Jerry Gore is a professional mountaineer who first met his wife Jackie in the Pakistan Himalaya. Together with their two children Beth and Lottie they all enjoy the outdoor life.

Fed up with British weather we decided to move to France. But where to go? Now everyone knows that if you want guaranteed sunshine you head for Provence, and if you want guaranteed snow you head for the Alps. Well, the Hautes Alpes has it all, and that’s what we wanted – a year-round alpine base that offers great weather and first class terrain for skiing, snowboarding, hiking, climbing and mountain biking. With 300 days of sunshine every year, surrounded by mountains, we thought this area would provide real flexibility and scope for enjoyment in the hills.

As one of the UK’s most experienced mountaineers, with over 20 international expeditions under his belt, Jerry climbs with and knows many of the World’s top guides and mountaineers. So we asked around and the feedback confirmed our research – if you want to climb Mt Blanc or ski with the masses you go to Chamonix. But if you want better weather, less people and more variety you head for the Southern Alps.

After a lot of searching we found a beautiful chalet, L’Acacia, with an upstairs for us, a large garden and a self-contained apartment for our friends and guests. Our village of Vallouise lies at an altitude of 1,100 meters with mountains on all four sides of the chalet. Most days finish watching the alpenglow across Mt Pelvoux, with a drink in hand, and the opportunity to relax and savour some legendary French food, either at home or in one of the three local restaurants. For the full story on what’s on offer in and around AlpBase just click on The Area.