Most 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's 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.valdisere.com) is a deserving favourite, 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. 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 a car. That said, for advanced skiers, it's probably the best choice for its impressive range of challenging pistes. 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 lots of après-ski action. Ugly Les Menuires (www.lesmenuires.com) is family-oriented, with a number of cheap hotels, while younger crowds head for Val Thorens (www.valthorens.com), a lively resort popular with the snowboard set. North of the Trois Vallées, Les Arcs (www.lesarcs.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-known but decent resorts. Flaine, north of St-Gervais (www.flaine.com), is a particularly good choice for novice skiers, with a selection of easier runs, though the town is staggeringly ugly. La Plagne (www.la-plagne.com), southwest of Bourg-St-Maurice in the Isère, is a huge ski-station, with a wide range of pistes, 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) retains a village feel, and has moderately priced accommodation. Megève (www.megeve.com) is the most beautiful French resort, with "olde worlde charm" and a jet-set feel. Mediocre conditions are bolstered by extensive snow-making, but advanced skiers will be disappointed.
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