When you're considering a winter holiday in one of the excellent catered ski chalets in the Alps, you're probably looking at somewhere like La Tania, and rightly so. La Tania is a delightful ski resort area on the eastern edge of France, tucked away in the Courchevel area of The Three Valleys. The resort was founded in the early 1990s, as accommodation for the ice hockey players and other sports people competing in the Albertville Olympics of 1992.

One of the best things about renting catered ski chalets in La Tania is the fact that it is big enough to feel like a proper village, but is also compact enough to allow you to explore it on foot - which is super handy since the entire village is traffic free! The skiing in La Tania and the surrounding areas is fabulous, but if you or one of your party doesn’t really feel like hitting the slopes, there’s loads to do off the pistes as well.

Ice Skating

While you may think that ice-skating is de rigueur when you are in a skiing village in the Alps, it is not always so - but you're in luck when you stay in La Tania! Within easy distance of the catered ski chalets, you can head down to the nearby village of Courchevel and strap on some ice skates for a few hours of fun. Ice-skating is a great way to get a bit of a workout and to try something different - if you're really keen, talk the rest of your group into coming with you and having a laugh while you try ice dancing. If you're really feeling brave, you may want to take an ice hockey lesson and learn the ins and outs of the fast paced (and sometimes quite violent) sport. Even if you decide not to take it up yourself, you will have a much better understanding of the game if you go to watch a match.

Paragliding and Pleasure Flights

If you want to explore the scenery above your catered ski chalets in La Tania, why not try paragliding or take a pleasure flight? You’ll need to book in advance, of course, but it is an incredible experience to see the region from an entirely different vantage. A pleasure flight can take a small group in a small private plane for a ride over the mountains, including some spectacular sights of the very famous peak of Mount Blanc, which isn't too far away. If you want to get a bit more active as you soar over the slopes, you can book a day of paragliding. Strap in and leap off one of the highest peaks in the area and, with or without an instructor strapped to you (depending on your level), you can glide around the mountains, soaking in the view from an entirely new and invigorating perspective.

Danielle Hodges is the Marketing Manager for Ski Amis, a specialist ski travel agency and booking service offering bonded holidays staying in catered ski chalets in La Tania and other fantastic destinations. For a luxury or good-value skiing holiday and the best catered chalets call Ski Amis.