Val d’Isère - Prepare

Bring your fur-lined dancing shoes, Porsche skis and Paul Smith ski suit.

Warm up to Christmas with the men's and women's Alpine Skiing World Cup circus which takes place on consecutive weekends and is the World Cup opening event. Things get a little more radical in February with the XBox Big Day Out, a freestyle and snowboard competition with plenty of après-ski parties. April sees the turn of the youngsters aged 12-15 to take part in an International Alpine Skiing competition. Those older but not necessarily wiser can also take part in the Grand Raid, an off-piste race where teams of two charge down extreme off-piste faces.

Christmas Day (25 Dec), Boxing Day (26 Dec), New Year's Day, English half-term (Feb), French half-term (three weeks of Feb), Good Friday (Mar/Apr), Easter Monday (Mar/Apr).

Alpine weather can vary enormously from -30°C to +10°C during the ski season (Dec-May). Woolly hats and thermal vests are à la mode in December but in April you can sometimes ski in shorts.

220V, two round pin plugs are standard.

+33 (national), (0) 479 + six-figure number.

Euro (€) is the currency.

GMT + 1

Val d'Isère Tourist Office website

Val d'Isère is the highest original mountain village in the Alps. The church and surrounding old farmhouses date back to the 11th century when they comprised the summer hunting lodge of the legendarily vicious Duc de Savoie.