Ski France Guide

France is the most popular ski holiday destination for British skiers, which is unsurprising considering its proximity to the UK and the quality of the facilities on offer. If you visit France you can expect to get lost amongst the vast resorts of many linked villages and mountains.

Many resorts have a lot of mellow terrain as, believe it or not, the standard of skiing and snowboarding is generally quite low. Beginners will have a really great time here and will love the option to ride the gondolas and cable cars in bad weather so as never to get too cold.

As a venue for intermediate skiers, the Alps is a fantastic place to be as pistes generally favour intermediate skiers being largely of the blue or red variety. The real magic about French resorts though, is the exploration factor as you could spend an entire week seeing new places and runs.

Advanced skiers will find that there is a lot of steep terrain in France, but a surprisingly small number of marked runs. This really isn't a problem though, but to get the best out of the country you'll have to get off piste. So long as you're equipped and happy to do this- you'll have an absolute blast. I would highly recommend Tignes or Chamonix for the serious shredders among you...

Terrain parks in France were, at one stage, completely left behind by their competitors in North America. They haven't quite caught them yet, but they're making a hell of an effort and have established some really kick ass fun areas to date. The summer parks in Les Deux Alpes and Tignes are particularly fabulous and quite an experience if you ever get a chance to visit. Winter park wise you definitely can't go wrong by visiting resorts such as Val d'Isere and Les Arcs.

The villages are a mix of purpose built resorts (Tignes, La Plagne) and really really pretty traditional towns (chamonix, la clusaz). Food and accommodation is usually quite expensive, but really really tastey if you can afford to eat out.

France is the obvious choice of destination if you're from the UK because its so easy to get there and you can usually pick up a cheap last minute package deal. Its also a great place to do a season for UK folk because no visa is required and there's usually loads of other people doing exactly the same thing. Check out the ski guide to the major resorts....