In the brochure the chalet looked idyllic. It was framed by thick lusty pine trees topped with generous dollops of snow. Inside a log fire blazed. It was a short walk from the slopes, where a small gondola took you to the main ski station at Courchevel 1850.
Unlike the functional but unattractive hub of the Trois Vallées, we were staying in Courchevel 1550 - one of the five components of the resort that link to the 600km of pistes. Down the mountain from the jet-setting Courchevel 1850, we were in a small, quiet and attractive village, ideal for families and substantially cheaper.
A short gondola ride or alternatively a regular bus service were all that separated the two areas - that is until it started to snow, and snow and snow. Later that night we watched the snow build on the balcony, and as the flakes grew to the size of a fist and the wind started to howl our first concerns set in.
The next morning all was quiet, there was no hum from the gondola, our essential link to the main ski area, and the buses had stopped running. Eventually, a short Poma lift was opened, but it didn't go anywhere, all it did was justify the price of a lift ticket. We were well and truly cut off.
In New York City, any real estate agent will tell you that the three most important factors to take into account when looking for accommodation are location, location, location. The same could well apply to ski resorts. Sadly though, the most attractive resorts may not have the best skiing or reliable public transport, while the most convenient may not be attractive. In many cases it comes down to what you are prepared to pay.
Many of the purpose-built resorts are popular because they offer location and convenience at affordable prices. This doesn't mean that you should forego the pretty villages where the smell of manure wafts through the narrow cobbled streets and 400-year-old chalets groan from the passing of time, but that you should choose your alpine hideaway with care.
In Austria, where many traditional alpine villages have barely changed and hotels have been modernised or expanded in good taste, there are many resorts that combine convenience, and an attractive village, and a few that can add excellent skiing to the list.
In Switzerland, beware the antiquated four-star hotel. Last year, I went to Villars for the first time and found it a delightful location, with excellent skiing. But the so called four-star hotels, while meeting international standards, were tired and badly in need of renovation.
Italian resorts such as Courmayeur and Cortina D'Ampezzo have it all, but there are many other attractive Italian centres such as Livigno and Gressoney where you can find charm and good, albeit mostly, intermediate skiing. In France you'll find the purpose-built resort as the gateway to many of the largest ski areas.
Pretty Alpbach, Austria
The classic chocolate-box village with old wooden chalets, a small attractive church, narrow streets, and two 16th-century hotels run by the same family for several generations. The skiing is mostly intermediate on the Wiedersbergerhorn reached by a free shuttle bus. It's typically Tyrolean - expect cream teas, lederhosen and accordion players rather than tequila slammers and hip-hop.
Who goes there:
Crystal Holidays 0870 848 7000
Inghams 020-8780 4444
Made to Measure 01243 533333
Megève, France
An exclusive and chic resort that attracted the likes of Brigitte Bardot, Roger Vadim and other celebrities in the 1960s. As the years passed, it kept its exclusivity intact as others seeking adventure continued on to Chamonix half an hour away. Now its much improved skiing, high standard of restaurants and luxury and unspoilt medieval village centre makes it very attractive indeed, although it is not cheap.
Who goes there:
Powder Byrne 020-8246 5300
Elegant Resorts 01244 897333
Thomson 0870 606 1470
Cortina d'Ampezzo Italy
Set in the Ampezzo valley and surrounded by the dazzling beauty of the Dolomites, Cortina is one of Europe's most attractive resorts. The traffic-free centre makes it easy to walk around a town with beautiful old frescoed buildings, lively shopping and excellent restaurants. The skiing is varied but best for intermediates and beginners.
Who goes there:
White Roc 020-7792 1188
Abercrombie & Kent 020-7559 8585
Momentum Travel 020-7371 9111
Wengen, Switzerland
As the train winds its way up from Interlaken to Wengen, the majestic setting of the Jungfrau region and the fabled Eiger is spectacular. I first went to Wengen when I was five and subsequently joined the Coggins, the kids classes of the Downhill Only Club begun by the British in 1925. We used to toboggan down the main road but no one seemed to mind. Many years on, it hasn't changed. There are still no cars, the skiing is superb and you can get the best hot chocolate and cream teas in the Alps.
Who goes there:
Swiss Travel Service 01992 456123
Plus Travel 020-7734 0383
Neilson 0990 141414
Grimentz, Switzerland
Situated in the lovely Val d'Anniviers, not far from Crans Montana, Grimentz is a small, uncrowded, rustic village with no large buildings and a town centre where the ancient chalets on either side of a narrow cobbled stone path practically touch. It shares a ski pass with a few other small resorts that between them have varied and attractive skiing. Each month, there is a cheese- fondue evening and the opportunity to ski from the highest part of the resort to Grimentz under the light of the full moon.
Who goes there:
As yet no tour operators although Switzerland Tourism can arrange holidays 00800 100 200 30
Crested Butte, Colorado
Slip into the days of the Wild West as you drive down Main Street, where old buildings have been restored and have brightly painted wooden fronts that look like the set of a western. At night, the town centre looks like a fairyland but is still quintessentially American, with cold beer, good service, and cheery waitresses. The skiing, a couple of miles away is either intermediate or extreme. It has a cache of deeply challenging slopes in its Extreme Limits attracting the US's best.
Who goes there:
Ski Independence 0870 555 0555
Ski the American Dream 020-8552 1201
Ski Equipe 0870 444 5533
Ugly La Plagne
La Plagne has one of the largest integrated ski areas in the Alps and is made up of 10 separate villages between 1,800m-2,100m, of which six are purpose-built. Those built in the 1960s are the ugliest, such as Aime La Plagne and Plagne Centre. Those built later - at Plagne 1800, Plagne Villages and Plagne Soleil - are less forbidding. The most popular is Belle Plagne which has an attractive town centre. These centres or satellites do represent some of the best ski-in ski-out convenience, which for families is a major selling point. One way to get away from the architectural eyesore is to find a secluded chalet.
Who goes there:
Ski Beat 01243 780 405
Simply Ski 020-8541 2209
Erna Low 020-7584 2841
Flaine, France
Flaine is a 1960s example of Bauhaus architecture. Its massive concrete buildings, designed to mirror the shadow and light of their surroundings, are enough to make any prospective skiers' heart sink. The skiing is excellent and varied with an abundance of snow that quickly compensates for the surrounding architecture.
Who goes there:
Made to Measure 01243 533333
Thomson 0870 606 1470
Inghams 020-8780 4444
Tignes, France
Anyone who chooses to base themselves at Tignes, among arguably the worst architecture in the Alps, is there for one reason, the skiing. Tignes is not a good family resort and the public transport is frequent but crowded, but it's one of the best locations for ski-in ski-out accommodation and the skiing is sensational. No matter what conditions are like, there is always the Grande Motte glacier which is open all year and together with Val d'Isère it's the easiest access to the 300km of pistes. It's also popular with snowboarders.
Who goes there:
More than 40 ski operators offering a variety of both hotel and chalet accommodation, notably:
Silver Ski 01622 7355440
Ski Club of Great Britain 020-8410 2022
Ski Solutions 020-7471 7777
The Ski Company 01451 843123
Best of both worlds Zermatt, Switzerland
Arriving by train, as you have to in this carless village with the Matterhorn in the background, takes some beating. Small battery-operated taxis take you to your hotel, often down a warren of streets where wooden cow sheds battle for space inbetween restaurants and chalets. The variety of skiing and the number of cosy mountain restaurants is unlimited. For a good cappuccino (not that you can't get it in Zermatt), ski over the Italian border to Cervinia.
Who goes there:
Inghams 020-8780 4444
Kuoni 01306 742500
Ski Total 020-8948 3535
St Anton, Austria
In the heart of the Arlberg region surrounded by magical mountain scenery and small villages easily reached on skis for lunch, St Anton can provide whatever you require. It has opulent top hotels, modest accommodation, nightlife for those with stamina, romance for newlyweds, sophistication for an older crowd. The off-piste skiing is limitless but you can take a piste circuit to St Christoph, Stuben and Lech, or you can drop off the back of the Valluga (accompanied by a guide) and head into Zurs.
Who goes there:
Lotus Supertravel 020-7962 9933
Flexiski 0870 909 0754
Mark Warner 0870 848 0480
Val d'Isère, France
Val lacks the cosy charm of small romantic destinations such as Alpbach, but much of the heart of town has been thoughtfully renovated, with the facade of most buildings executed in the local stone. There are some heavenly luxury chalets, the nightlife is good and the skiing sublime. It kicks off the season in early December with the first World Cup men's downhill.
Who goes there:
Over 40 tour operators, including:
The Ski Company 01451 843123
Ski Val 01822 611200
YSE 020-8871 5117
