Just to confirm what a previous reviewer said about the ecole de ski in the grand massif... Last year, my 9-year-old son fainted while in a class and the instructor picked him up by the scruff of the neck and attempted to shake him back to consciousness, all the while berating him loudly and scornfully for the amusement of the rest of the class. Aside from what my son told me, I know this because one of my daughters witnessed it from a chairlift above. In the end he escorted him down with a very bad grace. When I picked him up, he was lying on a bench in the ski school, groggy and miserable.

On another occasion I saw an instructor shouting at a child in a queue for a lift because she was larking around. The girl looked rigid with fear. She was about six.

At the end of my eldest daughter's last class, the instructor assembled the group and commented on each skier in turn. When he reached her he said, "You have improved this week." Once she had smiled and said thank you, he added: "Not much."

I will never use the ecole de ski francaise again and I would not recommend leaving children in their care. I understand the instructors only have to ski a slalom run within a certain time to qualify and have no further training. I am not saying there are not plenty of good ones, but there are too many who just want to show off, have no interest whatsoever in teaching, and are only doing it because it gets them ski time.

Oh yes, and Flaine is fabulous. Huge skiing and a great place to learn off-piste. I even like the weird architecture -- a great change from the dinky alpine chalet look and somehow in keeping with this vast and gorgous bowl of snow-covered granite. I scared myself silly among the monster moguls in the couloir going down the Diamant Noir, which were late-season hard and crusty, but the rest of the run was thrilling. Going back for a long weekend very soon.

Morillon is a very handy resort for families -- lots of nice skiing and easy for children to find their way around. The village is a bit dull. There is a brilliant restaurant with a sun terrace at the top of the Bergen chair lift.

Just avoid the ecole de ski francaise at all costs!

Flaine sits on a forested hillside in a natural snowy bowl only 30km (18 miles) from Mont Blanc. Established in 1968, the resort dates to the baby-booming years when France was building big ski resorts in big ski areas very quickly, there was nothing here before. The lay out of Flaine makes everything very easy, doorstep skiing, all facilities are close to one another in the centre and always close to any accommodation. The resort is located at a snowsure altitude and is a more vibrant place than many of the other purpose-built resorts dating from the same era

Popularly regarded as an ugly purpose built resort, Flaine has in fact been designed to the Bauhaus school of architectural design and is the only modern ski resort to be recognised as an architectural treasure. Legend has it that a huge giant slept in the mountains and valleys, resting his head on the spot where Flaine now stands. Flainoz was an old French word for pillow.

The main part of the resort is split in to three sections - Forêt, Forum and Front de Neige, linked together by pedestrian walkways and lifts - the design is very functional.

Flaine sits at the heart of the giant Grand Massif ski circuit joining the slopes of five ski areas to offer 265km (165 miles) of linked trails served by 75 lifts. The "Cascade" blue run is a scenic 14km (nine mile) run from the top of Les Grandes Platières cable car at 2500m, the blue run "Les Cascades" takes you down to the small village of Sixt Fer à Cheval at 700m. The run is pure enjoyment through beautiful scenery, disturbed only by the occasional meeting with marmots in late spring. Return to Samoëns with a free shuttle bus, then traverse across the grand Massif Ski area to return to Flaine. The Diamant Noir run black run is also known as “The Strong Cup of Coffee”, also starting from the top of Les Grandes Platières cable car it’s a short athletic bumps run down through a narrow gully, where you will be negotiating your turns with a few man-high moguls. A third choice from the top of The Grandes Platières is the blue Serpentine which meanders down gently into the resort. A 900m drop on easy and carefully groomed terrain, a never ending ride ideal for those who like to switch on their cruise-control and switch off time.

The world famous Combe de Gers (from 2400m down to 1800m) is a north facing back bowl accessible from the top of the Col de Platé chairlift . Only to be attempted by proficient and experienced off-piste experts, take the Zeolite run to access the bowl which you almost literally dive into. The descent starts with a steep 'n' deep part and with sun exposure on powder that runs from west to east then north, there's always a spot with good snow. A small drag lift brings you back up the mountain for more, or to return to the resort centre.

Flaine is a friendly resort that I'd definitely recommend for families. There's a great range of skiing for beginners and intermediates in particular. We visited this 1960s purpose built resort in Jan 07 when snow conditions across Europe were v poor. We skied every day with great snow at the top, Not a place for apres ski and not the most fashionable of resorts, Flaine does have a certain retro charm and is a fantastic place to learn to ski. Definitely worth a look.