1,011
• Yellow-billed Chough

  Pyrrhocorax graculus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  941
• Northern Wheatear

  Oenanthe oenanthe (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  809
• Bearded Vulture

  Gypaetus barbatus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  799
• Dark Vanilla Orchid

  Gymnadenia rhellicani (Teppner & E.Klein) Teppner & E.Klein · Liliopsida
  761
• Black Redstart

  Phoenicurus ochruros (S.G.Gmelin, 1774) · Aves
  722
• Edelweiss

  Leontopodium nivale (Ten.) A.Huet ex Hand.-Mazz. · Magnoliopsida
  701
• Apollo

  Parnassius apollo (Linnaeus, 1758) · Insecta
  649

Most recent

• M 3.6 — 2026-01-12
  4 km SSW of Les Houches, France
• M 3.3 — 2025-05-06
  8 km W of Chapareillan, France
• M 3.2 — 2024-05-09
  9 km SW of Evolène, Switzerland
• M 3.3 — 2022-09-25
  7 km ESE of Ar?ches-la-Frasse, France
• M 3.3 — 2022-05-02
  6 km SW of Crissolo, Italy
• M 4.5 — 2022-03-12
  3 km S of Faverges, France