An Alpine alternative in Nendaz

Overlooking the vine-clad Rhône Valley, Nendaz sits quietly tucked away behind her bigger, brasher sister, Verbier. And to back onto Verbier can only mean one thing: Nendaz is slap-bang in the middle of skiing mecca, the Four Valleys.

A long-time favourite of savvy Dutch and Belgians, the Swiss resort in the Valais region is a welcome diversion from the traditional catered chalet holiday town: with 80 per cent of accommodation Swiss-owned, Nendaz is all about self-catered, high-quality accommodation where the emphasis is not on squeezing sardines into a tin but rather on decent, well-run, family-sized apartments and chalets.

With Verbier at saturation point - building is arrested because of avalanche danger - Nendaz has become the Four Valleys' new hotbed of investment. Our traditional-style apartment was spacious, modern and in a top location - costing the same, if not less, as a dingy shoebox of a flat in Verbier or the Three Valleys.

Locals head down to nearby Sion for a dose of normality but otherwise find they have everything within the Nendaz commune - a collection of
15 villages that make up the area.

And what Nendaz lacks in boutique shopping, champagne bars and helipads it more than makes up for in lower prices - from accommodation to après-ski, less busy slopes and a laid-back feel.

It's full of families and pro-skiers and it's easy to see why ski veteran and local Mike Halliday calls it "the thinking man's resort".

The area covered by the Four Valleys lift pass is immense - it encompasses eight resorts and 410 km of runs served by 92 lifts. The best way to see it all is to join a local on the hill. Halliday has been teaching at Neige Aventure ski school for 11 years. Qualified to coach almost every level including handicapped skiers, he is more than fit to introduce us to some of Nendaz's most special runs.

At 3,300 metres, Mont Fort stands resplendent over the ski area and offers a majestic view of the Matterhorn, Mont Blanc and Grand Combin.

Itineraries - "itinerary runs" - are managed but ungroomed. These massive off-piste descents are justifiably what make the area so famous.

After a big dump of snow, some enormous bowls open up into a powder skiers' heaven filled with open steeps, gullies, drops and stunning views before descending into a miasma of tree runs into the valley. The legendary Mont Fort to Tortin run, strictly the realm of the experienced skier, offers a vertical drop unlike most and is more than enough knee-jerking practice for the Mont-Gele and Vallon d'Arby itineraries. A long, rolling red from the Col des Gentianes to La Chaux kept my intermediate skier friend satisfied and gave us all time to enjoy the spectacular views up to the Grand and Petit Combins.