Champagny en Vanoise

The praise is for the village itself - stone-and-timber chalets, narrow lanes and a view of the Vanoise peaks, with the modern expansion handled tactfully. Skiers like the wide, fairly steep blues where you can let the skis run, and the fact that the Champagny side stays much quieter than Plagne Centre or Belle Plagne; regulars suggest heading back over the ridge this way at the end of the day. The gondola opens up the whole of Paradiski, and village restaurants cover a range of budgets.

The single way out draws criticism: one gondola serves the village, and it collects a queue in the morning. The two red runs back down open only rarely, so most people ride the cabin home as well. Slopes on this side face south with little snowmaking, so cover holds up worse than across the mountain, and some visitors grumble about overdevelopment.