France

Choosing your resort can seem a bit of a minefield, although the traditional alpine working villages are very charming they weren't designed with the skier in mind. Purpose built resorts may not be so pretty but you will find everything at your fingertips with the majority of hotels and chalets ski-to-door.

If the kids are coming too, try and stay near the nursery slopes to escape those long arduous walks in ski boots. France is a very family ski friendly country, they are always welcome in restaurants whatever the time and the lift handlers will stop the lift if necessary for children to hop on with ease.

Information about the Resort

Morzine-Avoriaz is a brilliant all-rounder and also is part of the mammoth Portes des Soleil ski area which covers 400 square miles providing 650km of marked runs and limitless off-piste.

Avoriaz is also known as the snowboarding capital of the Alps and is also home to The Wall, a severely steep mogulled black run that will give you serious bragging rights in the bar later.

France has linked its resorts very well and you will find even the smallest resorts are still part of large ski areas.

The other two giant areas belong to Les Arcs and La Plagne which join to provide 425 km aptly named Paradiski and the world renowned Les Trois Vallees that unites, among others, Courchevel, Meribel and Val Thorens with 600km of piste.

When the winter season ends many people still head to the mountains for the unreal experience of glacier skiing in glorious sunshine. Tignes, Chamonix and Les Deux Alpes hold regular free-style competitions all summer long at their snow parks perched high on the mountainside.