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Where To Go For......
| Insider's Guide to La Plagne |
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With such a big ski area to explore, it's sometimes good to have a little bit of inside information… For your pleasure, we’ve compiled a list of our favourite runs throughout the La Plagne ski area and suggested some itineries for you to try. There are also sections on where to find the best off piste, where you're most likely to find the quietest pistes, and where to find the nicest mountain restaurants for lunch. Happy exploring! |
| Bad Weather Ski Areas in La Plagne |
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The best place to go when the weather is bad is to the trees! Anywhere in the trees will be better than on the open piste as there is more shelter and visibility, definitely avoid the glacier at all costs, if the weather is really bad it will be closed anyway. One of the many good things about La Plagne is that there are plenty of trees especially in Montchavin/Les Coches and Montalbert. |
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last updated 25-Mar-2008 |
| Deserted Pistes in La Plagne |
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There seems to always be empty pistes in La Plagne especially in the smaller villages. In Montchavin/Les Coches L’Esselet red is always quiet and then the Route des Bauches which you must take afterwards is equally as deserted. Also, even though it is a main route back to the village of Les Coches, the red called Les Coches is often empty but the snow should be good if you are to do this piste as there are no snow cannons on this run. Over in Montalbert the long, tree-lined blue, the Pravendue is a favourite one where we go to avoid the crowds. |
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last updated 1-Apr-2008 |
| Off Piste in La Plagne |
La Plagne has a very good reputation for off piste skiing. The resort is spread over a large area, much of which is not touched by lift systems resulting in more powder! Even with its reputation of being a great place to ride powder it takes a surprisingly long time to become tracked unlike many Alpine resorts including Les Arcs. As with the intermediate pistes, the smaller villages are good places to head for fresh snow. Over in Champagny the Verdons Sud side of the Grand Rochette is a big open face that has an amazing formation. Montchavin/Les Coches has many runs through the trees and also big open bowls in between the Dos Rond and the Mont St Jacques. There is an amazing route through the trees from the Mont St Jacques all the way to the bottom of the Olympic Bobsleigh run below Plagne 1800. For beginner powder hounds there is a nice gentle off piste run that follows the blue Les Bauches down from the top of the Dos Rond.
The main area of course is the glacier. The most famous runs are on the north face of the glacier and there are many to choose from. The ‘Petit Face Nord’ is the easiest and most accessible choice as it is a pretty simple traverse from the Traversee chair lift. The ‘Couloir Canadian’ is the next step up and involves a hike. The best place to see the north face is from above Vallandry in Les Arcs where you can see the difficultly increasing just by looking from right to left. Parts are very steep and very large avalanches are common so a guide is definitely needed for all runs on the glacier as with most off piste. Try Olivier at Evolution 2 in Montchavin.
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last updated 1-Apr-2008 |
| Our Favourite Runs |
There are many runs in La Plagne that are little gems. Over in Plagne Bellecôte there is one in particular which is a blue called Arnica, accessed by the Colorado chair. It is not an outstanding run for any reason apart from the fact there are loads of little jumps and bankings to play on. A similar run over in Montchavin/Les Coches is the Pierres Blanches blue.
For a blast, try the wide, rolling Les Laines and L’Arpette from the Dos Rond to Plagne Bellecôte - both really fast. Also the big long run of Inversens onto Les Crozats black to the Bauches chair accessed from the top of the Roche de Mio.
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last updated 1-Apr-2008 |
| Snowparks in La Plagne |
La Plagne has a whopping 1km long snowpark known as the 7 Cube which caters for people of all abilities. The park is shaped with skiers in mind as La Plagne has a big freestyle ski scene but that’s not to stop the boarders having a go too. You will find different sized jumps graded in the same way as the pistes - The Green, The Blue, The Red and The Black. As you can imagine, these are named according to their level of difficulty and diversity of their obstacles with green being the easiest and black being the hardest - which is big! Once the jumps are out of the way the park splits in two and each branch has a selection of rails and boxes and one also has a wall ride. Unfortunately there is no drag lift for the park so you must use the Colorado chair lift from Plagne Centre. There are often small competitions in the park for everyone to join in and have a go, mostly on a Friday afternoon. There is also a picnic area where you can eat your lunch whilst watch people throw themselves off the jumps or you can just listen to the music in the sun.
Down in Plagne Bellcôte there is a half pipe which is also open to all. There is a drag lift called the Colosses right next to the pipe which can be used to access it.
For 20€ per day you can buy the "Pass Park" which will give you access to the ‘7 Cube’ , the boarder cross at Belle Plagne and the half pipe at Plagne Bellecôte. Between the three, you can expect to find a variety of rails, tables and jumps to keep you busy all day!
7 Cube Website
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last updated 25-Mar-2008 |
| Steep & Deep Runs in La Plagne |
The best area for steep and deep runs is the Bellecote glacier. Whilst there are not many runs up there, the ones that are, are well worth the trek and if there is fresh snow then there is plenty more to enjoy in between the pistes. Off the back of the Grand Rochette and Les Verdons there are plenty of steeps to enjoy and again there is easily accessible off piste when the snow is deep.
Head up to Le Biolley and down the blacks Les Étroits, Morbleu, Les Coqs and the Palsembleu. If you were to get Les Étroits and the Morbleu first tracks you may find yourself walking out at the bottom as they both come out on a track that follows the river along the valley floor to the Adrets chair.
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last updated 1-Apr-2008 |
| Mountain Restaurants in la Plagne |
There are many great restaurants spread across the La Plagne ski area. In Plagne Centre on the Lovatière piste there is a fun, busy, more touristy restaurant called Mère-Grand that serves snack food and regional specialities at lunch time and in the evening. It is an easy ski to the restaurant but you can just as easily get there on foot too. The menus are well priced, at lunch time you can expect to pay €14.50 for a dish of the day with salad and local cheese or pastries and €10 for the children’s menu.
One of the highest restaurants in the Paradiski area is Le Chalet de la Grande Rochette which is located at the top of the Funiplagne Grande Rochette that runs out of Plagne Centre. As you can imagine, at 2505m the views past Champagny and over the Glaciers de la Vanoise and Courchevel are spectacular. The restaurant offers two types of dining with a snack service that you can eat on the terrace or take away or a traditional ‘sit down’ meal including Savoyard specialities, a mixed grill and Italian dishes too. The beauty of this restaurant is that if you have too much wine you can jump straight back into the Grande Rochette lift and be back down in Plagne Centre without having to negotiate the slopes!
The Colosses restaurant is a small establishment, situated just above Plagne Bellecôte, underneath and next to the chair and drag lift of the same name, and at the bottom of the international mogul run. The restaurant has a small terrace overlooking the Bellecôte bowl and up the valley you can also see Belle Plagne. The food is excellent, the burgers being our personal favourite and it is most importantly very reasonably priced. Get there earlier rather than later to be guaranteed a table on the terrace.
A local favourite has got to be Le Sauget situated at the bottom of the Pierre Blanches lift above Les Coches. Patricia and Gerrard welcome you with two roaring open fires and a big, traditional Savoyard menu plus the Plat du Jour which is always a tasty bet. Le Sauget is also an Auberge with six cosy, traditional rooms. It has a great atmosphere and is very popular with the French and English who keep coming back year after year for the fine atmosphere and fine food (and lots of home made Eau de Vive).
Le Plein Soleil, also in the Montchavin/Les Coches area is another good restaurant but for different reasons. The restaurant serves a small amount of traditional food but also some very random yet tasty dishes from Austria and the Alsace area of France, for example a wide range of sweet and savoury strudels. You must also have one of the famous big mugs of vin chaud or hot chocolate. This restaurant has a great terrace literally on the piste, just around the corner from the learner area at the top of the Plan Bois lift. It is also just off the cross-country track.
Over in the Champagny area, situated between the top of the Borseliers chair and the bottom of the Rossa lift, is a great restaurant and snack bar on the piste with the most amazing seating area in the Alps, called Le Roc des Blanchets. At 2100m, the restaurant has a fabulous big terrace or if you would prefer to relax in deck chairs and eat a shorter, cheaper meal you can choose the snack bar just around the corner.
Click here for La Plagne Mountain Restaurants
Click here for Mountain Restaurants on the Les Arcs side
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last updated 27-Jun-2008 |
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