In reply to S Ramsay:
Good questions.
> What do you want to get out of the trip?
Improving our skiing - my wife is pretty good, and the only way she's realistically going to get better is by spending a season out there. We're most interested in lift-served off piste, but I'm sure we'll do some touring too.
We can't afford to spend three months staying in Club Mednor go heli-skiing every weekend, but we're not going to be constrained by budget significantly.
> Will you have off piste and touring equipment?
Transceivers and shovels etc, yes; touring skis, no (but that might change).
> Does it have to be France?
We considered Colorado, but working remotely isn't so convenient with the time zone, and it's harder to get back quickly for work or family emergencies. Could be Italy... but neither of us speak more than about 10 words of Italian, and we know the French Alps a bit better. One of the advantages of Briancon is that Montegenevre and some of the Italian resorts aren't that far away.
> Are restaurants and an apres scene important?
Not especially, but I guess a bit of a community that welcomes visitors/ expats would be good.
> Chamonix is unlikely to be the best answer but hard to say where would without a bit more info