More information - La Tania - France

The local skiing is, of course, amongst the world's best. Head to the left and you're in the Courchevel Valley, to the right and its Meribel then on over to Les Menuires and Val Thorens. Courchevel's valley provides 150km (nearly 100 miles) of marked trails for all standards as well as excellent off-piste opportunities with one of the many professional guides. The ski area is especially pleasant having one of the highest tree-lines in the Alps, up at 2300 metres (just over 7500 feet).

Beginners will find long wide greens and blues just above the resort, served by a free drag lift. Higher up the mountain green and blues include Plan Mugnier, MontØ Russe and The Pyramide run from the top of Roc Merlet which continue down to 1650 via the Indiens run.

Intermediates will find probably the world's best selection of blue and red trails in the Courchevel Valley and the easily accessed additional terrain of the 3 Vallées. A fast gondola takes you over from Courchevel 1300 to 1850. One of the best red runs is 'Park City', named after Courchevel's twin-resort in Utah. The runs from La Saulire are some of the most challenging, and it is here too that experts will discover some of Europe's most challenging couloirs - known as 'The Ugly Sisters' and graded black but in some cases nearly 'off the scale' in reality.

Experts have plenty besides to entertain in the Trois Vallées and around Courchevel in particular. Some of the best loved blacks in the valley in-clude the steep and mogul covered Jockeys or Jean Blanc. Another long black mogul run is accessed from the Chanrossa lift after the huge Les Creux bowl. Off piste opportunities are enormous and guides may take you to the empty expanses beneath Le Signal. Heliskiing in Italy is available through the Mountain Guides office, which is also your starting point for courses or tours in glacier skiing, off piste, powder and extreme.

There are several cross country routes. You can reach Courchevel or Méribel on the Bouc Blanc itinerary (the two resorts are each six kilometres away in either direction)