Enormous vertical, among the biggest drops in the Alps, and a glacier at the top that gives near certain snow and keeps the resort running into summer. The odd thing about the layout is that most of the easy skiing is high and most of the hard skiing is low, which catches people out on the first morning. Ski the glacier early, before it softens, and save the lower runs for the afternoon. If you are experienced, La Grave is fifteen minutes down the road. It is a legendary off piste mountain with a single cable car and no pistes at all, and it is a mountain to take a guide on. The village is a long high strip along a shelf above the Romanche valley, functional rather than pretty, with apartments and hotels along the main street, a lively bar scene and a young crowd. The altitude is real, so a spa afternoon early in the week is not wasted.