Extras to tempt you back to the slopes
FRENCH resorts are going to extremes with imaginative after-ski activities to whet your appetite for all things alpine. If you don’t fancy extras, why not give your ski technique a Swiss boost.
FONDUE IN THE SKY
On select evenings, the Enversin gondola above the village of Vaujany slowly transports diners among moonlit peaks while they tuck into molten savoyarde fondue. The price – £34 for adults and £22 for under-13s – also includes aperitif, dessert and coffee (oz-vaujany. com). Enjoy the diverse ski area linked to Alpe d’Huez and its impressive Sarenne glacier, the starting point of Europe’s longest black run – all ten miles of it. Stay room-only at the new four-star Hotel Le V in March, with a southfacing balcony overlooking the rustic village, from £67.50pp per night, including access to its pool, sauna and hammam (hotelvdevaujany.com). Return flights to Grenoble cost £93 (easyjet.com); airport transfers with Ben’s Bus (bensbus.co.uk) cost £49.
QUIET WAY TO GO OFF-ROAD
Is it a snowmobile? Is it a quad bike? Thankfully, neither. The Swincar is a new electric-powered vehicle that makes light and silent work of the snowy terrain around the Plagne Montalbert resort, allowing the serenity of the environment to be appreciated. Enjoy a thrill ride by day (£45 for a single-seater – driver must hold a valid driving licence – and another £18 to take a passenger in a two-seater) or enjoy the fourhour evening Trapper excursion through forest trails before an aperitif, hearty main course and dessert. It costs £72 for a singleseater and £18 for a passenger, plus £21 for the meal (en.la-plagne.com).
Seven nights’ self-catering for a family of four in Les Chalets des Alpages in Plagne Soleil from April 3 costs £1,470 (ski-france.com).
GET MOTIVATED
When you do get back on the slopes, let the Mr Motivator of the ski world take your technique to the next level. Warren Smith’s Academy in Verbier guarantees plenty of fun as you improve, with five days of coaching (£469pp), including video analysis to spot problems, ski biodynamics and dry-land training (warrensmith-skiacademy.com).