The glorious lack of traffic on the A43 autoroute on our drive into the resort, the solitary snowboarder in the Jardin des Neiges, the gaping silence filling Plagne Montalbert village were instant clues that this would be a half-term ski holiday like no other. Â
A window display of âThe mountains are calling and I must ski!â t-shirts in a souvenir shop read like a cruel joke and the shuttered façade of British chef Phil Howardâs hallowed Union restaurant â culinary star of last season, shut ever since â remains a bitter pill indeed to swallow.
With ski lifts in France closed, embarking on a family ski trip â