Where to ski in French Alps, Dec. 2002
 

We plan to visit our daughter in France over the Christmas holidays and are thinking of going skiing. All four members of our party are intermediate skiers or better. I've been trying to find a ski area and nearby lodging that meet certain (maybe impossible) criteria:<BR><BR>1) Lodging in a traditional-looking village (population 3,000 to 6,000 would be ideal - have stayed in both Barcelonette and Megeve and really liked both) rather than at one of the modern-looking ski resorts. Since we'll have a car, the lodging doesn't have to be right at the slopes as long as there's convenient parking at the ski area. However, I'd prefer not to have to make a daily hair-raising drive on a snow-covered road with constant hairpin turns, either!<BR><BR>2) I imagine that at the end of December, there could be little or no snow. For that reason, I don't want to be in such an isolated place that it would be hard to drive around and do other things. I'm aware that many of the mountain passes will be closed. Are there areas that get more snow early in the season?<BR><BR>I've done a lot of looking on the internet and in my travel books but can't find exactly what I'm thinking of. Any suggestions?<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>3)

I keep singing the praises of Briancon in the Serre Chevalier valley in the Hautes Alpes region. It is a traditional town(with its fortified medieval old section), not one of those purpose-built resorts that have sprung up so many places in the Alps. However, snow is iffy at Xmas b/c of low latitude (altitude is fine!); that said, Briancon and area had the best snow of all France 2001. Briancon (pop. ~10,000) boasts over 300 days of sunshine a year (there are smaller traditional villages along the Serre Chevalier valley such as Villeneuve, Monetier), and our small hotel was only 10 meters from the ski lift, which links to the whole Serre Chevalier ski domaine. Check it out on a search engine: Auberge du Mont Prorel. Nearby(45 min. by car)is La Grave, which is known for its treacherous and exciting off-piste skiing, for which a guide is deemed necessary. Our guys spent one thrilling day doing La Meije, the famous mt. at La Grave. Look Serre Chevalier up at http://www.goskifrance.com Olympic trivia: Luc Alphand, former French Olympian, is from the SC valley.

Tignes, Val d'Is&egrave;re and Val Thorens

There is another factor to take into consideration: temperature. December can be chilly and of course sun exposure is quite scarce. It's why I have always chosen the Southern Alps to ski at Xmas, because it's definitely sunnier and with a more Mediterranean atmosphere than the Savoie (not to mention the hordes of Italian skiers, but it's part of the fun ! ). I personnally like Vars, but even though it's a nice resort, it's not picture-postcard perfect. Sue's suggestion is a good one, since SC is actually made of lots of villages and easily accessible by train via Briancon. For the real thing as far as a preserved alpine village is concerned, go to the Queyras area (in particular the village of Saint-Veran) in the Hautes-Alpes department. And, last thing: unless you enjoy skiing by - 20 C temperatures, forget about Val Thorens or Tignes (3,000 m altitude in December, brrr... )

Hi, Ann<BR>We are a tour operator specializing in skiing and are very familiar with resorts in the French Alps. If you have not booked your trip for December, you should do so quickly. You can email me or call me at 800-755-1330 X205.