Ski treats for the season

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  Yellowstone Lodge, Sainte Foy

If you haven’t haven't dusted off your ski boots yet, better get a move on, as all the signs show less capacity on offer this season and time’s a ticking.

One option could be Yellowstone Ski Lodge (020 8877 8822, www.yellowstoneskilodge.co.uk) in Sainte Foy, a small French village with not only access to its own terrain, but also Val d’Isère, Tignes, Les Arcs, La Plagne, La Rosière within reach - and the Italian resorts of La Thuile and Val Grisenche.

Yellowstone Ski Lodge will be sold as a complete chalet during peak periods such as Christmas, New Year, February half term and the first two weeks of Easter when prices start from £1,500pp based on 12 sharing the chalet. But otherwise - you can book in by the night (from £216pp per night), as the lodge will in effect turn in a six-bedroom boutique hotel the rest of the time.

Each of the six cosy bedrooms are individually-designed and the price includes breakfast, afternoon tea, dinner each night, house wines, barbecue on the terrace and a daily paper. Your hosts are Rupert and Jo Clevely (also of Geronimo Inn fame), who are huge fans of Ste Foy and are good pals with Marianne Brechu, former French downhill team member and Freeride Vice World Champion. 

The Clevelys have cleverly persuaded Marianne to help with the guiding for Yellowstone and she can point you to the best snow on the best slopes every day of the week.

Ste Foy is closest to Chambéry (1.15hrs), Grenoble (1.50hrs) or Geneva (2hrs).

Also try…

Aurelio Lech (www.aureliolech.com) is another nice-looking choice this season with the emphasis on pampering weary skiers at the end of a tough day – there are not one, but two indoor pools which ‘dazzle like the night sky’, thanks to some fancy light installations. There’s also a thermal suite, heating cabins, sauna, aroma steam bath, Jacuzzi and hydro-massage showers, so you will feel really pampered.

The 19-room hotel is in the Austrian resort of Lech so you have access to the Arlberg region, loved for its snowfall and vast ski area – and you can get the daily picture from your balcony as each room has a spacious spot to catch the view from. The hotel opens from December for the season and rooms start from £550 per room per night (half-board); fly to Zurich, Innsbruck, Friedrichshafen or Altenrhein.

And another thing…

Anyone looking for a charming Chamonix choice should give Hip Chalets (http://www.hipchalets.com) a whirl. Hip Chalets is run by British artist and designer Jamie Strachan (formerly British no1 free ride skier) and his fiancé, model and former Swedish rock-climbing champion (great combination), Julia Bergklint.

A new feature for them this season is Le Chalet des Drus tucked into one of the most exclusive parts of Chamonix Valley, Les Bois. The chalet has 600m2 of living space, private art collection, indoor pool, custom designer furniture and a private park of 4000m2. If you want it, you have to book out the whole place and Chalet des Drus sleeps up to 14 from around £925 to £2,152 (uncatered).

Locations: Austria, France