The Roc d'Enfer stands over the French side of the Portes du Soleil, the first cross border ski area in the Alps and still one of the largest. Twelve resorts share a single pass, eight in France and four in Switzerland, and you can ski from one country to the other and back in a day. Avoriaz sits highest and holds snow best. Morzine and Les Gets are proper towns with a life outside the season. Châtel sits on the border, and the Swiss side around Champéry and Morgins is quieter and less visited by international guests.

The terrain is mostly wooded and rolling, which is a real advantage when cloud settles on the high resorts further south. The altitude is modest, so midwinter is the safer bet, and the sheer size means you can ski a different sector every day for a week without repeating yourself. The Pass'Portes du Soleil in June is one of the best known mass mountain bike events in Europe, and gives a sense of how far the network reaches.