Thanks to the Winter Olympics, France is now a well-known skiing region.

Albertville, the largest town in the area—one without any skiing, ironically—anchored the events, but the real scene was at the resorts of Courchevel, Méribel, Val d’Isère, Tignes, Les Arcs and La Plagne.

While the 1992 Olympic Games focused world attention on French ski areas, surprising many viewers that French skiing was so well established, the French have been on the slopes for a long time. Resorts like Chamonix, Megève and Val d’Isère shared in the initial development of Alpine skiing half a century ago. Many of the modern French resorts have been purpose-built for skiing: this means entire villages, such as Avoriaz, Tignes, Courchevel, Flaine, La Plagne and Les Arcs, have been created with skiing uppermost in the designers’ minds. The result has been thousands of apartments and hotels that give you the convenience of walking out your door, stepping into your skis and skiing some of the most extensive slopes in the world. In addition, the après-ski life is great and the food and wine reflect France at its best.

France is home of the most extensive skiing found anywhere in the world. The Trois Vallées region, the Portes du Soleil region (shared with Switzerland) and the Espace Killy region of Val d’Isère and Tignes are unparalleled in the skiing universe for wide open spaces and dramatic skiing.

The French skiers that vacationers will meet in the mountains are also some of the friendliest people one can meet. The abrupt manner some tourists associate with French locals just won’t be found here. In the mountains, everyone comes to enjoy life and share the wonderful beauty of the mountains.

The French add a bit of drama and love to having Fondue Savoyarde—when a woman loses her bread in the fondue cheese pot, she must kiss her neighbor to her right (imagine the jockeying for places at some fondue tables); when the man loses his bread, he must buy a round of drinks.

Getting Apartments and flats in France
Apartments are the way to go in France. They are in-expensive and often right on the slopes; however, they are small from an American’s point of view. If you want space, get the next larger sized apartment than you would nor-mally reserve. Studios are one large room. Deux pièces means two rooms or one bedroom with a living room that can sleep two more people; trois pièces is three rooms, usually two bedrooms plus a living room.

The seasons
High season: Christmas and New Years, then all of February to mid-April.
Low season: January after the New Year holiday, then late April.

Use these as general guidelines, because some resorts may have slightly adjusted seasons owing to local school holidays. Check with your destination resort to get the exact dates if you are planning your trip on a season borderline.

Telephone notes
There are no area codes or prefixes in France for cities and towns, except for Paris. The area code is part of the normal eight-digit telephone number.

The country code for France is 0033.

Photos courtesy of Ski France International.

For French National Tourist Office Information call (900) 990-0040. Cost is 50¢ per minute.

Canada
Maison de la France
1981 av. McGill College, Suite 490
Montreal, QC H3A 2W9
Phone: (514) 288-4264
Fax: (514) 845-4868
e-mail: mfrance@attcanada.net

United Kingdom
Maison de la France
(French Governtment Tourist Office)
178 Piccadilly
London W1V 0AL
Phone: +44 207 399 3500
Fax: +44 207 493 6594

United States
New York
Maison de la France
(French Government Tourist Office)
444 Madison Avenue, 16th Floor
New York, NY 10022-6903
(No phone inquiries)
Fax: +1 (212) 838-7855

Chicago
Maison de la France
(French Government Tourist Office)
676 N. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60611-2819
(No phone inquiries)
Fax: +1 (312) 337-6339

Los Angeles
Maison de la France
(French Government Tourist Office)
9454 Wilshire Blvd., Ste 715
Beverly Hills, CA 90212-2967
(No phone inquiries)
Fax: +1 (310) 276-2835