Two days before, we’d been skiing beneath a clear sky at the top of Europe’s highest resort, Val Thorens. Untouched following the previous night’s snowfall, our guide from the ESF ski school led us straight to the top of the Grand Fond lift (3,003m), on the Médaille and Rondos pistes, before much of the resort had risen from their beds, knowing what delights would await. No destination shouts louder about the appeal of skiing in France than Val Thorens.

It was a continuation of a theme – not only we had also been spoilt for choice when it came to dining, dancing and drinking off the slopes, but the five-star Altapura hotel, where our evenings were spent in the outdoor pool or sipping Aperol in raw-hide clad armchairs, was the epitome of ski-in/ski-out opulence.

Contrastingly, down the valley in Les Menuires away from five-star fast-lane skiing, the H036 hostel offered up a reality check. It also presented the opportunity to brush shoulders with like minded snow-sport fans from all over the world for the first time in two winters and the excitement in the communal dining room was palpable. Les Menuires’ slopes were empty thanks to skiers’ tendency to race past its sunshine-drenched pistes in favour of Méribel, Courchevel or the dizzying heights of Val Thorens.

Yet it was in Méribel that we felt most at home during our multi-resort tour – a finely balanced middleman between Val Thorens’ exuberance and Les Menuires budget-friendly credentials. Our confident intermediate ski skills were put to best use on its long pistes that span both sides of the Allues valley – blue Sittelle being a favourite. Central Hotel Eterlou, home to yet another outdoor pool, proved to be a charming reminder of the authentic ski holiday experience we’d been longing for.