My three-day visit to the pretty village of Les Contamines-Montjoie, tucked away between the snowy peaks of Mont Blanc and Mont Joly, was my first time in the mountains on skis.

I say the first time in the mountains on skis because, before I set off for the snowy peaks of the French Alps, I decided I would take skiing lessons at an indoor ski centre in preparation, but with hindsight, nothing could have prepared me for skiing in such magnificent scenery.

My instructor Morgane wasted no time and had me making turns around bollards like an Olympic slalom racer, albeit on the slightest of slopes and maybe at a speed slightly quicker than walking pace, but let’s not nit-pick here.

After a couple of hours I had sped up a little and before I realised, I found myself staring nervously down the last 800 metres or so of a green run for a wobbly and tentative, but incident-free descent.

From that moment on, for me the only way was up – or do I mean down? Whatever, my first time surrounded by such splendour under the bluest of skies, will surely be the first of many more to come.

As for the village itself, like many ski resorts it has cafes, restaurants, bars, equipment-hire shops and ski-lift cables stretching up to the peaks, but Les Contamines is in the middle of a 5,500-hectare natural reserve, offering Nordic-style ski paths, dog sledding and routes for snow shoe outings around Mont Joly itself.

A night-time dog sled ride through the woods is a wonderful way to spend a clear, starlit evening. With little light pollution the Milky Way shines like a blanket of twinkling lights framed by mountains and trees as the dogs quietly pad through the snow. Dominique Stritmatter keeps tea and, if you prefer, the wine flowing while her husband Bruno helps with the dogs. Just as the cold begins to bite you dive into a heated wooden tent-shaped hut to warm the extremities and complete the rest of the job with Bruno’s delicious sausage cassoulet.

In this charming village, visitors are wholeheartedly welcomed. Even as a first-timer I felt, dare I say it, like an old friend. Even Thierry, the owner of a ski-hire shop, loaned me his own goggles for the day after I realised I had forgotten mine.

At an altitude of 1164m the air is crisp and clean and the atmosphere, relaxed and comfortable. There’s nothing brash about the village, due – I think – to the fact that the majority of visitors are French, also the reason why prices are so reasonable.

At the risk of using those much overstated words 'hidden gem', Les Contamines is exactly that compared to its more famous and expensive neighbours. I was told it was because visitors love it so much they prefer to keep the place to themselves and in some ways it is a shame. I can guarantee, if you make your next skiing trip there, you’ll come away thinking the same. So when you do, please . . . only tell a select few, we need to keep this one to ourselves as much as possible.

PeopleGifted land artist Nikki Heddle has the sort of job people dream of. The Canadian from Prince Edward Island, is the area’s resident artist. She is in her second year in the role and, while a keen snowboarder, spends most of her time organising huge works of art on the slopes around Les Contamines.

Last year, with the help of the local population, she ‘planted’ 2,000 woollen pom-poms behind the village church to create a colourful ‘garden of flowers’. She also drew huge artworks in the snow as well as creating sculptures using natural materials, like wood.

Her main project this year is called Dreams and she’s asking people to write their dreams, aspirations and goals onto various designs of recycled or donated material, which will be attached to a branch and planted as a field of dreams.

“They will blow in the mountain air and be carried off to magical places – and might even come true," said Niki. "I hope to have somewhere between 2,000 and 4,000 dreams at the end of the season, some of which will be sewn into a ‘dream quilt’ by some of the local women here.”

Where to stayI stayed at the smart, friendly and comfortable 3 star La Cheminaz.

Where to eatIf you fancy some fine dining, you can treat yourself to a gourmet dinner at I’Ô á la bouche.

For lunch on the slopes La Bûche Croisée is a great choice with large portions of quality food. If you trek around the footpaths of Mont Joly, head for Auberge de Colombaz for delicious Savoie cuisine. Farcement was my favourite, but there is such a terrific choice you will want a bit of everything, which I’m sure would be no problem for the management. Be warned, take cash or you will go hungry.

PricesSkis, helmet and boot hire is €24.50per day or €135.50 for six days from Intersport near the ski lift in Le Lay. A six-day ski-lift pass is €189 per adult.

There are 120km of ski runs on 48m slopes between an altitude of 1164 and 2500m nursery slopes, 9 green, 11 blue, 19 red and 9 black runs.

For more information go to www.lescontamines.com