All aboard the ski express.

Publication: Zest Magazine
Date: 2009-01-01
Author: Tania Daniels, Caroline Hamman, Sarah Oliver, Kelly Moseley

Give your ski adventure a green makeover by taking the train to these top French resorts. We have found the best for luxury, families and those on a budget.

The resort Chamonix is synonymous with top-class Alpine skiing in beautiful surroundings, but this level of luxury does have a price tag to match. As home to the majestic Mont Blanc – the tallest mountain in the Alps – and also host to the first Winter Olympics in 1923, it is a phenomenal destination. Think of this old town as five resorts for the price of one: Le Brevent and La Flegere, Les Grands Montets, Le Tour and Vallorcine (Domaine De Balme), L’Aiguille Du Midi/La Vallee Blanche and Les Houches. And, with 20-minute link through the Mont Blanc tunnel to Courmayeur in Italy, this truly is skiing on an international scale.

Best for Extreme skiing and luxury living. Chamonix is renowned for its off-piste, which is good for both daring skiers and boarders alike – no hopping or dragging your board along endless plateaux for you’re here. It’s also an excellent place to experience other snowbound activities, such as panoramic helicopter rides, paragliding or a particularly precarious night-time ski descent down the mountain (complete with flaming torch in hand). Our favourite time to visit is during the Cham Jam Boss Des Bosses in mid March, when ski bums from different resorts across the Alps take the moguls to battle it out in this free-for-all competition. And, for an absolutely breathtaking view over the Alps, you can’t beat the top of the Brevent lift on a blue-sky day – you’ll honestly never want to leave. Even if you’re a non-skier or just overdid it the day before, there is a good collection of shops in the town to fill the day.

The slopes You’d be really hard-pushed to decide on the best pistes in Chamonix since there is such an extensive range. La Vallee Blanche at the top of the Aiguille Du Midi station is infamous for its excellent but challenging off-piste. Even the most experienced skier shouldn’t attempt it without a guide – the resort is a buzz with tales of near-misses for those who take a wrong turn. Grands Montets is also hugely popular due to its altitude – and has the best powder. Our favourite run in the resort is the super-long black from the very top of the cable car (a far safer place to experience the thrill of the off-piste than the giddy heights of the L’Aiguille Du Midi). Alternatively, Brevent and Flegere are far more family friendly and suitable for groups with varied abilities. Although the distance between each mountain in Chamonix isn’t ideal, it’s worth the effort to experience these world-class pistes. It also helps to keep the town ‘real’, rather than a touristy ski-in-out resort.

The après As Chamonix is also a summer resort, you’ll never be bored post-piste. La Terrasse in the centre of town often has live bands on the open-air balcony and regular DJs, too. There are two floors – the top is an Art Deco conservatory for a more relax drink, but it’s worth braving the busy bar on the ground floor – come sunset it provides the best view of the peachy-pink ‘soleil’setting behind the mighty Mont Blanc. MBC, Micro-Brwasserie De Chamonix, just five minutes from the centre, is a restaurant and pub with a friendly athmosphere and excellent beer. If you fance a quiter evening though, we found that many delicious local restaurants rarely disappoint if you fancy a cosy supper of regional fare (think cheese, cheese and more cheese) or a more conventional steak-frites if you’re fromaged out.

The Resort Although lesser known than its glamorous neighbours Courchevel and Meribel, this small purpose-built resort gives you super-easy access to a huge ski area, but at a fraction of the cost. It’s the perfect combination of good value French Alpine charm. One of the most surprising things about La Tania is that, thanks to a very efficient lift network (it’s just one speedy bubble ride and a single chairlift over to Courchevel), you will never feel like the journey to another resort is a trek.

Best for Style on a budget. This small, friendly resort gives you super-easy access to Courchevel without the hefty price tag. If you’re after a huge choice of restaurants, bars and clubs right on your doorstep, then La Tania isn’t the best resort for your needs, think cosy family eateries and one or two bars and you’re on the right lines. Don’t worry if you do get the urge to dance the night away, though. If you’re travelling with a tour operator, your rep can organise a night out in neighbouring Meribel or Courchevel.

The slopes With 600km of runs in Les Trois Vallees, there’s something for everyone, whatever your level. Beginners are well catered for with nursery slopes right in the centre of the resort and an abundance of long, rolling blue runs (our favourites are Biollay – it’s fantastic for boarders, Pralong and Folyeres – which brings you back down to La Tania). Intermediate level skiers and boarders will love the easy red runs Marmottes and Saulier, and the slightly more challenging Creux. And if you really want to push yourself to the limit then you can always tackle Grand Couloir – a steep, narrow, mogul-filled black run – credited with being the steepest in Europe. It it’s late in the season and snow is literally thin on the ground, head up to Val Thorens, to take advantage of its high altitude and snow-covered runs. And, of course, no day’s skiing is complete without a good piste-side lunch. So, on the theme of ‘style on a budget’, head to Le Bouc Blanc at the top of the La Tania bubble – it’s really good, simple hearty food, at a fraction of the price you’ll pay at any of Courchevel’s restaurants.

The Après For a post-piste drink or two, the only place to be is the Pub Le Ski Lodge in the centre of La Tania (www.publeskilodge.com). With a slightly British feel (the clue’s in the name…), it’s welcoming, lively and packed full of friendly faces. There are a few traditional Savoyarde restaurants that are reasonably priced and tasty, but for something special our favourite evening haunt is la Taiga (www.easytaiga.com), La Tania’s best restaurant by far. Set in a stylish chalet-like building it offers modern European cuisine as well a delicious take on traditional fare. Don’t miss tasting their La Raclette (cheese served under a heater with chercuterie and green salad); it’s the best we’ve ever eaten.

Where to stay Hotel Montana is without a doubt one of the friendliest ski-resort hotels we’ve ever stayed in. It’s basic but comfortable, and the staff really does go out of their way to make you feel welcome. The rooms are reasonably spacious, with surprisingly good showers (lots of hot water and high pressure – invaluable after a hard day on the mountain), and comfortable beds. Request a room with a resort-side balcony, as the views are lovely and it’s the perfect to catch a few rays of sun in the afternoon. If you want to relax off-slope, there’s a swimming pool and sauna, plus a lounge area with bar and cosy fireplace. The major selling point of this hotel is that it offers great ski-to-door. And we’re talking proper ski-to-door – none of this walk 200m in your ski boots. Situated right in the centre of La Tania, the run down to resort literally ends at the door to the ski locker room – it just doesn’t get any easier than this!

BEST FOR FAMILIES

The resort Arc 1800 is a busy, bustling resort made up of Charvets, Villards and Charmettoger, and has speedy lift access to La Plagne. The two valleys, and the uber-lift structure linking them, are known as the Paradiski area and have an amazing 425km of runs on very varied terrain. But those with a fear of heights beware. The huge double-decker cable car, The Vanoise Express, travels at 20km an hour over the 4km gulf between the two valleys, Les Arcs and La Plagne.When the weather is clear, the panoramic vista is incredible, but at 360m high it isn’t for the faint-hearted!

Best for Families. Child day care is available for children aged four months to 13 years. The four children clubs are all pretty close to your morning drop-offs. And there’s a club to suit every age group – your ski rep can help with recommendations. For little ones who want to ski (and from Zest personal experience, it’s advantageous to start young), book them in to morning or afternoon lessons with the French ski school, ESF (Ecole Du Ski Francais), which has meeting points in each resort. The tuition is really top notch. Whether you’ve opted for self-catering, but fancy a night off or have worked up an appetite on the slopes and need to cure your family’s hunger fast, the restaurants in Les Arc (try Casa Mia, the Triangle Noir and the Equipage) offer good friendly service, reasonable prices and are more than happy to cater for family groups.

The slopes With five snowparks, three boardercross courses (similar to an assault course, but in the snow) and one half pipe, freestyle skiers and boarders will never want to holiday anywhere else. We love boardercross as it is fun, but Les Arcs has a run for everyone, meaning the whole family are well0catered for here. For the more conservative snow bunny, there are more than 230 sweeping runs,, from easy greens to more challenging blacks. Advanced skiers shouldn’t miss out on the amazing and slightly intimidating Aiguille Rouge, a 7km black run (feel the burn in your legs) and for beginners there’s a nursery slope directly outside Residence Le Belmont, with 13 green runs to practise on so you feel confident before you progress to one of the 44 blue runs.

The après Eat at Tantra, Arc 1800, for excellent French food in a luxury mountain cabin setting. For something less formal, but just as tasty, try the traditional fondue restaurants and pizzerias. There are a handful of bars to enjoy a post-ski beer, but by the evening these can be quite crowded, so if you’re with a young family, you may want to get a babysitter while you relax.

Where to stay Try the self-catering apartments in Arc 1800, residence Le Belmont. Although the rooms are compact, they have a mini balcony with views of the snowy peaks. Being just metres from a fast chairlift and being ski-to-door means the location of this accommodation its selling point – it’s an ideal family spot.