RESORT REPORTS

TIGNES & VAL CLARET Where is it? Eastern France just a few kilometers from the border with Switzerland. Two hours transfer time in good weather from Chambery; allow another 45 minutes at busy times from Geneva. The hardy can fly to Lyons, but be prepared for four-hour plus transfer times.

The skiing:
This is where Tignes, and the linked resort of Val d'Isere scores heavily with snow fiends! In high season there are 300km (186miles) of prepared runs in the shared ski area. High altitude - 2100m at the foot of the slopes, a claimed 3455m at the top - mean plenty of choice and a long season. Lifts open in early December and stay open until mid-April. Having a glacier means, in theory, all-year-round skiing, although that's no longer the case in practice as the lifts shut for three weeks in the summer. Powderhounds love Tignes for the amount of lift-served off-piste opportunities. Popular myth has it that the slope grading in Tignes could do with revising as some of the blues are more like reds. Don't let that put you off though as there are plenty of modest greens and blues for the learner.

Apres Ski:
Tignes is the place for a quiet night out and good food while the party animals should make for nearby Val Claret. Try the Crowded House pub - part of a chain throughout this part of the Alps - or the heaving Yorin FM Café Dutch Bar across the road. Recommended eating places are the Mover Café's La Poutrerie, not the cheapest but worth it, or the value for money Petit Savoyard. Don't bother with Daffy's Tex Mex Diner though - overpriced, over-rated and under-fed at the end of it.

Non-combatants:
Think hard before buying a ticket. You can go snowshoeing or dog sledging, but that won't occupy you for a week. Shopping is non-existent, unless you want to buy an apartment. Estate agents are sprouting up all over the place. Swimming pools and fitness suites confined to hotel complexes only.

The Resort:
For a mega resort visitors might find Tignes on the small side. Modest commercial area and little to do should the lifts close. Fortunately, that's a rare occurrence.

Who it won't suit:
Budget visitors (nothing's cheap) and timid beginners. Lovers of good architecture. Both resorts are bordering on eyesores, although recent work in Tignes centre is a definite improvement.

Who it will suit:
Mileage hungry intermediates. You could ski all week and barely see half the slopes available.

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