Val d'Isere's History
It was in the summer of 1929 that Jacques Mouflier whilst on holiday from Paris made the journey up to Val d’Isère. The road, perhaps better described as a donkey track, was perilous, threatened by avalanches from the surrounding peaks during the winter and by stone falls and mudslides in summer. Only a few brave souls came this way in the early spring months, climbing skins fixed to the bottom of their skis. What greeted Jacques Mouflier on his arrival was a verdant, hidden valley, barely emerging from the subsistence agriculture of the Middle Ages.
Val d’Isère was huddled around its 17th Century octagonal church spire, far from the reach of deadly winter avalanches. Lower down, the hamlet of La Daille was dominated by the mighty Bellevarde peak and high up towards the border, the Italian glaciers twinkled in the summer sun. At that time the valley had just four hotels, open only in the summer for the benefit of botanists and walkers. Water came straight from the mountain streams and the telephone and electricity were unknown. Mouflier saw the potential for developing a ski resort but he had to set about convincing the locals. Eventually, two hotels were built in 1932, 11 were to be seen in 1938, 36 in 1952 and one could count 62 in 1966. During this time, Charles Diebold opened the ski school in 1932 and Jacques Mouflier built the first ski lift in 1934, the Rogoney, still used today by beginners.
The Val d’Isère ski lift company (STVI) created in 1938, began the illicit construction in 1940 of the Solaise cable car which was finished 2 years later and in 1945, construction of the Bellevarde cable car began. After achieving prosperity, Val d’Isère wished for glory which was gained thanks to alpine sportsmen Henri Oreiller, and Jean Claude Killy, along with Marielle and Christine Goitschel.
Val d’Isère became a resort of international repute in every aspect, a reputation which it has kept to this day. Val d’Isère has continued to expand year on year, opting for a specific style of alpine architecture, a relentlessly improving service and setting itself new challenges to do justice to its reputation as that of leader of the world’s skiing resorts.
