"Ace" wrote in message
...
- Val d'Isere for a day

??? It's _miles_ away by road. Four to five hours, via Chamonix or
Torino, as far as I can tell.

Not from Les Arcs it isn't, which is where the guys are starting off from.

Given that the origin is Les Arcs, and the destination is Turin airport,
there are basically two options: Mont Blanc tunnel and Aosta Valley (via
Albertville, Ugine, Megeve, Chamonix) or Frejus tunnel (via Albertville,
Modane). The second option is probably shorter, there are many ski resorts
preparing for the 2006 Olympics in the "Via Lattea" on the italian side of
the Frejus - but I'm not familiar with any of them.

On the Mont Blanc tunnel route, a guide in Chamonix or Courmayeur should
keep you busy at whatever level you are looking for. One good address is the
Hotel Funivia in La Palud, next door to the Mont Blanc cablecar (and guides
office), just out of the Italian side of the Mont Blanc Tunnel (30 EUR B&B
IIRC), and the excellent family run Armandina restaurant next door.
http://www.hotelfunivia.com/php/index.php?lan=_en

If you are travelling light, and by public transport, there is of course an
additional option, to get to the Aosta Valley on skis via La Rosiere and La
Thuile.