Christine Goitschel

And to understand what that felt like, you have to look at the handful of absolute legends who moved up there to make it work, including one of France's greatest Olympic champions.

Oh, we are talking about Christine Goitschel and her husband, Jean Beranger.

Now, for anyone who doesn't follow French sporting history, the Goitschel sisters were absolute royalty in the 1960s.

Christine and her sister Marielle had cleaned up at the 1964 Innsbruck Winter Olympics, winning gold and silver in the slalom and giant slalom.

They slept in drafty rooms, walked through freezing mud, and didn't care one bit because the skiing was out of this world.

It was pure freedom; no rules, no traffic, just raw skiing.

Christine Goitschel ended up falling so deeply in love with the place that she stayed for decades, opening ski shops and welcoming generations of holiday makers.

Even when the resort grew into a massive international hub, she was always there on the slopes, making sure the friendly pioneer spirit didn't get lost in the commercial boom.