Ax 3 Domaines - Ax-les-Thermes

The praise is for the town and the price: Ax-les-Thermes is an old thermal spa town with a market, shops and decent restaurants, and the pass and rental cost less than in the Alps or Andorra. The area is compact and family-minded, the runs climb to nearly 2,400 metres, and there are plenty of guns, so the cover is usually respectable. The old chairlifts are gradually being replaced with modern quads.

Queues at the cable car linking town and slopes draw criticism, especially in the French holidays when the pistes get busy. In weak winters not all of the area opens. Strong skiers find eighty kilometres of piste tight before long.