Mad Dog Ski: Ski Resort guidebooks for Austria, France, Italy and Switzerland

La Plagne - France

La Plagne is part of "Paradiski" one of the biggest skiing and snowboarding areas in the world. The Vanoise Express links the La Plagne ski area (near Montchavin-les Coches) to Plan Peisey in Les Arcs. La Plagne makes a great destination for a family skiing holiday or for a mixed ability group skiing holiday.


Ski area - Ben PattersonThe resort is actually made up of 11 separate villages, which are divided into the high altitude purpose build ski resorts 1800m and 2000m and the lower traditional villages. Since the 1960s, the high altitude villages have been largely purpose-built, resulting in architecture which can seem oddly urban with its accommodation complexes linked to shops and restaurants by underground subways, but the advantages are that a high proportion of the accommodation is ski-in, ski-out, and transport between the villages is excellent, via the telemetro, telebus, gondola and shuttlebus. The four lower villages are also connected to the lift system, and may be a good choice if you want to escape the hoards above. Read our where to stay section for a description of each village. www.skilaplagne.co.uk

Key Information

Resort altitude1800m - 2100m
Highest lift1250m
Lowest lift3250m
Kms of piste225kms
No of lifts106
Black pistes12%
Red pistes27%
Blue pistes56%
Green pistes5%
Snow parks4
GlacierYes
Snowmaking309

Our penny’s worth

When the snow is falling so hard, you can't see a thing, head to the trees of the lower resorts where you'll have more visibility and hopefully shelter from high winds.

Don’t leave La Plagne without…

  • Cross-country skiers can explore 80km of trails running around the valley including some that venture into the stunning Vanoise National Park
  • Don't move a muscle and get a Drift Away therapist to come to your chalet or accommodation
  • For some vertigo, take the ridiculously high Vanoise Express cable car between La Plagne and Les Arcs - just be careful about looking down! 
  • If you're feeling brave, take the Olympic Bobsled run around 19 bends and speeding up to 80km/hr
  • Stop for apres-ski in Belle Plagne and end up dancing in The Saloon disco - with a minbus to take you home at the end

 

At a glance

Nearest airportsType of resortStay inGo for a
Chambery
Geneva
Grenoble
Lyon
Mega resortChalets
Independent Travel
Self-Catered
Tour operator
Week
Week+
Weekend
Good forOn the pisteChildrenFood and drink
Cross-country
Freestyle
Off-piste
Ski-touring
Snowboarding
British ski schools
Free nursery slopes
Ski in, ski out
Snow sure
Creches
Babysitting
Ski schools
Apres-ski
Evening drinking
Resort dining
Vegetarian
Family friendly
Live music
Late drinking
Mountain dining
OtherOther activities
Internet access
Churches
Adrenaline fuelled
Sightseeing
Relaxation
Shopping


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Snow Report:
La Plagne
Report date:20 Nov 2008
Last snowed:na
Fresh snow:cm
Lifts open:na out of 104
Snow depth:
Lower slopes:0cm
Upper slopes:0cm
Piste information:
On-piste:na
Off-piste:na
Resort runs:na
Snow conditions:
Resort not yet open