Les Portes du Soleil (French for "The Doors of the Sun") is a major skisports destination in the Alps, encompassing thirteen resorts between Mont Blanc in France and Lake Geneva in Switzerland. With more than 650 km of marked pistes (claimed by the lift companies; an independent expert measured about 426 km ) and about 200 lifts in total, spread over 14 valleys and about 1036 square km (400 square miles) Portes du Soleil ranks among the two largest ski areas in the world (the other being Les Trois Vallées). Almost all of the pistes are connected by lifts – only a few marginal towns can only be reached by the free bus services in the area. The highest point of skiing is 2.400 meters and the lowest is 900 meters. As with many other Alpine ski resorts, the lower slopes of the Portes du Soleil