Spend the night in a cable car in French Alps with Airbnb

A cable car at the highest point in the exclusive French ski resort of Courchevel will host four lucky skiers when it's transformed into a trendy apartment for one night only.

A competition winner and three guests will sleep in one of the Saulire lift's cabins at 2,740m, which will be turned into a flat complete with two beds and a living area by online rental marketplace Airbnb.

To be in with a chance of winning the Alpine stay, potential tenants must visit the cable car's listing on the Airbnb website and explain in 100 words why they would like to stay at the top of Saulire. The listing is Airbnb's highest ever European accommodation.

The guests will travel to the Saulire peak, which separates the ski area of Courchevel from its Trois Vallées neighbour Méribel, by snowmobile after the pistes close on March 6, before enjoying a vin chaud and a traditional Savoyard fondue dinner. They'll then have the opportunity to wake at dawn and enjoy first tracks before the lifts open.

A spokesperson confirmed the guests will be able to use the toilets in the cable car station.

Adeline Roux, director of Courchevel Tourism, said: "We thrive on challenge and take pride in opening up new possibilities."

It is not the first time that Airbnb, which provides an online marketplace for "hosts" to rent out their flats or houses, or ski chalets, and guests to book them, has pulled a stunt like this, previously offering a night's stay in a KLM plane in Amsterdam, a Waterstones book shop in London, and an IKEA store in Australia.

James McClure, general manager of Airbnb in UK and Ireland, added: "This night in a majestic and unexpected setting joins thousands of ski-friendly listings around the world and will remain in the four winners' memories forever."

The Telegraph, London