Summer Skiing in France

This resort owes an awful lot to the Grand Motte Glacier - a superb summer ski season for starters. Soaring 3456m above sea level, this is a land with fine views over the Vanoise Park, 20km of pistes (split into 6 blues, 6 reds, and 1 black), and the grand Glacier Snowpark. Reached by funicular and a two-stage quad chair from Val Claret, the Motte is in prime condition from first light, and stays open for snow sports until around 1pm. Which is perfect timing for lunch at Le Panoramic (a 5 minute train trip) where they serve the sweetest dessert platter this side of the Espace Killy – think shell-shaped macaroons, homemade marshmallows and snowmen made from ice cream.

Housing the biggest skiable glacier in Europe - the mighty Girose - summer skiing is huge in L2A. Open ‘til lunchtime from mid-June to late August, t-shirt skiers have a speedy red, nine cruisy blues and a gentle green to play on here. But the best bit’s Snowpark 3200, a fond favourite of seasoned freestylers who can master the Olympic-sized superpipe and shred an army of lines from tame to terrifying. While other ski areas have a couple of lifts in action, this one has SEVENTEEN, keeping everything as queue-free as it jolly well should be. If all that’s worked up an appetite, Les Glaciers is a cracking snack-bar-cum-restaurant for chunky chips and hearty bowls of pasta.

The Pisaillas Glacier reigns high above the hamlet of le Fornet at 3400m, peeping over fluffy clouds and connected to the rest of the Espace Killy via three lifts - TK du Montet, Cascade Express and TK Cote 3000. Blues and reds rule the roost up here, streaming down to Col de l’Iseran, and just a short traverse from the glacier opens up some seriously awesome off piste descents into a huge powder bowl near Bonneval. It’s covered in white pretty much all year round, which has allowed summer skiing in previous years. More recently, the baton's been handed over to Tignes, which is still easy to reach from Val if you fancy a spot of sun-drenched slope time... We're holding out hope that both will be skiable in summers to come - the more the merrier!

The Pic Blanc Mountain teeters above Alp D’Huez - at 3330m it's so high that you can’t see the summit from resort. Hop on the two stage DMC gondola followed by cable car to reach the top... You're greeted by the Sarenne Glacier, which on a good year is still skiable in July and August. This is expert territory, and it's up to Mother Nature which of the three black runs are fit for purpose in the summertime - but you can usually find a good 400m of vertical. Come back in the winter and one of them stretches on for 13km, making it the longest black piste in the Alps.

Occupying a chunk of the legendary Paradiski area, altitudes here reach a heady 3250m on the Bellecôte Mountain, where a 15km blueprint of pistes covers the Bellecôte and Chiaupe glaciers. Of the two black runs, the longer one poses a real test - a rocky section marks the start of a mighty steep with lots of powder to dip in and out of. In the red department, La Combe shields itself from the sun, with fabulous snow along the long, winding and often bumpy run. Speaking of the white stuff, the summit tots up an average snowfall of 4.5 – 5m, making it one of the most snow sure areas in France.

Surrounded by SIX sky scraping glaciers, VT hogs the highest spot of the 3 Valleys and stays skiable the longest (usually November - May). Of the skiable variety, the Peclet Glacier is king in these parts. It soars at 3101m with an array of reds to carve down, including a fabulous one - named after French ski champ Christine Goitschel - that leads over the ridge towards the Moraine base. Once you’re in Moraine, catch the lift up to the Chaviere Glacier at 3130m where you can ski with cracking views of VT and the Vanoise National Park. From here you can make your way via lifts and pistes over to the Orelle valley. With the Bouchet glacier on one side and the Pointe Renod on the other, a glorious red trail leads from the highest point of the 3 valleys (3230m) down the face of the Bouchet Mountain.

The Aiguille Rouge Mountain is home to the wonderful Glacier Du Varet, which nabs the highest spot and deepest snow in the Arcs area. While the season's generally your usual December - April, the winter months have a history of fabulous conditions. Take the telecabine up to 3226m before skiing a glorious red run into the main hub of pistes, or a deliciously long black down to Villaroger. To up the ante, the off-piste potential goes on and on, with some fabulous routes on both faces of the mountain. They cover the glacier with a 4000m squared blanket in the summertime, which blocks the rays and preserves a good metre or so of the white stuff. New flakes start falling as early as November up here, creating a fine base for the first skiers of the winter season.

It would be a sin to the shrine of shred if we didn’t mention the Vallée Blanche - a pillowy glacial descent from the Aiguille du Midi along the Mer de Glace. But that’s not the be all and end all of snow sure skiing in Cham. There’s also the Argentiere glacier in the Grands Montets area, where ski tourers will be in their element, with routes like the Col Du Tour Noir. An army of other glaciers make up the surroundings, and with the help of the mighty Mont Blanc, they keep the whole place cool and snowy from December into May.