The author's group stayed just outside of more expensive resorty Verbier in Le Châble, but everything you could expect form the alps. Great little (though expensive) restaurants tucked throughout the slopes, challenging terrain, and, by American standards, cheap lifts.
Frugal concept here is save money on lodging and the public transit between the "lodging town" and the "ski town" is cheap and convenient. Figure you ski, après-ski, and want to be in bed around 8pm, so it works.
This area is about 20mi east of Zermatt (over mountain) and then just to the west of Chamonix, France.
Where? Google Map
