THE RESORTS
Most of the French resorts are ugly purpose-built affairs, but their layout is such that you can often ski straight out of your front door in the morning, and the lift systems are quick and efficient. There is also an emphasis on family skiing in France, with most resorts offering day-care facilities.
The best resorts lie along the Franco-Italian and Franco-Swiss borders. Of these Val d'Isère ( www.val-disere.com ) is deservedly known as one of the best ski stations, and, combined with Tignes, covers a massive area serviced by over 100 lifts, with a variety of runs, some as high as 3200m. Boasting many hotels, along with lively après-ski , the town is a good option for an impromptu stop. Its partner resort, Tignes ( www.tignes.net ), also features excellent skiing for all levels, but is more family-oriented, with fewer hotels and bars. Despite its fame, Chamonix ( www.chamonix.com ), further north is not the most-user friendly of resorts, and access to the slopes is dependent on shuttle buses or having a car. That said, for advanced skiers, it is probably the best choice for its impressive range of challenging pistes, and with Mont Blanc looming above the scenery is unbeatable.
Further west from the Italian border, with good access to Chambéry and Albertville by road, Courchevel, Méribel and Val Thorens/Les Menuires make up Les Trois Vallées , the world's largest ski area. Its ingenious lift-network makes skiing from village to village easy, and near endless off-piste possibilities await the intrepid. Of the component resorts, Courchevel ( www.courchevel.com ) exudes expensive luxury, while Méribel ( www.meribel.net ) is traditionally British-dominated, with a good range of cheaper hotels and a lot of après-ski action. Ugly Les Menuires ( www.lesmenuires.com ) is family-oriented, with a fair number of cheap hotels, while younger crowds head for Val Thorens ( www.valthorens.com ), a hip resort particularly popular with the snowboard set, with a lively nightlife. North of the Trois Vallées, Les Arcs ( www.bourgstmaurice.com ), with its near identical concrete and glass hotels, is high on the list for North American travellers and snowboarders, and has a decidedly mellow après-ski .
On top of the famous centres, there are several less well-known but decent resorts. Flaine , north of St-Gervais ( www.flaine.com ), is a particularly good choice for novice skiers, with a generous selection of easier runs, though the town is shockingly ugly. La Plagne (
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), southwest of Bourg-St-Maurice in the Isère, is a huge ski-station, with a wide range of pistes for intermediates, though accommodation is dominated by apartments, and nightlife is minimal. For traditional Alpine atmosphere, La Clusaz and Megève, both of which are on the mountain route between St-Gervais and Annecy, are good choices. Although the pistes and snow conditions are not the best due to its relatively low altitude, La Clusaz ( www.laclusaz.com ) has managed to retain the feel of a village, and has a good range of moderately priced hotel accommodation. Megève ( www.megeve.com ) is the most beautiful French resort, with "olde worlde charm", a jet-set feel and a buzzing nightlife. Mediocre conditions are bolstered by extensive snow-making, but advanced skiers will be disappointed.
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