Les Houches is a charming, small Savoyard town located at the entrance of the Chamonix valley. Unlike many of the Chamonix ski areas, Les Houches offers pretty, tree-lined runs and and long, off-piste descents through pine and larch forests. The ski domain extends from an altitude of 950m to 1900m and from almost everywhere you can enjoy clear views of the spectacular peaks of the ‘Aiguilles de Chamonix’. If you take the ski-lift to the summit of Les Houches there’s a breathtaking 360° view of the Mont Blanc massif.

With its long, wide pistes and gentle, rolling domain, Les Houches is primarily a resort which suits beginner to intermediate levels of skiing and boarding. One distinct advantage it has over anywhere else in the Chamonix valley is that the dense lines of trees mean you can ski safely even when visibility is less than perfect.

Not surprisingly, it is the location of regular international events and serves as the training ground for the French National Ski Team. Les Houches offers skiers: 1 international black run, 12 red runs, 5 blue runs and 4 green runs. It is equipped with: 1 cable car, 1 bubble lift, 3 chair lifts and 12 drag lifts. New for the 2002-2003 season is the ’Coupe du Monde’ chairlift, which provides access to the bottom runs of Bellevue and Prarion and links to the Maisonneuve chairlift. When necessary, artificial snow coverage is assured by 67 snow cannon covering 19 hectares.

If Les Houches’ guests have enough energy left after a full day on the slopes, then each Thursday there is nighttime skiing on the ’Tourchet’ piste.

But it’s not all downhill! Les Houches also offers scenic cross-country skiing, with trails graded from green (easy) to red (difficult). Circuits are at varying altitudes of 1000m and 1800m, over a distance of 10km of pistes. Maps of the trails are available from the Les Houches Tourist Office. Les Houches also has a ‘Centre Nordique’ where further information can be obtained on cross-country skiing.