Les Gets - slopes

Les Gets has two main areas, the Chavannes sector, which links directly with the skiing of Morzine and the other resorts in the Portes du Soleil, and the smaller Mont Chery on the opposite side of town. Both are accessed by gondolas from the village centre – the lift stations connected by a quirky little road 'train', which can be handy to avoid a trudge when you're switching sectors.

Ski highlights for all levels

Beginners: Les Gets takes pride in its care of beginners – and there are decent nursery slopes near the village centre. Further beginner runs near the top of the Chavannes area give the chance for newcomers to experience the better snow and great views at higher altitude.

Intermediates: there's plenty to keep intermediates amused around Les Gets without necessarily getting too involved with the rest of the Portes du Soleil. There are some testing runs on the Mont Chery side, which, being furthest from the main interlinked network, stays free of crowds.

Experts: Les Gets surprises many visitors with how much it has to offer experts. There are some steepish runs on Mont Chery and from La Rosta on the Chavannes side. In good snow, it really comes into its own, with great powder and excellent tree skiing – as good as you'll find anywhere throughout the Portes du Soleil.

There are exciting off-piste possibilities in the Chamossiere and Nyon areas, above Morzine, as well as a number of challenging black runs including the Yeti mogul field.

Ski schools and guides

The British Alpine Ski and Snowboard School (0871 780 15 00) has established a good reputation here, as has Ecole de Ski 360 (00 33 45 079 80 31). British visitors have long been a fixture, so instructors are geared accordingly.

Lift system

Over the past few years Les Gets has invested heavily in lifts, including a number of fast 6-seater chairs, which has greatly reduced queues.

Snow reliability and snowmaking

This is not a high resort, so is vulnerable to snow shortages. But a lot of money has been spent on snowmaking – particularly on the runs to resort. Most of the skiing is on summer grazing land, and the well-grassed slopes, with fewer rocks, need a lot less snow to be skiable than many other areas. And when we were last there in late March 2009, it just never stopped dumping!

Terrain park

Mont Chery has a terrain park on its upper slopes, with all the usual features, and Chavannes boasts a boardercross course.