A horse stands outside the chalet, its mirrored flanks piecing together fragments of sky and fir trees. It makes a fitting introduction to Cheval Blanc Courchevel, where the art collection begins on the snow and a different kind of composition awaits at dinner.

After dusk, the glowing balconies and turreted roof of Les Airelles look as though they have stood here for a century. Their story actually begins in the run-up to the Albertville Winter Olympics, with a woman from Moûtiers and her particular idea of a mountain hotel.