The avid European skier often envisions the Swiss Alps, when dreaming about the “ideal” winter vacation. Yet not every European has such a vision, when he or she longs to ski. “French Alps” are the words that motivate many a European skier to take a winter holiday.

What travel related questions concern a European who has taken time out to ski? French Alps’ accommodations are the concern of a fair number of Europeans. The typical skier must choose between staying in a chalet or in a “gite.” A “gite” is a holiday rental, usually one located in a rural area. Once synonymous with simplicity, the modern day gite has morphed into a dwelling that can appeal to travelers with money “to burn.”

The skier that does not want to pay for a gite reserves space in a chalet. In the past, a chalet in the French Alps was either a stone or wooden building. Today, however, a dwelling constructed from prefabricated materials can be a chalet.

A skier who will be traveling with family often chooses an accommodation that caters to all the members of a familial unit. A skier that finds it impossible to leave a pet at home needs to reserve space in an accommodation that has given an “OK” to pets. Only a blind skier would never express a desire to stay in a room with a breathtaking, or at least memorable, view.

Once a skier has reserved space in a chalet or a gite, then that skier needs to check on the ground conditions at that location. Thanks to creation of the Internet, that chore has been simplified. No longer does a skier have to depend on televised weather reports. Now a skier can consult one of several websites. Web cams, owned and operated by the site owner, offer proof of excellent, satisfactory or less than desirable ground conditions.

If ground conditions appear to be excellent, then the Internet viewer can get ready to go into the mountains and ski. “French Alps’ accommodations, however, can be tricky to reach. The skier needs to check on the mode of transport that he or she will be expected to use. In the past, some skiers arrived at a chalet on horseback. In the future, there could well be skiers taking a VTOL (vertical take off and landing) vehicle into the French Alps.

A skier, who has had an especially good time during a winter vacation, might choose to return to the same spot during the summer. In that case, the summer traveler would have access to more varied means of transport. In that case, the “off season” trip could include a ride on a VTT (velo tout terrain), a French mountain bike.

Of course, no tourist can expect to replicate in the summer every aspect of a past, winter ski vacation. Even a return to the French Alps does not guarantee the enjoyment of burning embers, as might be created by a fire in a fireplace. In the summer, that aroma gives way to the waft of a fresh breeze.

MINI GALLERY. Images – “Ski French Alps”