But, as I realise during our stay, the Pook concept is
actually even more versatile than the North American
equivalent. There’s the location, for one thing. True,
it’s never going to rival the solitude and isolation that’s
such a selling point of the North American heli lodges
– particularly slap-bang in the middle of the Tarentaise,
one of the world’s busiest ski epicentres – but Les Laix
still enjoys a singular position. Les Arcs, La Plagne, La
Rosière, Ste Foy, Tignes and Val d’Isère are all between 15
minutes and half an hour’s drive away. You don’t get that
at Canada’s famed Baldface Lodge.
These resorts are close enough to go to for the odd
night out in the Lodge’s chauffeured vans, but far
when the economic crisis
first hit, demand for ski
property floundered like everything else. From an all-time
high in 2008, traditional buyers became wary.
However, it now seems things are picking up. “The
market is undeniably hot again,” says François Marchand,
general manager of Erna Low Property
(ernalowproperty.
co.uk),
a company that has been bringing British skiers to
the Alps for 80 years. “A lot of clients are coming back.”
Which are the newest property hotspots? “Briançon is
very exciting,” says Marchand. “It’s one of Europe’s highest
towns. It’s not just a resort, it’s full of medieval history and
many things to do.”
Elsewhere, Marchand recommends the tiny village of
Vaujany which, he says, is amazing because of two factors.
Firstly, it’s virtually unheard of. It also has amenities
normally only found in much bigger resorts. “The village
has done a deal with EDF, the energy firm, which has
invested a huge amount in the resort,” he says. “There’s an
Olympic-size swimming pool and you can get a gondola
up the mountain from the centre of the resort. It’s crazy.”
»
L I V E THE H I GH L I F E
The property market is booming in the Alps again, so where are the best spots for skiers to invest?
WALKING IN THE AIR
04
Your own virgin
powder run is a
big attraction
05
Plenty of space for
tricks is another
06
Inside a Pook
Heli-Lodge
06
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