Courmayeur is an attractive alpine town on the Italian side of Mont Blanc. With 100km of largely intermediate pistes it won't keep any pros happy all week. Nevertheless, those who enjoy leisurely cruising along, fantastic food up and down the mountain, splendid vistas, and a positively charming base, Courmayeur is definitely for you.

Alternatively, consider a shorter break in Courmayeur, or stay a while and use it as a base to explore nearby resorts such as La Thuile and Chamonix. Thanks to the re-opening of the Mont Blanc tunnel, it's once again accessible from Geneva in ninety minutes, and consequently closer than many French resorts when driving from the UK or Northern Europe.

With Turin not too far away either, Courmayeur is an obvious choice with those looking to tie up cheap flights and odd durations with a ski/snowboard a holiday, and many of the hotels will accept these outside the peak weeks.

Those worried about the resort height should be re-assured that the actually slopes really begin at 1700m, the slopes face north/north-west and there's plenty of snow making to ensure conditions remain good throughout the crux of the season.

These slopes rise to the Cresta d'Arp at 2755m and although varied, suit intermediates far more than any other group. Everyone will need to take the cable car from the town to Plan Checrouit(1700m) in order to progress up the mountain, however it's possible in good conditions to take a blue run down to Dolonne(1210m) and hop on a bus back to the centre.

Beginners have a dedicated area at Plan Checrouit which can get busy, and there are only selective areas of the mountain where most will be able to gain confidence. In this sense, it's not ideal, but for a group with some beginners, who are as interested in having a good time off the slopes, do not discount Courmayeur, there are worse resorts to start off.

At the other end of the spectrum, decent riders and skiers have some excellent off-piste/back country terrain to take advantage of. From the Cresta d'Alp and Cresta Youla(2624m) there are several itinery routes to explore, preferably with a guide, although many do not bother. These all stray well away from the official pistes, so there's less chance that they will be tracked out quickly.

Moving away from Courmayeur main ski area, good intermediates and advanced levels can take the cable car from nearby La Palud up to Punta Helbronner(3470m) on Mont Blanc and take the semi off piste route down to join up with the famous Vallee Blanche run down into Chamonix, and hop on a bus back through the tunnel. You will need a Mont Blanc pass or pay a surcharge to do this though.

From Punta Helbronner, a more tricky off-piste excursion is the 10km down the Toula glacier to La Palud. Definitely bring a guide on this one as you're exposed to fixed ropes and generally very awkward entry before getting into the swing of things.

Finally, those with experience should also try some heli-drops. Italian rates are on the cheaper side for Europe, and there's some awesome terrain to be explored.

Off-the slopes is where Courmayeur, really stands out. It's traditional traffic-free and cobbled street centre provides the centre piece for what is one of the Italians' favourite resorts.

In line with the general philosophy, eating, drinking and partying are all taken very seriously. At the weekends, the fashionable crowds flock from nearby Turin and Milan to create a buzz to match any resort. It has to be said, it is a more civilised buzz, than in most resorts, but never exclusive, and reports on the friendliness of the locals keep coming in.

In fact this is enjoyed equally up the mountain, where being active takes second place to eating, boozing and soaking up the rays.

Staying in Courmayeur is a joy in itself, and accommodation is largely hotel based. Our advice to try a B & B or self-catered apartments and eat out, but if you do half-board you'll save cash and probably have good food anyway. Independent catered chalets are presently unknown to us, but again you'd be missing out on the variety here.

Complaints involve the walk to the cable car, not enough pistes, not enough variety of pistes and the crowds at weekends. However, if you sign up to all of these, you're missing the point of Courmayeur and are best off elsewhere anyway.