Ditch the car and go Skiing in France

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Ditch the car

What bliss! A week or fortnight if you’re really lucky - of getting around without the need to jump behind a steering wheel. No sitting in traffic jams on the way to work, or fighting your way back home through rush-hour chaos; it’s a great chance to wean yourself off the car.

One of the many joys of a self-catering skiing holiday is finding everything you need right on your own doorstep; the geographical location of most purpose-built modern resorts means they have to be highly self-sufficient and while the downside of this is that supplies must be shipped up mountain valleys by the lorry-load, it reconnects us with a time when life was conducted at a more leisurely pace.

Our forbears planned their housekeeping on a daily basis. Love or hate this way of life, there’s undisputed pleasure to be had from simply popping ‘round the corner’ from your self catering apartment to pick up whatever you need. I find it makes a refreshing break from the routine and is quite a novelty for children.

The higher the resort, the more obsolete the car is rendered especially where snow is reliably present, making it possible to ski right back to your own front door. This raises interesting questions about the best mode of transport to and from your holiday destination.

Self-drive is one option, allowing you to travel in the comfort of your own vehicle and carry more luggage than would be possible by air. This is perhaps preferable if you have young children or are travelling in a small party and can share the cost of Channel crossing, petrol and road tolls. It is also worth considering if not everyone in your party is a skier and you are staying in a relatively low-level resort and want to visit other tourist attractions in the vicinity.

However, if travelling to a high resort for a week or more of dedicated sport, there really is little point in taking the car. the French Apls are well served by airports like Chambery and Geneva, with Lyon and Nice slightly further afield, but also convenient. Transfers to destination resorts can be easily arranged, by bus or taxi service. If you really can’t do without your own set of wheels, there’s always the option of car hire from the airport.

For accommodation which can be booked direct with property owners in many of the main French ski resorts - as well as lesser-known destinations - the Chez Nous ski directory and ChezNousSki.com website offer useful suggestions.

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