Ski the French Alps: Free Wifi at Val Thorens

Val Thorens has long been celebrated as the highest ski resort in Europe and part of the world’s largest ski domain (Les Trois Vallées). But now it has another claim to fame: free wireless Internet access on the slopes, so ski bunnies can quickly upload Instagram selfies and photos of the great peaks. That’s not all. Adrenaline hounds can rent HD GoPro cameras to attach to their helmets and capture their entourage’s best ski or snowboarding moves.

Planning a winter vacation to Val Thorens? The place to stay is Altapura, a tastefully designed five-star property by Sibuet Hotels that made a splash when it opened in 2011. Constructed with local wood and stone, and topped with solar panels, the hotel has ski-in/ski-out access to the pistes. Altapura’s 88 fully-wired rooms boast large French windows that frame gorgeous vistas of the snow-covered Alps. The Pure Altitude Spa– decked out in birch wood– offers treatments with local plants like edelweiss.