All this and skiing too

5 April 2012

The mantra of anyone buying a home in the Alps was once: "Ski in, ski out." If you could not step out of the front door and on to the piste, you were in the wrong place. The trouble with this approach was that homes handy for the snow are often in remote spots.

Today's fashion, by contrast, is to buy a home with year-round potential, in an established village with restaurants and shops open all year.

Sport and exercise are still the main attractions, but now they may well take the form of out-of-season biking, walking or hiking - options rarely available in high-altitude, purpose-built ski resorts.

James Rodwell of MGM, a developer in the French Alps, has noticed a shift in objectives among buyers during the past two years. Previously, buyers did not care that a resort was utilitarian, so long as there was good skiing on the doorstep, but many now want to consider the pretty traditional villages further down the mountains.

"You have to compromise by having to drive to the slopes, but you do get all-year-round interest," he says. The mountain villages, in particular, are attracting investors: Les Carroz, Morillon and Samoens, with its quaint streets and botanical gardens - "a beautiful, unspoilt village," according to Rodwell.

"Until now skiers have had to drive up to the slopes from Samoens, but ski lifts will be open for next season, giving buyers the best of both worlds." The new scheme in Morillon is only 20 yards from a new lift.

Le Grand Bornand is another lovely village with a new MGM (020 7494 0706) project of traditional-style chalet apartments planned. Its proximity to Geneva airport makes it easier as a weekend retreat for Londoners than, say, the Lake District.

A traditional village has life in it all year round, which is a great bonus if you are investing in a second home, says Simon Malston of Investors in Property (020 8905 5511).

"If I had to choose my favourite year-round resort, I'd pick Mégève. It is charming, chic, very French - a proper place where people live," he says. "You can easily pay e2 million to e3 million for a new chalet in a good position here, and the high-altitude slopes of Chamonix are only 30 minutes' drive away."

He says people may not equate the Alps with fantastic summer weather: "But they should - we had temperatures of 30 degrees Celsius here last May. Not too hot for golf, walking, mountain biking, swimming, tennis or downhill racing."

At Arc 1950, a Canadian-backed development, wine tastings and musical events help to create a sense of community throughout the summer. Now entering its second phase, Arc 1950 flats are available to buy or leaseback, with prices starting at £125,000 for one bedroom.

Property Morzine, an off-shoot of tour operator Ski Morzine, has no doubts as to the year-round delights of Morzine in the Rhône Alps. With a population out of season of around 4,000, the town is in the Portes du Soleil ski area, which has 650km of pistes and a long ski period - from December to April.

The firm's Helen Cunliffe reels off the activities available when snow disappears: "There are lots of shops and restaurants in Morzine, the medieval centres of Yvoire and Annecy are a short drive away - so is Geneva. Sports activities range from walking, mountain biking, paragliding, climbing, rafting, canyoning, swimming, horse riding, tennis, golf, archery, grass skiing and ice-skating. There is also a full summer entertainment programme, including world championship paragliding and mountain biking.

"For breathtaking views, you can walk along country roads that are impassable in winter. Plus, most of the major feeder lifts are open through the summer months to take you to the top of the mountains."

Maison Individuelle (01707 376255) has a new project of chalets in Morillon, only 10 minutes from Samoens and 20 minutes from Morzine, Les Gets and Avoriaz. Along with a new ski lift, it has a heated swimming pool, fitness centre and clubhouse.

If you buy under the leaseback scheme, the company rents back the chalet (lease period nine years), giving the owner a number of weeks' occupancy, a full VAT refund and a guaranteed 5.3 per cent income annually. Prices start from £140,00 for a two-bedroom chalet or £190,00 for three bedrooms.

"The entire Haute Savoie region has been popular with permanenthome buyers this year," says Zigi Davenport of Alpine Apartments Agency. "Budget airlines have spawned a 'commuter' population."

With some Swiss cantons relaxing a long-standing ban on non-Swiss people owning property, Villars, just over an hour from Geneva, is a summer and winter resort where it is possible to buy chalets and plots of land. A typical four-bedroom chalet costs about £340,000, with a plot of land from £80,000.

At Villars, the season is long and in summer you will find hotels and restaurants open and still some glacier skiing. "Given that apartments are much bigger than their French counterparts, Swiss property is not that expensive," says Malston. " Threebedroom apartments are available for around £300,000."

Crans-Montana, really two merged Swiss villages, is two hours from Geneva airport. Flats in new developments here can also be bought by people from abroad.

Overseas Home Search is marketing two such projects. Excalibur in Crans itself will have easy access to the resort's lively restaurants and nightlife, as well as the slopes. Prices start at about £387,700 for a threebedroom apartment with parking.

Crans-Montana is home to the Swiss Open - the resort has superb golf courses, including one designed by Jack Nicklaus. But golfers aren't the only ones catered for; there are daily summer activities for children in the park and the skating rinks are transformed into tennis courts. Walkers can enjoy 280km of mountain trails in stunning countryside.

A short walk from Crans-Montana, Les Daltons is another development of chalet apartments by the same developer. Because it isn't in the centre of the resort, prices are half those of Excalibur, starting at £110,000 for a one-bedroom flat.

Property Morzine (01372 477995; www.skimorzine.com); Alpine Apartments Agency ( 01544 388234; www.alpineapartmentsagency.com); Immobilier Montagne: (0033 468 30 00 31; www.immobilier-montagne.net).

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