Megève, France

* One of France's smartest and most charming ski resorts...

* Vast area of mostly gentle to intermediate slopes...

* Extensive woodland terrain...

* Very short airport transfers...

With its charming medieval centre and vibrant town atmosphere, Megève is not your typical French ski resort.

The surprisingly extensive 325km of pistes cater for all levels of skier, but are best suited to leisurely intermediates who enjoy cruising around on varied wooded terrain, admiring the wonderful scenery or stopping at one of the many first class mountain restaurants.

Megève is also an excellent choice for non-skiers with a huge variety of off-slope activities and mile upon mile of winter walking in the surrounding forests.

Megève at a glance...

Resort height:	1100m
Slopes:	850-2355m
Pistes:	325km
Snow rating:	☆☆☆☆☆

Suitability		Skiing
Beginners	☆☆☆☆☆	Green runs	●	17%
Intermediate	☆☆☆☆☆	Blue runs	●	30%
Advanced	☆☆☆☆☆	Red runs	●	40%
		Black runs	●	13%

Resort		Transfer time
Charm	☆☆☆☆☆	Geneva	1hr
Convenience	☆☆☆☆☆
Après-ski	☆☆☆☆☆
Family	☆☆☆☆☆
Non-skiers	☆☆☆☆☆

Snow reliability

General snow cover	3/5
Snow quality – upper	3/5
Snow quality – lower	2/5
Resort level snow	2/5
Powder potential	2.5/5

The skiing

Megève has a huge area of skiing spread over three main mountains which encompass several other resorts, the best known of which is St Gervais-Les Bains.

Although there are a few challenges dotted here and there, most of the slopes are quite gentle and best suited to leisurely intermediates who have a staggering 325km of pistes to choose from. Complete beginners have a good choice of nursery slopes and plenty of easy greens to graduate to. Unlike many French resorts, most of the runs are wooded, ideal if the weather closes in.

Megève has an excellent choice of mountain restaurants to suit all budgets, many of them accessible to pedestrians.

The resort

Just one hour from Geneva airport, Megève is one of the most accessible resorts in the French Alps. It is also one of the prettiest with a charming car-free centre and lovely open views of the surrounding mountains.

Megève has plenty of off-slope activities and more than its fair share of interesting shops, cafés and restaurants. There is also an excellent sports centre and plenty of winter walking, both in the valley and at altitude.