A GUIDE TO THE SLOPES: Where to Ski and Snowboard

The new edition of Where to Ski and Snowboard is now out.  It has a winning format - latest news and analysis, followed byextensive guides to the main resorts and pen pics of hundreds of smaller ski areas.

Looking at the main chapters, there's an informal system of promotion and relegation in terms of who is and is not included.  For example, Alpbach was relegated from the 2014 edition, but is back now.

Over the years, Valmorel has yo-yoed from having a seat in the main section to being in the back of the book.  It's back with a chapter of its own this year, although the authors suggest that the ski area is "lagging some way behind - and it is never going to compete with its illustrious neighbours in the next-door Three Valleys."

You can ski over from Valmorel to St Francois-Longchamp in the Maurienne valley, and the Maurienne will be delighted that it now has a chapter of its own in this new 2016 edition.

This includes details of the Eski-mo ski pass, covering the five resorts east of Modane, as well as short summaries of the following ski areas:

• Les Sybelles
• Valloire
• Valmeinier
• Les Karellis
• Albiez
• Valfrejust
• Aussois
• La Norma
• Bonneval-sur-Arc

These resorts are little-known to British skiers.  And they provide much cheaper options than the mega resorts on the other side of the hill.

I've never got beyond St Francois in winter, but the summer drive up the valley motorway is a more dramatic one scenery-wise than the RN90 to Bourg-St-Maurice.  And the skiing gets good reports - see for example this piece from Peter Hardy in the Telegraph a few years ago.

Surely some mistake:The new edition of the book gives
Les Arcs a measly 2 stars for Alpine Charm....

HAPPY FAMILIES IN VALMOREL

Ambitious Valmorel is recognised in the World Snow Awards as most improved family resort.  It is praised, among other things, for the new piste to Doucy and its innovative family lift pass.

There is still some way to go.  In this year's ski brochures, for example, Crystal places it in the second tier - the resort is part of their internet offer but does not make the print version. And Inghams doesn't bother with Valmorel at all.

But the resort is certainly on the way up, with new lifts going in, a state-of-the-art Club Med and something completely different in the Celliers valley - more details here.  It's also much handier for Lyon and Geneva than its larger neighbours further up the Tarentaise.

This blog puts them in the Premier League of French resorts: the skiing equivalent of Crystal Palace...

Any resemblance to your ESF instructor at Valmorel is purely incidental

LE GRAND DOMAINE: Back on the map

The steadily improving Valmorel-St Francois Longchamp Grand Domaine was the only resort in Savoie to launch an extension to its ski area during 2013/14.

The new Club Med at Valmorel has really boosted the resort, helping the LabelleMontagne group to improve what was a pretty dated lift system.

The new Soleil Rouge chairlift over on the St Francois side opened at the end of December 2013.  This 4-person chair serves new blue and red pistes; latest area map here.

The lift is showcased in this helpful video showcasing its evacuation procedure:



The addition of the Soleil Rouge lift takes the area to 165km of piste, with a good vertical drop of 1400-2550m - more if you go down to Doucy Combelouviere.  

For a tour of Valmorel, click here.

And to get a flavour for St Francois, have a look at their "Happy" video.  For me the Maurienne side is the most attractive side of the mountain, albeit much of the resort isn't as attractive as Valmorel.

All in all, the resort is now firmly back in the Premier League - its proximity to Albertville (VERY close) and Chambery (1 hour) being added bonuses.

MOUNTAIN HIGH, VALLEY LOW: The Price of Skiing

Skiing has never been cheap.  Not least for British skiers, given the distance involved and therefore the need to spend a few days in the mountains.  Witness the sharp fall in Brits taking to the slopes, from 1,227,000 in 2007/8 to 899,000 last year.

In the Telegraph, Peter Hardy finds "budget" chalets for the package holiday skier in Peisey Vallandry, Val d'Isere and the Sella Ronda.  In terms of resorts, he recommends Baqueira-Beret (where you may still see the Spanish royal family), Madesimo and, in the Maurienne Valley, Aussois.

Meanwhile, Where to Ski and Snowboard has taken a systematic view in recent years.  It calculates an a "RPI" for each resort, based on a basket of indicators.  The "average" score is 100, with Ste-Foy (85) and Val Cenis (80) emerging as the best value of the bigger French resorts.

A week's Paradiski pass will set you back €277

For short breaks, the cheapest option is to stay down in the valley.  Bourg St Maurice, is one of the most obvious options, with funicular railway or easy bus access to Les Arcs/La Plagne, La Rosiere, Tignes and Val d'Isere.  (That said, the choice of hotels is limited).  Albertville may not be everyone's idea of heaven, but it's very close to Valmorel, Crest Voland and Areches-Beaufort.  Annecy is a more mainstream and probably sensible base, with Le Grand Bornand, La Clusaz and Le Semnoz close by.

And for the day-tripping skier, the enterprising www.ausommet.fr has put together a handy guide.  The chart the prices being charged by the various resorts.  Note: a significant proportion are owned by Compagnie des Alpes, who, by clever pricing, managed to increase revenues by 3% last year, thereby outpacing the modest 1% rise in skier numbers - more here.  In that vein perhaps, we see that prices are still rising, particularly in Les 3 Valleés, at 57€, beats Chamonix to the "most expensive" prize by 50 centimes.

The costs may be eye-watering, but generally the hierarchy seems reasonable (eg Valmorel's Grand Domaine and La Rosiere's Espace San Bernadino are priced similarly). Bonneval sur Arc comes in perhaps as best value: 24€ for a ski area with slopes from 1800-3000m.

SKI SEASON 2013/14: The French Market

Last season was the year when the British ski market finally halted its decline, although it remains well below pre-Crisis levels.

France remains the most popular destination for skiers this side of the Channel, and of course it has not been immune from the market conditions - for example in Les Arcs, the Edenarc development has taken an age to get off the ground.

Here are some of the current dynamics in the French market:

New Developments

Many of the larger resorts are continuing to invest in their infrastructure, for example in La Plagne, where there will be a new Montalbert telecabine for December 2014.  Ste-Foy has a new fast lift going up from the village this season, in Valmorel there are a number of new lifts and a new Club Med as well.

OK, but...

The Compagnie des Alpes, which owns the ski lifts for many of the big resorts, including Les Arcs, reports total skier days rising by 1% last year, with revenues up by 3%.  This of course was against the backdrop of a very good season snow-wise.  The view at the Paris Bourse is that these results are disappointing.

Les Arcs and Peisey-Vallandry's ski area
is now combined ina single entity: ADS.
This in turn is owned by Compagnie des Alpes

For Sale

France of course has many small ski resorts, and one of them is a vendre.  For €550,000, you can become owner of 3 teleskis, a chalet at the foot of the pistes and - drumroll - a piste bully.

Closed

The Pyreneean resort of Puigmal is €5m in debt, and is closing.

Angry

The French school holiday calendar has recently changed, and Easter hols are now much later.  This year, for example, the first zone (C) to break up for Easter holidays does so on 12th April, by which time many resorts will have closed.  Meanwhile, Zone A pupils will be waiting until the 26th until their holidays start.  The French ski resorts assoication is fuming about this and is lobbying the Government strongly.  They say that they are now only getting 2% of their revenue from the Easter season, compared with 8% before 2010.

VALMOREL: Upwardly mobile?

Compared with the big resorts further up the Tarentaise, Valmorel has a different feel. Although the ski area is still pretty big by most standards, it can't compete with the mega resorts beyond Moutiers, and in recent years has been marketing itself to skiers from southern France and Spain.  

In many ways the area is now more noted for summer pursuits.  The Col de la Madeleine is a regular on the Tour de France, most recently in 2013.

Valmorel used to be a mainstay of the brochures in the 1980s and 1990s, but these days doesn't merit a full chapter in Where to Ski and Snowboard - although there is a useful online write up here.

But there is certainly some investment going into the area.

Five years ago, the new Celliers gondola was opened, linking this remote valley with the Grand Domaine:

Two new lifts opened on the Valmorel side last season, and a new "Soleil Rouge" lift over in St Francois is coming on stream for 2013/14.

And the recent arrival of Club Med suggests that investors are willing to put their money into the future of the resort.  It boasts about being the nearest Tarentaise resort to Chambery, Lyon, Paris - and its accessibility is certainly a plus.

We likened Valmorel to Premiership team Reading, who were then duly relegated.  Will Valmorel make a return to the big league during the coming years?  The signs are promising...

FRENCH SKI RESORTS: The Premiership for 2013/14

The 2012/13 season saw Wigan (Areches-Beaufort), Reading (Valmorel) and QPR (Les Gets) relegated from the Premier League - which means we need to identify the French ski resort partners of the new teams.

Looking at the three promoted clubs, it seems reasonable to say that Hull City are Areches-Beaufort: off the beaten track, quietly doing some good things, strongly patriotic locals.

And Crystal Palace are Valmorel: getting back to where they were in the 1980s, but still not entirely convincing.  Just as Palace market themselves at their south London catchment area, Valmorel targets its marketing at the south too (of France, that is).

Cardiff City is a tricky one.   I don't really see them as Les Gets.  So I've opted for Montgenevre, mainly because there seems to be some serious money going in there, but (until now) nobody really talks about them much.

THE TOP 50: According to L'Equipe

L'Equipe magazine published its league table of the Top 50 resorts in France on 24 November.  Scroll through the pictures of the Top 25 resorts to see the full classement.

In a way it's not that controversial, as it covers just about all the resorts, although a number of the smaller ones, like Géradmer in the Vosges, have found it useful for their PR efforts.

Ste-Foy (in the background) doesn't make the Top 50
Villaroger (foreground) is part of 9th-placed Les Arcs

Once the scores on quite a wide range of criteria are added up, the winner is.....
La Plagne.  

It only seems to fall down on two things: cross-country skiing and fancy restaurants.

And it beats local rival Les Arcs for having a halfpipe, facilities for families, sports facilities and having "villages de charme".

The other resorts in the top ten are Val d'Isere, Chamonix, Les Menuires, Megeve, Méribel, Tignes, Val Thorens and Les Arcs.

So, no surprises there, but it seems slightly odd to see Flaine at No 26, La Rosiere at No 30 and Valmorel at No 44.

Of course these league tables are most certainly an art rather than a science.  For example, Alpes magazine places Serre Chevalier as No 1 in its "well-being and relaxation" league table and Alpe d'Huez as No 1 for "Le Grand Ski" and "Extreme Glisse".

LE TOURNOI DES 6 STATIONS: Allez La Plagne!

Updated 16 January 2013

This winter sees a new competition coming to the Alps - snow rugby.  Enter Le Tournoi des 6 Stations, which will take place during the rest period of the annual Six Nations tournament.  Official website here, and the latest news, including captains of the teams, here.

Rugby is no stranger to the area.  Tignes regularly hosts beach rugby competitions during the summer, and it is a favourite training camp for Stade Francais.

But this new competition, brainchild of @yanndelaige, will take place in the middle of winter, and indeed right in the middle of the French school holidays.  It is a "new, fresh and original" concept, says Yann.  A melange of slalom and rugby sevens is promised, and stars of rugby (including Marc & Thomas Lievremont, Serge Betson) and the ski slopes (Luc Alphand, Antoine Deneriaz) have signed up.  Orangina and Peugeot have signed up too:

Press Conference in Paris, November 2012

The event takes place between 26 Feb and 3 March, with the final chapter taking place at La Clusaz apparently.  The other participating resorts are La Plagne, Les Menuires, Courchevel, Valmorel and Chamonix.

One of the aims is to initiate people into rugby.  Of the "Top 14", only Stade Francais and Racing Metro are located outside its southern heartlands, so presumably the idea is that the sport has quite a lot of untapped potential.

There's more background here in the official video of the press conference, which include a heroic photo shoot in front of the Arc de Triomphe.

What is worth a look is the official trailer, which shows you what playing rugby sevens with crampons is really like....

Alongside the website, you can follow developments Le Tournoi's Facebook Page.

WHERE TO SKI? Winners and Losers 1995-2013

The excellent Where to Ski and Snowboard 2013 is now available - it's easily the best guide to resorts, their rude comments about Les Arcs' architecture notwithstanding.

As its name suggests, it's an annual publication, which first appeared in 1995.  A look at that first book tells us which resorts have maintained and/or strengthened their position, and which are on the wane, at least in the British market.

One change, of course, has been in the title of the book - the original guide did not include the word "Snowboard", although there was a chapter devoted to the growth of "Le Surf", as the French used to call it.

"It is estimated that by the year 2000, 

one in three people riding the lifts 

will be a snowboarder"

Not sure if the snowboarder ratio ever got to quite that level; certainly in Les Arcs last year, the number wasn't getting much above 10%.

Back to the resorts.  Then - and now - the bulk of the guide is devoted to chapters on the main destination.  There were more chapters in 1995 than in the latest edition, with the net effect being there are more resorts who have "lost" their individual chapters than there are winners/newcomers.

In France, the winners - each now proudly boasting their own chapter - are Samoens, La Tania and Les Gets.  The losers are La Clusaz, Les Contamines, Valloire, Isola 2000 and Valmorel.

In Austria, the main winner this year is Soelden.  It was in the original guide, but then lost its place, and has now been rightly restored as "Austria's best kept secret", with its 130km of pistes, near-2000m vertical descent and, er, varied nightlife.

Hochsoelden

WTSS 2013 also gives good coverage to the Vorarlberg region.

A number of Austrian resorts are no longer covered in detail - the most notable perhaps being Zell am See, Zell am Ziller and St Johann in Tirol.  Each were mainstays of the ski brochures during the 1980s and 1990s.

Other Austrian resorts no longer covered include BKK, Fieberbrunn, Galtur, Innsbruck and Niederau.

In Italy, Bormio is out, with Passo Tonale and the Trentino region on the rise, each boasting a chapter for 2013.

Finally, Switzerland.  Arosa, Flims, Lenzerheide and Les Diablerets no longer justify a chapter.  The rising star is clearly the Val d'Anniviers, with four pages now devoted to Zinal, Grimentz et al.

FRENCH SKI RESORTS: THE PREMIERSHIP (REVISITED)

28 July 2013: for a 2013/14 update click here.

Here's an update on the 2011/12 French Ski Resorts: The Premiership league table.  The sad and geeky question is: if your favourite resort were a top-tier football team, which would it be?

The big headache for me is Manchester City.  Last time it was twinned with Tignes:

Man City = Tignes

Lots of investment; lifts now arguably superior to those of its neighbour across the mountain.  Clearly on the up.  Still lacks that je ne sais quoi.

In many ways this description still stands.  But...it's just that Tignes, like the Man City of old, has character, even though it may look a bit shabby around the edges.  It's where the real skiers go, rather than those show-offs over in Val d'Isere.  Etc.  But now that Man City can have whatever they want, whenever they want, the comparison feels slightly less appropriate.  I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt, but if it carries on like this, they will be twinned with Gstaad.....

Wolves (2 Alpes), Blackburn (Avoriaz) and Bolton (Valmorel) were all relegated. I think each of these resorts still deserve their place, so they have been replaced with Southampton, West Ham and  Reading.

Kassam Stadium, Oxford.
Set to join the Premier League in 2015/16,
once all the necessary pieces are in place....

Man City = Tignes

Lots of investment; lifts now arguably superior to those of its neighbour across the mountain.  Clearly on the up.  Losing its character?

Man Utd = Val d’Isere
A classic resort; famous around the world, consistently performs at a high level.  Popular with rich people from The South.

Arsenal = Meribel

Strong Anglo-French links, not as good as thinks it is but is still very good indeed.  Will never go out of fashion.

Tottenham = Les Arcs

Has had its ups and downs over the years, but a steady transformation over last decade - with slow lifts/players now largely a thing of the past.  By no means perfect, but can mix with big league.

Newcastle = Val Thorens

Big stadium, with great atmosphere and famous nightlife.   Improving in recent years, and can give the others a run for their money 7 days out of 10.  When the sun shines it’s great, but on a cold day...

Chelsea = Courchevel

Money talks; the domain of well-heeled Russians.  Oddly characterless.  Less affluent folk are scattered in distant suburbs away from the centre.

Everton = La Plagne

Was one of the "Big Five" in the 1980s, but no longer.  Shrewd management has papered over the cracks (slow lifts, short runs).  Had a good season last year.

Liverpool = Chamonix.

Fancies itself as the home of mountaineering.  Which in a way it is.  Has a tradition, character, real sense of place that everyone respects - fans all want to visit at least once...

Fulham = Megeve

Location and proximity to nice restaurants is just as important as the skiing.

West Brom = La Clusaz

Quietly goes about its business with little attention from abroad.  Unlikely to rise any further.

Swansea = Isola 2000

Somewhat remote geographically from rest of the league.  Was briefly in the top flight during the 1980s.  Surprisingly good when you see it in action.

Norwich = Serre Chevalier

Bit of a yo-yo resort between Prem and Championship.  Another remote location.  But has strong support, good foundations and real character.  And the food...

Sunderland = Alpe d'Huez

Great stadium, all the way to 3,300m; a World Cup venue.  It’s south-facing, though and therefore can lose interest towards the end of the season.

Stoke City = Les Sybelles

Has no discernible centre; a modest kind of a place.  Has made its mark on the Premiership without anyone really noticing how far they've come.  Top lifts often shut due to wind.

Wigan Ath = Areches/Beaufort

Few people go there, but those who do enjoy the welcome (and the cheese pies).

Aston Villa = Flaine

Has lots of support; good all-rounder and the infrastructure to mix it with the big league.  Could pack more of a punch if they ever get their act together.

QPR = Les Gets

Not the biggest but there's money there.  Struggles to last a full season, but in 2011/12 stayed open (just about) well into the Spring.

Reading = Valmorel

Not a "natural" in terms of the Premiership, but steady investment in recent years and new Russian investments means they could well hold their own.

Southampton = Les 2 Alpes

The Beautiful South.  Lots going for it, but lacks strength in depth (narrow ski area).

West Ham Utd = Avoriaz

Both really should be in the Premiership given their location, fan base, history etc.  They both lack consistency, but let's see....

AND MORE IMPORTANTLY….

Oxford United = Chamrousse

On the Grenoble Road, big university town boasting great ski area.  Was briefly in the top flight; Jean-Claude Killy once skied there.  Has strong following from the locals - on one rainy day in 2010, their numbers reached 33,000....

Barnet = Ste Foy

Where the ski instructors (aka Arsenal and Spurs fans) go on their day off.  Only a few lifts but packs in lots of action.  Noteworthy gradients.  Local authority resisting its bid to expand.

EN COLERE: Industrial Relations in the Mountains

All may be well for those holidaying on the pistes, but the realities of working in the resorts - low pay, seasonal work, a flat market - have led to a fair amount of industrial conflict in recent years.

France is of course no stranger to industrial relations.  This BBC report reminds us that, although the French workforce is not particularly unionised, they are the European Champions in terms of days lost to strikes per 1,000 employees: Germany 4, UK 19, France 100.  (Canada are the World Champtions, apparently).

This is a far from exhaustive list, but here are some recent examples of industrial relations problems in the mountains:

First, a video showing Courchevel's brief day as the only resort in France with no lifts, back in 2008.

In 2011, there was a brief strike in Les Arcs and La Plagne over working conditions and pay, which was part of a national dispute involving the CGT.  It involved 60 grevistes at the Funiculaire, 100 at La Plagne, and 40 at the Vanoise Express.  But the union actions weren't coordinated (the FO union did its own deal with the employers) and the lifts kept on turning.  More here.

Earlier this year, there was a brief strike over pay in Valmorel which saw 110/180 of the resort workers on strike, and 75% of the pistes closed.  More here (including video).  And more on the skiing in Valmorel here.

Valmorel, looking towards Mont Blanc

Back in Les Arcs, there is an ongoing dispute between the ESF and some of its older instructors.  The ESF employs 17,000 moniteurs in 250 resorts across France.  In 2007 it adopted a policy of getting instructors aged over 60 to cut back their hours outside school holidays - the intention being to provide more opportunities for younger workers.  This was adopted at Arc 1800 in 2009, and prompted five instructors aged 57-62 to take the ESF to court.  The latest ruling by the court in Albertville was in their favour, declaring it to be a clear case of age discrimination.

THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: How They Voted In 2007

Not long now until the first round of the French Presidential Election.  Here's how France voted in round two back in 2007:

Sarko v Sego

Savoie is traditionally more to the right and voted in favour of Sarkozy by 57:43

Indeed, the only town I can find which voted for Royal is the capital itself, Chambéry, which went against Sarko by a 49:51 margin.  The full results, broken down by departement and commune, can be found here.

With one or two exceptions, the communes serving ski resorts backed Sarkozy by a greater margin than the Savoie average.  Here is a selection, ranked by % voting for Sarko:

Landry  51
Moutiers  55
Albertville  55

Bozel (Courchevel)  56

Aigueblanche (Valmorel)  57
Beaufort  60
Aime (La Plagne)  61
Bourg St Maurice-Les Arcs  60
Seez (La Rosiere)  61
Champagny  62
Peisey-Nancroix  65
Tignes  66
Macot-la-Plagne  68
Villaroger  70
St Martin-de-Belleville  73
Brides-les-Bains (Meribel)  74
Crest Voland  79
Val d'Isere  80

THE BUSINESS OF SKIING: The Season So Far

It's true that many of the ski instructors we see are actually farmers, plumbers, shopkeepers etc in the local villages.  The second part of this video gives you a "day in the life" of Les Arcs.  But, aside from the small resorts with a drag lift or two, the lift systems need investment, and therefore are serious business propositions.

The bulk of the French Premier League resorts are owned by the Compagnie des Alpes: La Rosiere, Les Menuires, Meribel, Chamonix, Avoriaz, Les 2 Alpes, Valmorel, Val d'Isere, Tignes, Serre Chevalier, La Plagne, Les Arcs....

Arc 2000

They are also into theme parks: the portfolio includes four "Parcs Walibis" (whatever they are), Parc Asterix and (scene of various Tour de France stages), Futuroscope.

The story of the season so far, announced in CdA's latest results, is a bit mixed, really:

• Late snowfall which meant everyone was on edge until the second week into December
• Having Xmas Day and New Year's Day on a Sunday
• The heavy snowfalls in the first week of Jan (see below, en direct from Bourg St Maurice...)

The result: skier numbers are down 1% on last year.  The CdA pronounces itself "satisfied", at least for the moment.  If this is how well the big reports are doing in these uncertain times, one wonders how the smaller ones are faring.  Certainly the news from small resorts in the Pyrenees hasn't been great.  The Crystal Ski Report 2011 reported a 5% fall last year in the number of Brit skiers, on top of 13% and 11% falls in previous years, but claimed the market was "set to rebound".   It will be interesting to see if the record snowfalls do prompt some "floating skiers" to go, or indeed whether it's the economy, rather than the snow, which plays the upper hand.  We'll see.

On the other hand, all is good for the theme parks: revenues up 13%, and lots of plans for the future.  Onwards and upwards!

THE LES ARCS A-Z: A Guide for 2012

Here's an attempt at a guide to Les Arcs and the surrounding area....

Architecture - 3 sites in Les Arcs have been awarded the label of "Architecture of the 20th Century": the sites of Arc 1600/1800, the town hall and cinema in Bourg St Maurice and the Aiguille Rouge cable car station - overview here

Bourg St Maurice - "la montagne dans la ville", gateway to Les Arcs

Cycling - Les Arcs was the scene of Indurain's downfall; La Plagne of historic performances by Roche, Fignon and Boogerd

Domaine Skiable - here is the 2010/11 plan des pistes; the Les Arcs website has been a bit slack and hasn't put up the new 2011/12 one up yet - and there are a few changes, for example in the Mont Blanc area above Arc 1600

Edenarc - you can buy your new flat here and look back at what might have been, with Charlotte Perriand's original design here

Funiculaire - "unique in France", with a new makeover.  Timetable here

Golf des Arcs - a beautiful site, 32 holes, open from June until les premieres neiges

Arc 1800 runs to resort, on the golf course

Hauteville Gondon - home village of Robert Blanc, founder of Les Arcs

Infos practiques - on the Les Arcs website

Jeux Olympiques - the speed skiing was at Les Arcs, and saw a tragedy on the morning of the event

Killy - as in Espace Killy - about 40 mins up the road from Bourg

League Tables - Alpe d'Huez beats all the Tarentaise resorts, and is a brilliant all-rounder, summer as well as winter - see rankings here

Manchester United - cf Val d'Isere.  France's best ski resorts are matched with their Premiership equivalents here

News - @ledauphine gives comprehensive coverage and will improve your French

Off-piste - there is a Bureau des Guides at 1800, and Arc Aventures also have specialists.  Here's a book for the armchair expert, in French but with some English summaries.  It's available in resort

Aiguille Rouge summit: 3220m

Plagne - as in La Plagne - Les Arcs' local rivals...

Quecha - the low-cost Decathlon range.  The shop in Albertville (just off the RN90) is very good and sells ski de fond, ski rando equipment etc, which can be hard to find in the resorts



Rosiere - as in La Rosiere - distinctly under-rated - my favourite (apart from Les Arcs, of course).  Great views in both directions towards both La Plagne and Tignes, as well as the link with La Thuile to explore

La Rosiere: looking up the valley towards Tignes

Society and Politics - against an uncertain economic background, the area is not short of heated debates about which direction/s it should take in future - overview here

Tignes - just up the road.  Park at Les Brevieres

U - as in Super-U on the Route des Arcs at the edge of Bourg St Maurice

Valmorel - a resort on the up, with a new Club Med, new lifts, and handier for the airport than the Haute Tarentaise - quick review here

Websites - official Les Arcs site is more style than substance, but others compensate

X-ray - main cabinet medical is close to the Cachette lift in Arc 1600.  Will cost you several hundred pounds to be taken down the mountain by a hunky pisteur

Y - La Grotte du Yeti appears to be a chain of bars - with branches in Arc 1800, Les 2 alpes, St Francois Longchamp etc

Z - As in Zinedine Zidane - the France football team often train at Tignes, for example before their ill-fated trip to South Africa....

FRENCH SKI RESORT LEAGUE TABLES (3): "Bien-etre et detente"

The final league table published by Alpes magazine looked at "bien-etre et detente" - again the translation "well-being and relaxation" feels a bit cumbersome.

Anyway, what the authors said they were looking for are:


...resorts for whom skiing is not everything, places where it's just as important to be close to nature, or simply to relax.  We've chosen resorts situated below 1500 metres, where it's the way of life, often symbolised by the small village and its clocktower, that is sought after - a certain "authenticity"...

The resorts were rated under the following categories:

Kms of snow-shoe walking trails
Sport
* Dog sledding
* Toboggan tracks
* Organised snow-shoeing activities
Whether or not they have a spa
Historic events
* Evening presentations etc
* Visits to the farm (!)
* Museums
Culture/activities
* Art galeries
* Markets
* Concerts
* Cinema
Other activities (eg guided tour of station, thermal baths)
Price of lift pass
Price of accommodation

And the winner is....Serre-Chevalier...which also came in 7th on the Grand Ski league tables, which makes it probably The Best All-Round Resort in France?  I've only been in summer, so can't comment.

The full listing includes some familiar names - and indeed all offer "Grand Ski" as well, in the form of a local area of 100kms plus:
1.  Serre-Chevalier (scores consistently: the ski-joering/horsey things and thermal-type baths seem to have won it)
2.  Megeve (would have won but marked down on price...)
3.  Chatel (the judges like the "famille-montagne" badge; again, marked down on price)
4. Valmorel
5. Saint-Gervais
6. Combloux
7. La Clusaz
8. Chamonix
9. Crest-Voland (click here for more on CV)
10. Brides-les-Bains
11. Saint-Martin-de-Belleville
12. Meribel

VALMOREL

Valmorel is the poor relation of the big Tarentaise resorts.

It seems to have lost its way somewhat, and is now competing against southern French resorts like Risoul or Puy St Vincent, rather than the Premiership resorts further up the valley.  It's more of a Nottingham Forest, or a Leicester City.  It's certainly part of the history of skiing (born in 1976, aiming to be more human-scale than the big purpose-built resorts, jobs to stem the rural exodus).  But it's no longer in the spotlight, and investment in the lift system over the years has been patchy.

That said, it has a big ski area (called, appropriately enough, La Grande Domaine), with more than 150k of pistes, shared with St Francois Longchamp, over in the Maurienne Valley.  It is not entirely forgotten - Crystal feature the resort as one of its 33 French destinations in their 2011/12 brochure.  And it's not entirely down-at-heel.  Club Med are building a new 5 star, 1500 bed, centre, which appears to have divided the locals.  To read more, see the French Wikipedia entry for Valmorel.  To see more, click here:
The facilities will be open in summer - a big deal for resorts these days.

Just a few tips about Valmorel:

1.  It's barely 30 mins from Albertville, so one of the handier resorts for a short trip
2.  It's close to a very special valley (Ceillac), which is for ski rando only, has a couple of small hotels and, unusually, a gondola straight into the skiing.  This would be a short ski stay with a difference.  Locals advised me that the road up to Ceillac would be narrow and icy, so I went to...
3.  Doucy-Combelouviere - a satellite suburb of Valmorel.  The road up there was narrow but not icy, and it is a bit closer than Valmorel centre, with easy parking on the main road and a semi-fast lift into the skiing
4.  St Francois-Longchamp.  The more interesting skiing is on this side.  The village isn't very appealing visually, but friendly.  Do not expect to see many Brits.
5.  Col du Mottet, on the Valmorel side.  This is proper, high(ish) skiing.
6.  Tour de France lovers will like the Col de la Madeleine.  You can find the summer road sign.  (I didn't).

www.valmorel.com