DRIVEN SNOW

TAKING a car to an Alpine ski resort spells freedom.

Freedom to pack the car with as much luggage as you want, freedom to visit other ski resorts near your base and freedom to travel when it suits.

And, particularly with four or five in the car, it can be a lot less expensive than flying.

The most relaxing way for car-owners is probably French Railways' weekly motorail service, aimed at skiers, which runs between Calais and Moutiers in the winter months.You set off from Calais on Friday evening and arrive for breakfast in Moutiers in the heart of the Alps the next morning. Couchettes, or cabins, are available in either six- berth or four-berth, so you can arrive refreshed after a good night's sleep.

The train fare may seem high, but you save on motorway tolls, fuel bills - petrol costs about half as much again as in Britain - and even overnight stops.

Chains

Once you arrive, you may need chains for your car, particularly for the higher villages, so it is a good idea to take some with you.

The French police will insist on chains on a road that has had a recent fall of snow and hasn't been cleared.

They will prevent you from continuing until chains are fitted and then is not the time to try to buy some. There are tales of people being charged up to pounds 200 a set.

The AA rents chains, which can be picked up at Dover. And not only will the AA demonstrate how to fit them, but it will provide an easy- to-follow instruction leaflet and a natty pair of arm- length gloves to keep your hands clean.

If self-catering, stock up in the hypermarkets in the valleys on your way through, as shopping in the high resorts is expensive.

The French have invested heavily in a good lift and extensive piste system, none more evident than in the La Plagne area in the Savoie region.

It has a network of 10 villages and 119 slopes, offering around 130 miles of skiing with seven black runs, 33 reds, 67 blue and 12 green.

There is also some excellent off-piste on the glacier, but be sure to take an experienced guide.

Most of the skiing is above 6,000 feet so you are almost guaranteed snow throughout the season. And all the villages and apartments are right on the slopes to give doorstep skiing.

The Ski Club of Great Britain offers free guiding in La Plagne for members, with different days for different abilities.

FACTFILE

FRENCH Motorail Calais-Moutiers, couchette for two adults and three children, pounds 600 return, January-April. Tel: 0171 203 7000. AA Ski Driveaway France one-week self-catering in Belle Plagne, based on five sharing, pounds 105 to pounds 246 per person. Includes ferry crossings. Motorail options available. Tel: 01256 814433. Further details: French Tourist Board, 178 Piccadilly, London W1. Enclose pounds 1 postage.

Copyright 1996 MGN LTD
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.