No 3: Summertime dreams of snowy mountains

We continue our series of the top 20 destinations of readers. By ANDREA HOULTHAM.


Until you've felt it, there's really no way to understand the sensation. Some would describe it as madness - you strap a thin piece of board to your feet and hurtle down a slippery slope until you either reach the bottom or fall over.

I wouldn't describe it as madness, I'd call it heaven.

The snow feels like silk under your feet, the air so cold and so pure that every breath feels like drinking in another few years of youth.

The snow is so clean it's almost blue, and on a clear day the sight of Mt Ruapehu can leave tears in your eyes.

I've seen the mountain blanketed in white for the last time this season. The snowline has crept back up the hill and now we must wait for another six months before Ruapehu reopens.

We'll miss each other, the mountain and I. It's hard to explain how you can grow to truly love a mountain.

But the snow has begun to fall in the Northern Hemisphere, with snow conditions and trails I can only dream of. I can hear them calling me ...

But, in the meantime, I must satisfy myself with dreaming of the season just passed, feeling my back foot twitch, anticipating the curving turns my body needs to experience. The addiction must be fed.

France Guide

Getting there

A seven-night stay at Club Med France in the Chamonix area starts from $2187 a person twin share. Return airfares Auckland to Nice start from $1999 a person. This package for travel between March 1 and March 31. On offer until January 30. Contact Flight Centre on 0800 243544 to book. Conditions apply.

Skiing in France

With more than 8000km of pistes, France has the largest ski area in the world. There is something for everyone, from family-oriented village resorts to purpose-built resorts where you can ski from your doorstep. Resorts are spread through seven major areas: the Northern Alps, the Southern Alps, the Pyrenees, the Vosges, the Jura, the Massif Central and in Corsica.

Skiing in France also offers the possibility of discovering snowfields connected to Swiss or Italian alpine ski resorts. You can ski without borders by connecting 14 French and Swiss resorts, creating a skiable field of 650km runs.

The Espace San Bernardo (150km of tracks) joins Rosiere on the France side and Thuile of Italy's Val d'Aoste.

See Portesdusoleil.com for details.