La Thuile - Slope

The season runs from late November until late April.

La Thuile has excellent skiing for all ability levels, extending to a world-class 160km (100 miles) of runs thanks to its cross-border lift link to La Rosière in France. If that's still not enough, you can buy an Aosta Valley Pass, which covers several dozen small to medium resorts in the area (linked by public bus service), altogether offering 1,200km (750 miles) of runs.

Beginners have their own ski area at the base of the mountain with its own lifts and this is separated from the through-flow of more experienced skiers and boarders moving up and down the mountain. Intermediates, as usual for a large ski area, have the most to enjoy, with 41% of the terrain made up of red runs and some glorious cruisers up to 11km (7 miles) long.

Experts have much more choice than usual with 29 black runs covering 25km (16 miles) of the mountain; the steepest, Le Defi (run 27), pitches at a stomach-dropping 71%. There's also plenty of excellent off-piste terrain after a snowfall comes in from nearby Mont Blanc.

Heli-skiing is big in La Thuile, largely due to the influx of skiers from many leading resorts on the French side of the border (where the activity is banned). Heli-skiers and boarders are taken up to the summit of the Rutor glacier (3,486m/11,437ft) or the Miravidi glacier (3,051m/10,009ft) where an Alpine guide leads the way down through spectacular scenery.

For France-based skiers, the descent from Rutor glacier arrives back at Moroir village, 2,200 vertical metres (7,200ft) below in France (1,220m/4,003ft) in time for lunch in a typical Savoyard restaurant. The heli-skiing season usually runs from New Year's Day until the end of May.