Hi SK,
(Didn't we meet in SA last year?)
I'd go along with what's been said above.
If you're going to the 3-vallees, my recommendation would be to have a go on one of the Jodel D140s at Meribel. They don't clear the snow usually during the winter there and fly with wheel skis.
You can arrange for an instructor to meet you at say Chambery, Challes les Eaux or Annecy and fly with you to the altiport.
The 5 hour course only qualifies for one field and lapses after a few months. You can do the full french altiport rating, which is nearer 30 hours and covers you for all altiports and glacier landings ;¬))}
The big Jodel is an ideal plane for the job and a lot of fun to fly. They generally recommend about 60hp per seat minimum in the mountains.