EXTRACTS FROM 'A PILA OF BELLS' BY SKI SUNDAY'S ACTION MAN, GRAHAM BELL, FOLLOWING A TRIP TO PILA WITH HIS YOUNG FAMILY (as featured in Snow and Board Magazine, 2006)

"Settling the lunch bill a couple of seasons ago in Val d'Isère was a life-changing experience. A couple of main courses, pizzas for the kids, some water and a bottle of wine was how much? So the Espace Killy has one of the best lift systems in the world, the off-piste is easily accessible and the nightlife is fantastic. But the kids are not yet good enough to ski the whole area, let alone off-piste, the transfer from the airport takes ages, and unless you can afford to bring your own nanny, you can forget any nightlife. Oh, and did I mention the cost? ...

I expect no sympathy: working for BBC Ski Sunday means I ski an average of 12 weeks a season. When the time comes to take a family trip, I have no desperate urge to ski hard. Teaching the kids is a challenge in itself.

... So where to take them? Having them join me out on the circuit is not really a possibility yet ... so that leaves Easter as the only chance. It is a little publicised fact that snow conditions at the end of the season have improved in recent years. If you go high, you can get fresh powder as late as the end of April. A short transfer time is also important: scrapping, car-sick kids is not a great way to start a holiday. What we need is a medium-sized resort, where the kids can ski the whole area without the risk of getting lost, and one where ski rental and the lift tickets do not cost the earth.

One answer: Pila. In the Valle d'Aosta, and just one hour's drive from Turin airport, Pila has hosted the British industry ski test for the last four years. It has enough steep off-piste terrain to keep the British experts happy for a week, yet is not so large as to be intimidating. At 1800 metres, the resort ticked the altitude box. Plus the added bonus of a remarkably high tree-line at 2300 metres - a good 400 metres higher than Espace Killy, just over the border. Ideal for poor weather skiing. The village [Pila] is purpose-built and not the prettiest, but the views are stunning. There is no claustrophobic feel here;
you can gaze down on the old Roman town of Aosta and across the wide valley to Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn.

Pila is a base for the British schools tour operator Interski. Easily recognisable in their rented jackets and novice form, the flocks of British kids learning the sport are a positive sight for anyone working in the mountains ...

... Riding up with the Big Daddy skis got some strange looks. Another benefit of choosing a small resort is that very few people are up for powder. OK, there is only one lift servicing it, but that morning it was just me and a snowboarder ridiing it. In Val d'Isère, every ski bum and his dog would have been out.

So the next time you are searching for a family resort, think small. Pila is one of the friendliest we have skied as a family. The 'destructors', as Lottie called them, were friendly, Sarah was given an impromptu lesson by some off-duty pisteurs, Louis was a hit with the waitresses and I got on particularly well with Dante, the owner of Bar Maison de Jean, especially when he cracked open one of his home-made bottles of Génépy".