Ski Resorts in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France

The mecca of extreme skiing and mountaineering, with the greatest vertical drop in the Alps and the legendary Vallée Blanche.

Sun-soaked French resort with the legendary 16km Sarenne (the longest black run in the Alps) and 300 days of sunshine a year.

Home to Europe's largest skiable glacier, popular with snowboarders and offering impressive vertical terrain.

Paradiski links La Plagne and Les Arcs across the Ponturin Valley via the Vanoise Express, a double-decker cable car that opened in 2003. The combined area covers 425 km of pistes, 134 lifts, and 2,050 m of vertical from the 1,200 m base of Les Arcs to the 3,250 m Aiguille Rouge. Trail mix skews intermediate; expert-only terrain concentrates on the Aiguille Rouge and around La Plagne's Bellecôte glacier. Peisey-Vallandry sits under the cable car on the Les Arcs side and is the quietest base.

Les 3 Vallées is the world's largest lift-linked ski area, with 600 km of pistes across three Tarentaise valleys: Belleville (Val Thorens, Les Menuires, Saint-Martin-de-Belleville), Méribel (Méribel and La Tania), and Courchevel. From the 1,300 m base at Saint-Martin to Cime Caron at 3,230 m, terrain spans every level: the upper Val Thorens cirque is famously snow-sure, while Courchevel concentrates the most groomed-piste mileage and the priciest lodging in the French Alps.

Espace Killy is the lift-linked ski area shared by Tignes and Val d'Isère in the French Tarentaise. Around 300 km of pistes connect a base of 1,550 m to the Grande Motte glacier at 3,456 m, with summer skiing on the glacier and lift-served vertical rivalled in Europe only by Les 3 Vallées and Paradiski. The terrain leans intermediate-to-advanced; the area's reputation is built on long, high-altitude descents and reliable late-season snow.

Authentic stone-built Haute-Savoie village offering Grand Massif access without the purpose-built feel.

Snow-sure brutalist purpose-built resort in the Grand Massif, with the famous Combe de Vernant powder bowl.

An authentic Haute-Savoie village close to Annecy, with five mountains, traditional architecture, and excellent freeride terrain on the Balme.

Portes du Soleil is a 12-village lift-linked ski area straddling the French-Swiss border in the Chablais Alps, between Lake Geneva and the Mont Blanc massif. The lift network covers 580 km of pistes from a base of 1,000 m at Morzine to 2,466 m at Pointe de Chavanette (the steep ungroomed run known as the Swiss Wall). Avoriaz at 1,800 m is the snow-sure high base; the lower French villages (Morzine, Les Gets, Châtel) and Swiss bases (Champéry, Morgins) are pretty but more weather-dependent.

Sunny family resort linked to La Thuile, Italy, across the Petit-Saint-Bernard Pass for international skiing.

Aravis Mountains village famous for its biathlon World Cup races and Reblochon cheese, with family-focused skiing.

Évasion Mont-Blanc is a lift-linked ski area on the south side of the Mont Blanc massif in the Haute-Savoie, joining Megève, Saint-Gervais, Combloux, and Les Contamines (along with several smaller bases). 445 km of pistes from a base of 1,000 m to 2,350 m at Mont Joux/Mont d'Arbois. Views of the Mont Blanc massif from the upper lifts are the area's best-known asset; terrain favours strong intermediates and is gentler than Espace Killy or the Tarentaise majors.

Tarentaise's hidden powder gem with a fraction of the lifts of nearby giants but unmatched off-piste descents.

Authentic high-Maurienne valley resort with the longest green run in France and unspoiled village charm.

Cross-country skiing capital of France hosting the 1992 Olympics' Nordic events, with gentle Beaufortain alpine terrain.

Family-friendly Chamonix Valley resort with the Kandahar World Cup downhill and Mont Blanc views.

Belledonne range resort overlooking Grenoble, host of the 1968 Olympic alpine events.