Le Val Thorens, a Beaumier hotel

Please note: Le Val Thorens is a seasonal property open December thru mid-April.

If you’re going to Val Thorens, you might as well go to Val Thorens — Le Val Thorens, the hotel, that is, longtime stalwart of Europe’s highest ski resort. Reopened after extensive renovations in 2013, the establishment lays rightful claim to timeless alpine chalet hospitality and unrivaled slope access. With over 600 kilometers of pristine pistes and a commanding panorama from the summit of Les Trois Vallées, Le Val Thorens signifies the thrill of winter sports at least as much as the restful appeal of a hot drink by a roaring fire.

Valéry Grégo, the mogul behind this and several sister French Alp destinations, leveraged Gilles Leborgne’s interior design prowess to differentiate the property — and it shows. Prudently, they retained the grand central atrium from an earlier incarnation, tying the space together with a darker palette , clean lines, and an earth-toned smattering of contemporary chairs and sofas (that’s Contemporary in the mid-century, art-historical sense). Taupe and gray dominate exterior surfaces, while consistent use of brushed spruce smartly sidesteps blonde wood overkill indoors. Of course, it’s impossible to fully escape lodge-y accoutrements: beamed ceilings, log fireplaces, stump tables, furs, and so forth. A marked dedication to showcasing local and international art helps offset that tendency, though it does sacrifice a bit of the touchability that’s a ski-lodge hallmark.

Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as you’ll more than likely be in intimate contact with the landscape instead. In addition to traditional ski-up access, on-site ski shop, and lift passes, the resort pulls out all the stops when it comes to activities: all types of skiing, snowboarding, tobogganing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, ziplining, heli-skiing (!), and paintball. You can even arrange to have equipment waiting for you ahead of time.

The rooms, in contrast, offer a staid counterpoint for the slope-weary. They’re plush, low-lit havens outfitted with modern amenities like flatscreens, Bluetooth speakers, and free WiFi. Still, Le Val Thorens does well to orient all perspectives with respect to the mountains’ transfixing vista; there’s real drama in throwing these curtains wide. Après-ski, recuperate in the renovated spa with a heated indoor pool, Turkish baths, and spruce sauna. Restaurants The Fondue and The Val Thorens occupy opposite ends of the gustatory spectrum — the former takes a rustic, filling approach to local specialties, while the latter emphasizes French haute cuisine with an outdoor terrace foregrounding sinuous furniture against a craggy backdrop. And don’t miss the Bar Val Thorens — you can’t, as it’s inside a massive, polished concrete cube — where burnt-pine beams preside over more mainline Scandinavian sensibilities: arresting pops of crimson, gunmetal walls, and design-object armchairs.