With fresh snowfalls all last week, the skiing at Val d’Isere is still stunning, especially on the higher slopes.  The weather is beginning to break up now, but all that late-season snow proves that booking a holiday in one of the higher resorts really does pay off for Easter and spring skiers and boarders.

It’s not just the snow that’s still great: the shopping and nightlife are still humming,  snow-shoe treks are hopping, the Mono Ski World Championships have only just left town and, while the company may be thinning, there are still enough folk around to give the place a buzz.

Later on in the year, of course, Val d’Isere is a great place for hill-walkers, with miles of trails around the valleys.  The place is hardly recognizable if you’re used to its winter appearance, but has a different beauty: wildflowers and greenery under the famous Val sunshine and bright blue skies.  There are fewer people around and the pace is slower – for some that’s reason enough to hire a luxury chalet during the summer.