Essential Advice for the Perfect Trip

Things are looking good for Les Orres. Created during the 1970s wave of high-altitude construction when concrete was king, the ski village was until recently a huddle of high-rise apartment blocks which was somehow absorbed by the scale and majesty of the surrounding mountains. In fact it’s still barely visible from the valley below, unlike the vast expanse of the Lac de Serre-Ponçon. So it’s hardly surprising that while local family skiers spent every spare moment up here, having a great time, the rest of the world passed by oblivious of what it was missing.

What suddenly changes everything is the recent arrival of Bois Méan, a slopeside village at a respectable 1800m (some 150m above the original development). The landscaping and architectural approach reflect the current taste for a return to more traditional timber-and-stone chalet style, and the result is just what the tour operators have been waiting for: plenty of premium self-catering accommodation, backed up by massive investment in new high-speed lifts. And great skiing, of course. Not that we’d write off the 1650 village. There’s no escaping the fact that the internal dimensions of many of the original apartments now relegate them to the budget sector, but the village layout actually functions remarkably well and offers a cocoon-like protection at ground-level from whatever winter might throw at it. It also offers all the services you’ll need and then throws in an auditorium, a large indoor skating rink and free WiFi internet access. The message, then, is clear: Les Orres is looking like it has finally and convincingly come of age.

“This is our ideal resort. It is very low key, very unpretentious, and the ambience on the slopes is very friendly and cool. There aren’t big ego skiers here, which we found the complete opposite of Meribel. It was just fun to go out and ski without being bombed or struggling just to get back down to the main lifts,” said a reader.

We Love	We Hate
Big mountain skiing with mostly modern lifts. The dramatic, high-altitude setting. The varied terrain, with forests, some good steeps and potential for freeriders. The affordable family lift pass. The ski-in ski-out 1800 Bois Méan village development. The friendly on-mountain mood (even in the restaurants).	The very highest terrain is only accessible by steep drag-lifts, which don’t open until the icy, compacted snow has softened and refuge holes dug. The style of the original resort now looks dated, even if it still functions well. The cramped apartments in the original village – but things are dramatically better at 1800 Bois Méan.

1. 

   
   Guide to the Mountain
2. 

   
   Where to Stay
3. 

   
   Where to Eat
4. 

   
   Where to Learn
5. 

   
   Where to Party