Valais–Matterhorn Region, Portes du Soleil

Looking for a big bang for your buck and a whole lot of fun for your franc? High in the Swiss Alps near the southeastern end of

Lake Geneva, the mountains are as tall as the runs are long. And there are a lot of them. The Portes du Soleil constitutes the world’s largest international ski area, straddling Switzerland and France

with a mind-blowing 650 km of slopes linking a bevy of charming ski-in/ski-out villages. Tasty tartiflette, unctuous fondue and heavenly wines from the valley below…every day and each meal is a triumph over the last.

No lack of appetite-building runs here. Among its highlights, the infamous “Swiss Wall” ranks in the top 10 of the world’s toughest ski slopes. From the summit of Chavanette, a face of menacing moguls plunges down, down, down at a 37-degree angle over a one-km-long descent. Seek out this first of countless challenges in the charming

Swiss resort of Champéry, then continue on through Val-d’Illiez, Les Crosets, Champoussin, Morgins, Torgon, plus a further eight resorts on the French side, all on one lift pass.