Pelvoux-Vallouise

Reviewers praise the calm family character and prices well below the big neighbours. The groomed pistes are enough to keep a family busy for a week of beginner and intermediate skiing, the nursery area works well, and outside French school holidays the slopes are close to empty. The off-piste and ski touring get special mention, with approaches into the Ecrins rated among the best around.

Criticism centres on how little there is for strong skiers: marked difficult terrain is scarce and the resort consistently scores near the bottom on expert ratings. Apres-ski barely exists and evenings are quiet, which sends people to Serre Chevalier or Puy Saint Vincent, against whose ski areas Pelvoux compares poorly on size. The valley floor sits low and it shows: one account describes bare patches on the home run despite half a metre being reported, and too few snow guns on that return piste.