Good Ski Guide

Forget crowds and packed slopes, the ski region of Niederau, Oberau and Affach is a peaceful place within easy reach of Innsbruck, Salzburg and Munich airports.

You’ll glimpse the north-facing slopes of the Lanerköpfl and the Markbachjoch Mountains the minute you enter this lovely valley where people have been skiing since 1947 – and it’s easy to see why. There are 70km (44 miles) of pistes and queues are rare.

By Lisa Gerard-Sharp

The skier’s diet is more often hearty than refined, but in France this does not mean soggy broccoli and smelly cabbage. Instead alpine dinners are gluttonous feasts washed down with fine wine and featuring mountains of alpine cheeses and charcuterie. In the Portes du Soleil ski area you can even visit several cheese producers.

There’s no healthier environment than a holiday in the mountains, and most French ski villages now offer spa, hammam and hot-stone massage, body wraps and much, much more, so you can combine invigorating skiing with gentle de-stressing.