TRAVEL: French Alps – there’s more to Maurienne

It was a decisive moment in my skiing career.

Poised at the the top of a forbidding off-piste run called The Corridor, I considered my options.

Setting off would be simple: it only required angling my skis slightly downhill. But after that things looked a bit more difficult. I tried to imagine navigating the steep, narrow, rock-strewn channel without sustaining serious injury.

Alternatively, I could shuffle round and take a pleasant schuss to the nearest restaurant.

Perhaps on this occasion, I thought nervously, discretion was the better part of valour. And then my guide said proudly: “Did I tell you my nine-year-old son tried this run the other day?”

As an intermediate skier who is reasonably happy taking on the odd black run, I hadn’t expected such challenges from the Maurienne Valley.

In fact, I hadn’t known much about the area at all - even though it’s only a relative hop, skip and jump away from the more famous Three Valleys.

Reaching the Maurienne involves a short flight to Grenoble, followed by a three-hour transfer by road to one of more than a dozen resorts.

We started our visit in La Norma, a bijou spot with around 6,000 beds. The first startling thing was quite how much skiing there is. The 65km of runs, with altitudes ranging from 1,350m to 2,300m, mean that even at the busiest periods, everyone has plenty of space. They include some testing reds, as well as broad, sweeping blues with moguls for the show-offs to do their thing.

Black runs are admittedly in short supply. But, as I discovered at the top of The Corridor, the off-piste should satisfy all but the most extreme thrill-seekers. Snowboarders who enjoy dodging trees are particularly blessed.

The second startling thing was the prices. We British have become accustomed to paying through the nose for top resorts such as Meribel or Val d’Isere. Aside from the crippling chalet costs, you’re lucky to get away with £60 for a rubbery Spaghetti Bolognese and watery Hot Chocolate on the slopes.

In La Norma, that bill would be more like a tenner. A six-day ski pass comes in at a very reasonable £120. Accommodation deals start at around 200 Euros per person, based on four sharing a self-catering chalet for a week. For that money, you wouldn’t expect five-star pampering or especially decent decor. But they’re close to the chairlifts, perfectly clean, have powerful, hot showers, and beds comfortable enough to soothe aching muscles. And if you’re set on a bit more luxury, there are a host of impressive detached chalets on the private rental market, which also look extremely good value.

Larger, and offering more in terms of apres-ski, is nearby Valloire. This charming town is the home of slalom world champion Jean-Baptiste Grange, and the natives just won’t let you forget it. His grinning face occupies every available inch of wall and telegraph pole, taunting visitors with their own comparative mediocrity.

You can hire skis at Grange’s family shop and take lessons from his uncle - who happens to be the local mayor. Unfortunately, however, even that doesn’t guarantee you’ll be able to execute turns like the great man.

Thanks to a link with its neighbour Valmeinier, Valloire offers 150km of varied and easily-accessible slopes. There is also a snow park and half-pipe, which was thankfully marginally less dangerous to life and limb than it first appeared. The feeling of getting ‘air’ and landing safely was exhilarating enough for me. But my effort looked rather tame when an expert skier behind me rocketed skyward and did a virtual somersault.

If you get tired of skiing and want to try something different, the snow-shoeing treks could be for you. We saw eagles swooping majestically around the peaks, but learned that pursuing mountain goats is not easy when your feet are effectively strapped to tennis rackets.

The bowling alley offers a rather more restful activity, while sore bones will find respite at the well-equipped spa.

Valloire is more a family than party destination, but if you do have some stamina left at the end of the day, there are more than a dozen bars to choose from, including Bar Centrale and the cosy Au Resto. Really energetic types might even want to carry on beyond 11pm at the Odysee nightclub.

As you would expect in France, the food is generally top notch. The restaurant at Valloire’s Grande Hotel was perhaps the classiest we found, offering gourmet fare and superb steak. But you will be hard-pressed to find a substandard French fondue, and it’s the perfect sociable meal for sharing anecdotes about your day’s exploits. The crisp local Savoie white wine was particularly good for washing down the delicious cheese - and had the added benefit of sending the banter into overdrive.