La Plagne is one resort of the 2 resorts link of the Paridiski area, with its neighbour Les Arcs and offers 225km of marked pistes of its own, including many wide and gentle runs and an ideal choice for intermediate skiers and boarders. Including the Les Arcs, linked by the Vanoise Express lift, the ski area nearly doubles in size, extending to 425 km which is more than enough for a week for 99% of the winter sports community. The whole Paridiski area is also intermediate friendly and though the area is perhaps not the best for experts, there are still plenty of black and long, steep off piste descents, especially off the north face of the Bellecote glacier, to challenge adventure seekers.
La Plagne is really a generic term for its 11 mountain villages those being Montalbert, Montchavin, Les Coches, Plagne Soleil, Plagne Bellecote, Champagny, Belle Plagne, Aime 2000, Plagne Village, Plagne 1800 and finally Plagne centre, the main hub of La Plagne, all well spread out. The top lift goes up to 3250m and the ski slopes drop down to 1250m, ensuring that you will always be able to ski here, with all the villages fragmented between these levels.
All the villages within the La Plagne area are popular with the European market and attract many people driving by car, though also easy enough with airport transfers from Geneva, Chambery and Lyon, or by train from Moutieres. The popularity is pretty clear being that the area offers snow reliability; certain village bases offering some good apres ski; it’s family, intermediate and snowboarder friendly; there are plenty of good off piste options; it’s a big interconnected ski area; prices are less than the 3 Valleys or Val D’Isere and Tignes and there are plenty stunning views to enjoy. For many of these reasons most are happy to put up with any lack of village charm.
As regards the skiing itself then the La Plagne area offers numerous wide blue cruising runs, above the tree line, with the more challenging and off piste area dropping down from the Bellecote summit at just over 3400m. Getting your bearings as a newby skier to the area is not that easy but generally beginners and intermediates would get the most out of the area by staying in the higher areas of Belle Plagne and Plagne centre, which offers the most significant number of easier blue runs. The terrain parks at Belle Plagne are well designed to offer different areas for different skills and there are two more snow-cross courses in Les Coches and Champagny with Europes longest snow-cross, aptly named the Funslope, being in Plagne Bellecote. For thrill seekers there is the 1500m bobsleigh run too where you can reach speeds of up to 120kph either as part of a team or flying down on one of those Tea Trays called a luge!!
With the villages spread over a wide area, nightlife is somewhat limited and with a large percentage of guests being families, La Plagne is not renowned for its après ski. There are pockets of fun though to be enjoyed with Belle Plagne being the liveliest of the 11 resort villages and the gondola between it and Plagne Bellecôte runs until midnight. Plagne 1800 has the lively Bar La Mine, with its mining theme, Le Saloon a pub/club with an American theme is in Belle Plagne, the Cheyenne bar there too is a good place to start from. Then Igloo, Igloo offers live bands and cocktails in Plagne centre, the Colorado bar is a great fun place to hit from mid-afternoon in Plagne centre with its collection of wooden huts and Le Bonnet is on the slopes at Plagne Bellecote which is a large chalet building with action sports on large screens and DJ’s.
As regards accommodation then there is a choice of good value, self-catered and catered chalets and a few hotels. Les Balcons de Belle Plagne is always a good place to start from for apartments and facilities, with the Araucaria Hotel and Spa as a hotel starting option. Some accommodations can be booked independently with a few options being packaged with UK flights and transfers, such as the excellent 6-bedroom Chalet Campanula in Plagne Soleil. Generally, though you will find prices lower than the 3 Valleys and the Val d’Isere/Tignes area and we are here to help guide you to your ideal choice of suitable accommodation.