There's nothing like a spot of yodelling to perk you up after a hard day on the slopes. There we were, in Restaurant Plaine Dranse, sinking a few eaux de vie by the log fire and stealing ourselves for a final bone- jolting run back down into Châtel, when a bloke in the corner stood up and treated us to a rousing Swiss warble that filled the restaurant and lifted the spirits of every rosy-cheeked skier seated inside.

And this seemed to sum up Châtel perfectly: tradition and tourism, the ancient and the modern in fine balance, with a Swiss-French twist thrown in.

There might be 18,000 tourist beds available in this little French village perched on the border with Switzerland, but that doesn't mean the old ways have been swamped: the welcome is warm and the rural cuisine as richly delicious and filling as you would expect from a mountain people; there are no high-rise buildings, every roof is peaked, attractive new chalets built with local materials rub shoulders with aged farmhouses.

There are still some 800 cows in the valley, their milk producing the famous Abondance cheese, which dates back to the fifth century (so highly thought of was the cheese in times gone by that it was occasionally used as currency).

Perhaps all that, and the fact that the big tour operators don't go there, explains why so few people in Britain seem to have heard of Châtel - and that seems a shame. Situated between Lake Geneva and Mont Blanc, Châtel is at the heart of the enormous Portes du Soleil, the largest inter-linked ski domain in the world, comprising 12 resorts in France and Switzerland.

Such is the vastness of the Portes du Soleil that you can set off from Châtel and ski for no less than three hours in one direction, over gullies, moguls, tracks and slopes that during the second world war were used as routes for smuggling coffee, tobacco, sugar and cattle from Switzerland into France. Customs officers discreetly patrol the area, which could make for a spectacular sight if anyone ever tried to make a run, or rather, a ski for it.

Staying at Chalet L'Etringa we were lucky enough to have experienced guides with us every step and tumble of the way. It's hard to over-emphasise what a difference Etringa's guides, who also snowboard, make to a day on the slopes. It's not just the fact that they take you on all the best runs and steer you away from the big crowds, it's the instant camaraderie that seems to spring up - they seem to get a kick out of you enjoying yourself.

We took a breather at the top of Avoriaz, pausing for a while to marvel at the magnificent view before tearing off down the Coupe du Monde, the jaw-droppingly steep run used for women's downhill competitions. It took us about 15 minutes; it takes the professionals about two.

Then we hit the Lindarets Valley, a 6km no-holds-barred chute of a run that will leave your legs feeling like jelly and your stomach muscles aching from holding the tuck position. This was followed by a blitz through an area called - God knows why - Donkey's Knob, an-off piste stretch of jumps perfect for catching big air or, in my case, small air and then a face full of snow.

In the evening, having soothed aching limbs in piping hot en-suite baths, we dug into what delicious treats Sam Irish, a Taunton lass and our chalet chef, had spent the day preparing: goat's cheese tart with port and cranberry sauce, followed by spinach and parmesan-stuffed chicken breast in saffron and lemon sauce, accompanied by potatoes mashed with coarsegrain mustard, all finished off with lemon crème in raspberry coulis.

This was a short break in Châtel, just three nights in all, and it left me feeling refreshed yet wanting more: more eaux de vie , more yodelling - and of course more time on the slopes. But what skiing holiday doesn't?

The practicals

Andrew Gilchrist travelled with Snowtravel, which has two chalets in Châtel, bookable through Direct Line Holidays (020 8239 8000). A week in Chalet L'Etringa, including transfer to and from Geneva Airport, in-resort mini bus service and chalet board, starts at £239, average price £339. easyJet operates four daily services between Luton and Geneva and a daily service from Gatwick, starting at £70 return; daily service from Stansted £50 return. 0870 6000 000.