We had time after lunch to ride the tram up to the Solaise ski area and walk around the crest, admiring the snow that rolled toward the horizon. Isere and Tignes is named for Jean-Clause Killy, who gew up here. He stole the show at Grenoble in 1968 with three gold medals and returned as the French honcho of France s third Olympics in 1992. In Killy s space are more than 190 miles of prepared slopes and 98 lifts. Two thirds of the slopes are rated easy.
Experts compensate by going off-piste in massive snowfields that roll to the horizon.
As is the case in all resorts in France, Americans represent only a fraction of the action. The French dominate, yet you hear a lot of English. Val d is popular with British skiers, from every level of society, judging from the accents. Jane Jacquemod, who runs media relations for the resort, is English. She helped us find the last room in the village.