To help ski in dark
stunning – Mont Blanc, the Aiguille du Midi, Mont Maudit... it’s a panorama of the top of Europe.
Skiing experts can try the 800m drop of the Gers Bowl, with loads of off-piste potential or, for a more relaxed run, head down the 14km Piste des Cascades, from the top of Flaine to Sixt-Fer-a-Cheval, via a wildlife wilderness. And, on a snowy day, tree-lined runs offer charm and shelter with many options down to Les Carroz, or nearby Morillon or Samoens.
Les Carroz also has some cool places to stay. Try the Milkhotel for its amazing lounge and food. An evening at the Les Servages d’Armelle restaurant is also a treat, especially the capelin pork and the Matafan aux Pommes – an upmarket crepe.
Relaxation is close by at the Aquacîme spa, a Nordic pool where you can swim outside in a heated pool, have a roll in the snow, then dive back in and enjoy massage jets and massage pools.
Big kids will also enjoy a trip to Speed
CGH Résidences & Spas Les Chalets de Léana in Les Carroz costs from €868 for a week in a twobedroom self-catering apartment. Dragoz – a luge on rails that hurtles you through the trees at thrilling speed for €7. Don’t forget to brake!
And out of the ski season, in the summer, this is prime mountain biking country.
French football legend Jean-Pierre Papin regular enjoys ski breaks here, and also hosts a cycle race in the summer.
Unlike Morzine, over in the next valley, Les Carroz is rarely publicised as a destination for British skiers.
But within a hour of collecting your luggage at the airport, you can be marvelling at the peaks, stress-free, ready to explore a wonderful ski area.