Event Previews & Reviews from Les Arcs

As 15,000 people cycled the penultimate stage of the Tour de France 2016, from Megeve to Morzine in the Etape du Tour on Sunday, the drama of the actual race was unfolding in the Pyrenees.

It’s the most magical time of the year. The mountains have become a winter wonderland complete with abundant snow, twinkling fairy lights and the entwined intoxicating smells of wood-burning fires and gently simmering mulled wine wherever you go. There is nothing quite like skiing on Christmas day, as excited families enjoy the slopes between opening their presents and (over-)indulging themselves in hearty Christmas fayre. To help you have a wonderful, very merry Christmas and a happy New Year, here is all you need to know for the next couple of weeks.

There is only a month left before the ski-lifts reopen and, whilst thoughts naturally turn to the snowy slopes, the start of the season also brings a wealth of “extra-curricular” entertainments to keep you feeling good during your stay. Les Arcs has got so much to give this year, so here is our brief introduction to what’s going on this winter.

Stage 17 of the Tour de France 2016 took the riders from Bern, the capital of Switzerland, to Finaut-Emosson on the Swiss-French border, just around the corner from Chamonix-Mont-Blanc.

Katie Summerhayes from Sheffield is back on snow for the first time since her ACL injury. She talks about the freeski scene to come out of Sheffield Ski Village and how Woodsy helped to push her when she started out on the European circuit.

Follow the training of our British Olympic hopefuls as they prepare for the Winter Olympics 2014 in Sochi.

Billy Morgan is one of the Britian's best chances of a Freestyle snowboarding medal at the Sochi Olympics.

Le Tour de France 2016 kicked off last Saturday with stage one and the 'Grand Depart' being hosted by the stunning island community of Le Mont Saint Michel.

This year, Saturday 15th December is a very significant date indeed. Not only will the Les Arcs lifts open, ferrying the first, fortunate passengers of its 50th year as a fantastic ski area, but it is also the 10th anniversary week of the annual Les Arcs Film Festival. Snow, movies and birthdays all round, it’s going to be a great time to celebrate!

Episode four of One Team to Sochi is out and it's all about the young lad from Bradford; Jamie Nicholls.

It is hotting up in Les Arcs this summer, and we are not just talking about the temperature. There is an absolute ton of events happening throughout the resorts, with a huge range of activities to suit all tastes. Whether your idea of a perfect holiday includes ultra-marathon running or relaxing by a mountainside pool, hurtling down technical mountain-biking trails or listening to classical music, we have you covered.

Dom Harington is a Halfpipe Snowboarder from Leeds who has missed the last two Olympics due to injuries after winning the Europa Cup Halfpipe. Sochi is probably his last chance to be part of the Olympics and he's giving it everything he has.

So far we've seen not only some fantastic racing, stunning scenery and nail-biting sprints from the 2016 Tour de France, but we've witnessed several unusual crashes, the yellow jersey literally running up Mont Ventoux and more than one incident of an over-enthusiastic fan causing disruption.

Murray Buchan a skier who grew up on the finger-snapping plastic of Edinburgh's Hillend made a choice to ski rather than play rugby and hopefully that choice will take hi to an Olympic medal.

July brings with it all sorts of sporting events. This year we have the EURO 2016 hosted in France at the start of the month, the annual tennis tournamant at Wimbledon and Formula 1 action at Silverstone, Budapest and Hockenheim.

It may be the last month of the year, but the ski lifts are open and Christmas is on the horizon.