Val d'Isère ski resort is a traditional French Alpine village, with centuries of history and beautiful stone chalets, contrasting starkly with neighbouring Tignes' purpose-built apartment blocks. Skiing began here in the 1930s, but really took off after WWII.

Today Val d'Isère is a lively resort, with busy shops, restaurants and a buzzing nightlife. The resort centre has been extensively redeveloped in recent years and is now largely pedestrianised. It is especially popular with the British and Scandinavian crowd.

Val d'Isère ski resort is also a leading competition venue. It held several events during the 1992 Winter Olympics and most recently the 2009 World Ski Championships. Staging these two events, along with regular World Cup competitions, place it in an elite group of five resorts worldwide than have staged all three levels of world class international competition.

Together with Tignes, it forms part of the 10,000-hectare (25,000-acre) Espace Killy area, home to some of France's best off-piste terrain.

Resort elevation: 1,850m (6,070ft).

Top elevation: Val d'Isère: 3,300m (10,827ft); Espace Killy: 3,450m (11,319ft).

Base elevation: Val d'Isère: 1,785m (5,856ft); Espace Killy: 1,550m (5,085ft).

Number of lifts: 89.

Number of runs: 154.

Average annual snowfall: 6m (20ft).

Val d'Isère is located in the southeastern French region of Savoie in the western Alps, close to the Italian border.

The main season runs from early December until early May. Summer skiing is available on the Fornet glacier from late June until mid August.

A combination of mostly modern cable cars, gondolas, funiculars and chairlifts whisks skiers up from Val's centre, as well as from the nearby villages of La Daille, Le Laisinant and Le Fornet.

There are nursery slopes at the Solaise and La Daille bases. A good area for progressing beginners (although less so for snowboarders owing to some long flat sections) is the Bellevarde area, with its wide-open, easy green runs. There are some cruisy reds and blues from here down to La Daille, including the Coupe du Monde OK run, which will suit intermediates looking for a challenge. Santons is a nice blue-graded gully in the other direction taking you back into town. Advanced skiers and riders can speed down the black Face.

The Solaise area across the valley offers up more greens, blues and reds, with an ‘up-and-over' chairlift to the furthest away terrain by the Col de l'Iséran, from where you can ski right down to Le Fornet.

Freestylers can play in the terrain park in the Bellevarde area with its jumps, rails, boardercross course and dedicated lifts.

Buy a pass for the entire Espace Killy region (encompassing Tignes) and you have 300km (186 miles) of slopes to race around. Two chairlifts connect the resorts.

Ecole du Ski Français, Snow Fun, Evolution 2 and Oxygène are among the numerous ski schools vying for your attention.

Aside from downhill skiing, Val d'Isère has 21km (13 miles) of cross-country trails. An assortment of other outdoor activities includes dog sledding, snowmobiling, ice climbing, snowshoeing and ice skating. You can also improve your winter driving skills at Val's ice driving circuit, La Daille. Or you can soar above the slopes on a tandem paragliding flight.

Indoors, there's a sports centre, swimming pool and cinema. And if you wish you could replicate those French pastries at home, you can sign up to patisserie classes.

Le Petit Poucet, Les Hameaux de Val, is a nursery for ages three and up, with free pick-up from your accommodation. Le Village des Enfants, Le Rond Point des Pistes, accepts children from three to 13 for fun activities and ski lessons. The tourist office can provide a list of childcare providers and babysitters. Hors Piste rents out pushchairs, travel cots, high chairs and other bulky baby essentials you might find hard to bring with you.

On Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 1730, kids can try a new activity at a special fun zone. This could be airboarding (a sort of bodyboarding on snow), snake ‘glissing' (tobogganing on joined-up sledges), curling or snow football.

Or you can take the kids to watch the cows being milked every day at 1800 at Ferme de l'Adroit.

If you love shopping, you won't be disappointed. Val d'Isère boasts multiple ski and snowboard shops and numerous well-known sports clothing stores, including Quiksilver, Billabong, The North Face and Columbia. There's also a perfumery, chocolate shop, jeweller and all the basics you might need at newsagents, tobacconists and supermarkets.

Val d'Isère is renowned for its après scene. Hang out with the Scandinavians for afternoon happy hour at Le Petit Danois, Chalet Le Coin, or try the cocktails at Le Bananas at the foot of the slopes. Stylish Cafe Face has live music daily from 1700 to 0200. Le Saloon Bar, avenue des Télépheriques, is another lively spot and popular with season workers. Finish the night off with a turn on the dance floor at Le Graal, route de la Balme, or the infamous Dick's Tea Bar, Les Crêtes Blanches.

There's no shortage of restaurants dishing up traditional regional cuisine. Of these, La Raclette, Hôtel l'Avancher, has been serving customers its Valaisanne raclette for over 40 years. For fine dining, treat yourself to the gastronomic delights of Michelin-starred Le Table de l'Ours, Hôtel les Barmes de l'Ours.

Val has plenty of snack bars too if you just want to grab a quick bite. The Billabong Coffee Shop, Immeuble le Kandahar, is good for burgers, shakes and wraps. And if leaving your room is more than your aching limbs can bear, Flash Pizza, Immeuble Iséran, delivers to your door.

Most of the village is easy to explore by foot if you're staying in the centre. A free bus connects the outlying villages and different lift bases. As well as chairlifts, there is a bus service between Val and Tignes.

Each week, Alaska (tel: (06) 1519 4629) arranges evening snowmobile excursions up onto the mountain, followed by dinner and a torchlight descent.

Luxury

Hôtel les Barmes de l'Ours
Rated 4-star Luxe, this hotel has a spa with pool and Jacuzzi, three restaurants and a lounge bar.

chemin des Carat
Tel: (04) 7941 3700.
Website: www.hotel-les-barmes.com

Moderate

Hôtel Tsanteleina
This 3-star hotel in the village centre has been run by the same family since 1948.

avenue Olympique
Tel: (04) 7906 1213.
Website: www.tsanteleina.com

Budget

Hôtel Les Lauzes
Pleasant chalet-style hotel close to the lifts. All rooms have balconies and high-speed Internet access.

place de l'Eglise
Tel: (04) 7906 0420.
Website: www.hotel-lauzes.com

Nearest airports: Chambéry (CMF); Geneva (GVA); Grenoble (GNB); Lyon (LTS).

Distances to resort: 130km (81 miles): 180km (112 miles); 210km (131 miles); 220km (137 miles).

Driving times: 2 hours; 3 hours; 3 hours; 3 hours (bus journey times can be up to an hour longer).

Nearest railway station: Bourg St Maurice.

Distance to resort: 32km (20 miles).

Driving time: 40 minutes.

Snowboarders, Beginners, Snow reliability, Families, Intermediates, Experts, Non-skiers, Summer skiing, Après ski