VALUE D'ISÈRE

RACHEL HAGAN FOLLOWS IN THE TRACKS OF OLYMPIANS - ON A BUDGET

I AM teetering on the edge of what can only be described as a deathslide drop on one of Europe's most challenging black runs: La Face.

Am I really going to do this? It was the venue for the men's downhill race at the 1992 Winter Olympics and I am by no means an Olympian.

But as I look down the slope, I can't quite believe our luck.

A storm had been raging for two weeks up until the day before we arrived in Val d'Isère, but now the sun reveals a mountain covered in a thick blanket of sparkling white powder. Many skiers come to test themselves on this piste, which is usually covered in icy moguls, but today it is pristine.

It's so sunny that I am skiing with my jacket unzipped and have swapped my goggles for sunglasses. Before I can second-guess the 3,146ft vertical drop, I inhale the crisp mountain air and schuss down the run. My unzipped jacket flies behind me and my boyfriend zooms ahead, setting the standard for the week's skiing.

When you're hurtling down a mountain at 70 miles per hour (my Strava data confirms this figure...my physio will be frowning) for five to six hours a day, then carrying heavy skis and socialising, coming home to a cosy chalet to be coddled by your host with a hot meal is exactly what you need.

I much preferred sitting in front of the log burner with a glass of wine than traipsing around the SPAR in ski boots to rustle up some pesto pasta.

There are all sorts of connotations attached to skiing holidays and you certainly encounter a few of them while sharing a pew in a bubble lift. But the chalet we are staying in, called the Cristal 3 and run by Ski Beat, is exceptionally good value, devoid of any pomp, yet still feels luxurious.

We shared ours with eight others and enjoyed long dinners and an impromptu karaoke night, much to the horror and delight of our lovely host, with them.