Above is a link to a scanned image of the espace killy piste map which covers Tignes and Val D’Isere.

This place is massive with loads of off-piste accessible close to the lift system. Heed the avalanche risks however as this is definitely big mountain stuff.

We were there for one day only. The weather was great and the cafes were pumping out quality house beats on massive sound systems right across the mountains. This was amazing fun and a great scene to be a part of.

However, the costs for food is just insane, make sure you are plush with the bucks or have your creditcard to hand in order to survive.

A great tip when travelling to an expensive resort is to take a larger than normal case and fill it with food from your local supermarket.–Mainly snacks for through the day and a few main meals possibly.. PASTA! It will save you a lot of money as you dont have to buy much when at the resort.

I had the pleasure of riding Les Arcs twice last week.

Despite the accommodation being described as a concrete jungle, the mountains are amazing.

There is loads of piste to explore–241km and even more off-piste. The off-piste is real big mountain stuff.

Head down to Villaroger for some tasty lunch and an authentic french village feel.

I wish I had had some more time here and been there on a powder day. I will definitely be back! If you are thinking about going you definitely should.

Apparantly Les Arcs 1800 is the place to be with 1600 being the place for cosy chalets and 2000 being isolated but close to phat terrain. 1950 is a crazy intrawest creation.

There is a high resolution image scan of the La Plagne pistemap linked above. Its is not top quality but should provide enough information if you are interested in looking at the skiable area.

Remember that this area is also linked to Les Arcs via the Vanoise Express. You need to buy a more expensive pass to do this but it is well worth it if you are an advanced rider or skier.

The pistes at la plagne are fairly dull and the park is not lift serviced properly.

However there are loads of opportunities for off-piste if you like that kind of thing. Some great snow can be found up high on the glacier when the snow at lower altitudes is not so good.

You should avoid tour operators like Crystal if you are thinking about going. The reps are horrific and do little but swindle more money out of you. It is going to be a lot easier to just organise the holiday yourself if you have more than a couple of braincells.

Finally, if you are a family I recommend this resort, if you are hip give it a miss as the only nightclub turns into nothing but a cockfight due to the lack of ladies, and snowboarders.

Note: There are plenty of boarders; the rider type that is just giving snowboarding a wee go and is really just a skier in disguise.