Courchevel

Freeriders will love this place; there’s everything from the wide rolling pistes of 1650 to the steep rock shoots under the Saulire cablecar. There's so much piste that it doesn’t get chopped up and they have a huge fleet of piste bashers to flatten it out each night. There’s some good off-piste riding straight off the lifts under the Vizelle bubble and Dou des Lanche chair, beside the Chanrossa chair and down through the trees to Le Praz is a must in bad visibility. If you don’t mind a walk, check out the back of the Creux Noirs.One great spot which must be treated with the utmost respect in the Vallee des Avals which is prone to  slide but has a great refuge and is stunningly beautiful, access is a short walk from the Chanrossa chair.

Freestylers. A good place to hang out is the big snow park under the Plantrey chair, there’s some good hits and two pipes. If the sun's out, get there early as by afternoon one wall's slush and the other's bullet, there's a free drag. The top of the Verdon's got some manmade dunes and some good kickers. A small drop-off can be found by the Bel air and Signal drags at 1650. Go to the top of the Suisses if you're looking for some big drop offs.

 

 

Piste Lovers will be in hard boot heaven. They reputedly spend £20,000 a night grooming the pistes, so get up for first lifts and you can carve your way down the Saulire, racing the cablecar. When everyone else gets up, head over 1650 for motorway-wide runs.

Beginners should head for the Biollay and Bellecote as both have a good sustained pitch, the Biollay even has a travelator at the bottom for total beginners. 1650 has some great wide runs but still a lot of drag lifts, so watch out. If looking for a lesson, check out rtmsnowboarding.com a British board school who hold beginners, freestyle and carving clinics. A special pass giving access only to the beginner lifts is available for 14 euros a day.