Leading French resort La Plagne is recommending Brits grab their new First Tracks tickets to be sure they get the fresh lines in the vast ski area every morning, especially during the busy school holiday period at Christmas, New year and in February.

This new pass allows guests to head up to the summit early, ahead of normal lift opening hours, to watch the sun rise over La Plagne, enjoy a buffet breakfast at the Carlina, and ride the untouched slopes first thing.

Jean-Baptiste Grange of France and Veronika Zuzulova of Slovakia hold the distinction of being the first champions of the European Ski Federation after winning indoor slalom races at Amneville, France.

Grange marched though the elimination format taking out teammate Stephane Tissot in the round of 16, Thomas Koenig in the quarter finals and Manfred Moelgg in the semi-final match before his final match-up with Christof Innerhofer. Grange got the win by .24 of a second. The closest match of the day was for the three and four spot where Moelgg edged Marc Gini by .06.

Organizers in Europe plan to take skiing indoors next month, when Olympic slalom champion Benjamin Raich will face French rival Jean-Baptiste Grange and other challengers in a new European championship.

Organizers from Austria, France, Switzerland and Italy revealed plans yesterday to hold slalom races for men and women on an indoor slalom course in Amnéville, France, on Nov. 7.

Organizers said they have registered 80 skiers from 12 nations.

Meribel in the French 3 Valleys, the world’s largest ski area, has announced a number of improvements to its giant ski area for the coming winter. The slow, fixed Golf chairlift will be transformed into a fast, detachable chairlift which will halve journey times. This will allow Meribel Village residents much quicker access to the Altiport area.

Once they reach the summit they will benefit from a newly laid out area offering much more space. The departure point for the Altiport draglift will be relocated uphill to the position of the current first pylon and the poles will be replaced with retractable ones for improved safety. The current building will also be relocated to the higher point.

In addition, as usual, a great deal of work has been carried out on the ski slopes during the summer. On the Tougnète side, the bottom of the Faon piste has been reshaped, thus completing last summer’s work. The last bend at the bottom of the Lièvre will also be reworked so as to widen this piste at a point often found difficult by beginners.

People researching cheap ski flights may agree with an expert who suggested France will remain the top destination for UK skiers.

Betony Garner, a spokesperson for the Ski Club of Great Britain, said France remains the most popular with travellers, despite the rival appeal of Italy and Austria.

She said: “Over 40 per cent of the market still travels to France — it is always a favourite with Brits so I don’t see them getting knocked off the top spot yet.”

With preparations for the forthcoming ski season in full swing, many Britons are thinking of the annual winter pilgrimage to their favourite American or Alpine haunts. And, for those keen to stand out on the slopes, French company Kaorigin has come up with the ultimate winter sport enthusiast’s vanity product: self-designed skis.

Pierre & Vacances Group and Intrawest Hotels & Residences have signed an agreement for the acquisition of Intrawests lodging and commercial operations at Arc 1950 in Savoie and the Flaine Montsoleil resort located in the Haute Savoie region of France.

Heading up the team will be Will Roberts who has worked as a British Instructor in Megeve for the last 5 seasons. Providing quality English ski lessons in the picturesque resort of Megeve and all the connecting areas, St Gervais, St Nicolas de Veroce, Les Contamines, Combloux & La Gittaz. At BASS Megeve, we believe in a system of small groups & private lessons, innovative teaching sessions to deliver what you want with the maximum level of enjoyment! Our World Class instructors have the highest qualifications with full French Equivalence and are also all involved in developing ski instructors through associations in the UK & Ireland (BASI, IASI).