Winter is the season that seems to just keep on going. We all fall into the same trap every December: just a month of festive merriment, then the sunlit uplands of a new year and a new Spring. What we conveniently forget is the three-month gulf between Christmas and those first warm-ish days of the following year – a no-mans land of dreary weather and dreary moods, stippled only with the responsibilities that any working adult has to bear.
Is this all we can expect from our winters, though? Not if we dare to do something about it. The winter is also the perfect opportunity to take a break – to embrace the cold, and do something thrilling within it. This is, of course, the makings of a ski holiday getaway par excellence, and the French Alps are preternaturally the best place to make such a getaway. Here’s how to find the perfect place in the French Alps, to do away with the winter blues and try some ski-boots on for size!
Iconic Resorts
There are some very obvious potential destinations in the French Alps – the places that put the region on the map as a global skiing destination, places you’ve likely seen a thousand times before in brochure images, popular cinema and more. Places like Chamonix, where complex slopes are combined with some endlessly-Instagrammable views; this is a valley for the glitterati. Places like Courchevel, the year-round resort in the Tarentaise valley with over 100 different ski runs to try (and with some iconic hotel experiences, to boot).
Hidden Gems and Authentic Alpine Villages
Not all of us are ‘normies’, though – whether that’s in the sense of no-expense-spared must-visits or the allure of the influencer-friendly apres-ski. For something a little less oversubscribed, you might try the hidden-gem resort getaways of Samoëns, or of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains – places with charm, places of traditional architecture, local market culture, and slopes on which you can hear yourself think.
Family-Friendly Destinations in the French Alps
If you’re bringing family with you, though, you can expect not to get a moment’s peace anyway – and may benefit from a resort that’s a little more catered to the family experience. The French Alps is still the place though – when telling your kids about possible ski holidays France will be the first country on their lips. Thankfully, most resorts have a child-friendly arm about them, whether in easy slopes, lessons or even creches; you might try Les Carroz, or Altapura.
Your Next Alpine Adventure Awaits
Whatever your particular needs from your upcoming ski holiday, you’ll absolutely find them fulfilled on the French Alps. Whether it’s adventure, relaxation, or cultural discovery, there’s something for you on the slopes. Just, it’s up to you to pick where to start.