Ski resort Val Thorens is at the peak of its powers

Chill out at this wonderful ski resort.

We’re sitting in the bar of the five-star Altapura Hotel sipping 14 euro cocktails.

A top-spec Apple computer has been left on the handbag page of the Gucci website and the glossy Russian magazines on the sleek wooden table-tops advertise yachts and supercars

So, it’s initially hard to believe Gregory Guzzo, Val Thorens head of tourism, when he says: “In Val Thorens, we don’t want all the ‘bling-bling’. We’re all about the fun and the simplistic an atmosphere which people love.”

But, as crazy as it sounds, the reigning best ski resort on the planet which is currently slap-bang in the middle of ski season is exactly that: easy, unassuming and chilled in every way.

Okay, sure the snow-covered town boasts expensive hotels, Michelin-starred restaurants and is a winter-sports playground for the rich and famous.

But the mind-blowing mountain terrain 2,300m above sea-level offers a truly breathtaking vacation to holiday-makers on any budget, with as much value and adventure for novice skiers and low-cost travellers as it has panache for the big-spenders.

Isolated in the Tarentaise Valley of the French Alps, Val Thorens is two-and-a-half hours from Switzerland’s Geneva Airport.

Buses run regularly as they do from Chambry, Lyon and Grenoble but your best bet is a luxury VW minivan, provided by Val Thorens’ own First Exclusive Transfer.

Val Thorens has 25,000 beds, but only 1,000 of those are dedicated to four and five-star residencies. I checked-in to the four-star Le Val Thorens hotel just yards from its five-star sister, the Fitz Roy where comfortable beds are surrounded by cosy wooden alcoves.

Like the majority of the resort’s residencies, its location means it’s ski-in ski-out, allowing guests to leave the hotel directly onto the piste.

I could go on about Val Thorens’ hotels, their quality, their views, Club Med and the climbing wall in its foyer but let’s cut to the chase…whether you’re in an igloo or the sensational Koh-I-Noor, you’re heading to Val Thorens for one thing: its stupendous slopes. All 78 different runs to be precise and that’s just en piste.

Let your ears pop as you’re carried to heights of 3,230m by some of the resort’s 32 ski lifts and leave with all of your senses tingling after racing down the mountains.

The resort challenges skiers and snowboarders of any level, with classes for beginners and world championship quality ski-cross routes for pros. But that’s not all to do in the winter cold of Val Thorens.

The resort, for one, is home to Europe’s longest zip-wire. Strap yourself in and sail from mountain-to-mountain at 100kmh. Definitely not for those who get a fright from height but a must for adrenaline junkies.

The World Snow Awards announced Val Thorens as its ‘Most Improved European Resort’ in 2013.

Three years earlier the resort had chosen to make big changes, shifting to the more exclusive clientele that it now caters so well for.

However, instead of turning away the younger guests that flooded to its party scene, they remain welcome.

The revamp heralded new days for Val Thorens, capped with the winning of the World’s Best Ski Resort tag in 2013 and 2014.

Its central street of bars can still attract a fairly rowdy crowd of young skiers, but the exclusivity of its finer premises allow for both worlds to exist with ease.

A day on the slopes has to be punctuated by eating in some of Val Thorens’ best restaurants.

The Chalet de la Marine, high up the mountains, is everything you’d dream it would be for a lunch in the Alps: roaring fire, rustic pine interior, fur-clad seats. The perfect mid-afternoon stop.

But mains are expensive (28 euros plus) and after eating, it’s clear you’ve paid for a series of concept ideas rather than distinctly incredible grub.

Chez Pp Nicolas is an active farm on the other side of the mountains from Val Thorens. Only accessible by car or bus, the restaurant has a lot to answer for if you’ve taken the only alternative route to its front door, off-piste skiing. But wow does it live up to it.

The view is simply perfect and best enjoyed with a beer. Opt for a bottle of locally brewed Biere des 3 Valles or Brassarie du Mont Blanc, a delicious blonde beer as you catch your breath and toast to the jewel in the crown of global snow-sports.

Flights: Easyjet from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Newcastle and London directly to Geneva, starting at £32. Accommodation: hotelfitzroy.com and levalthorens.com. For more information: valthorens.com.