If the surreally hip Whitepod - space-age ski accommodation which the manufacturer claims has zero environmental impact - was tempting but too rich for your pocket, the company has come up with a cheaper solution for next season.

Prices at the Refuge (whitepod.com), a converted cattle shelter tucked into the slopes above the pods at Les Cerniers in the Swiss Alps, start at £35pp per night.

It sleeps 60, so it is not as intimate as the pods (ask for a two-person dormitory), and it's nothing like as cool, but you do get outstanding views and access to the Whitepod activities, facilities and ski runs.