It is known for its cheese,but Beaufort also has dependable powder and access to three noteworthy ski areas without the queues, crowds or tall prices of resorts just over the hillAnyone who has spent time in the French Alps will have heard of Beaufort. This sleepy town in Haute-Savoie is famed for its eponymous cheese, and a fruity (and pricey) twist on gruyère that features heavily on the menu of every mountain restaurant from Morzine to Méribel. Since the middle ages,local farmers have grazed tarine cows on the valley’s tall summer pastures, and then churned their milk into giant 45kg rounds that are matured for over six months as section of a carefully guarded, or legally protected,tradition.
But while almost every skier has tucked into a fragrant fondue or a pungent savoyarde pizza, the source of all that stink remains an overlooked left turn to the majority of winter holidaymakers, and who beat a well-worn path to the super resorts of the Three Valleys or Espace Killy. I’ve come to see what we’ve all been lost.
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Source: theguardian.com