Day one in La Plagne 2017/2018

Whether you’re a black piste maestro or are happier just taking it easy cruising down blues and reds, you really shouldn’t consider tackling anything too severe on the first few runs of your first day. This writer broke an arm within the first hour of being in Meribel a few years ago. Trust me - it’s no fun riding in a sling the rest of your trip. Start the day easy and build up.

Thankfully, La Plagne has an abundance of intermediate terrain with rolling motorway pistes zig-zagging the huge ski area. These runs are perfect for building confidence in any level of skier or snowboarder.

Skip to the dedicated section for each village to see our personal picks of the best runs for your first day.

The runs through the forested glades above Montchavin are some of the best anywhere in the whole of Paradiski. Early intermediates will revel in the feeling of distance riding as you follow the warren of pistes that tumble their way down from Dos Rond at 2340m to Montchavin at 1250m. That’s almost 1100m of vertical. On the way, you’ll delight in the most spectacular views across the Isère valley to the towering Mt Blanc in the distance. One word of warning - be careful not to accidentally drop into one of the red runs that slant off the downhill side of the meandering pistes. They’re easily avoided if you just stick to the well-marked, flatter paths. Also, following the signposts in this area will take you to the Vanoise Express – once the biggest and fastest cable car in the world and your direct access to Paradiski’s neighbouring resort, Les Arcs.

Our picks: Take the Pierres Blanches blue from the top of the eponymous chair or the long, flowing Mont Blanc blue which snakes all the way back to village level from the top of the Dos Rond chair. In particular, the Mont Blanc is an absolute joy and takes you from high above the tree-line right down to the heart of Montchavin village.

Access from Les Coches: Lac Noir gondola or Plan Bois chair followed by the Bijolin chair.

Access from Montchavin: Take the Montchavin chair then Pierres Blanches followed by the Dos Rond chair or Plan Leschaux drag lift (useful if the queues are big for the chair).

An early pitstop: There’s a great mountain restaurant at the top of the Pierres Blanches chairlift which catches the sun most of the day and features a large terrace and good music. Further down, you’ll also find another restaurant near the Plan Bois chair on the Mt Blanc blue run.

Intermediate runs radiate in all directions from Plagne Bellecôte and Belle Plagne into this huge snow bowl. Actually, with the exception of Lognan and Sources (both reds) and the short Colosses (black), the entire Bellecôte bowl is one massive intermediates’ play-park with blue runs everywhere.

Our picks: Blanchets and Ours are both great options for an early run to get into gear, as is the Arpette blue (snowboarders, hold your speed over the flat sections near the top to save unclipping). Go higher on the Roche de Mio gondola and you’ll find two outstanding blue runs – the massively long Levasset which takes you over into the Champagny sector (remember to check lift times back) and the Tunnel run which, as the name suggests, takes you through a tunnel cut into the ridgeline above Belle Plagne. Skip to the Champagny text for more about the Levasset run – a true gem in La Plagne’s crown. In truth, any run you choose in this sector will build your confidence with super-wide motorway pistes and short pitches just steep enough to get your edges lit.

Access from Belle Plagne: Unless you’re up early and can muscle your way into the Roche de Mio gondola from the mid-station, your best option is to ride down to Bellecôte which forms a hub for all the uplift in this sector.

Access from Bellecôte: All the lifts fan out from the Front de Neige in Bellecôte including the super-fast Arpette (which also gives access to the largest FunSlope in Europe), Les Blanchets and the aging Roche de Mio. Also of note is Colosses, which gives access to Villages, Soleil, Centre etc – basically the whole right half of the piste map. Reach the top of any of these chairs for limitless cruising blues all the way back into Bellecôte bowl. You could also drop into the Montchavin sector from the Arpette or choose to go into the Plagne Centre sector from Colosses. Your choices are pretty much limitless, However, in busy times, expect long queues at all these lifts. In particular, the Roche de Mio suffers badly from overcrowding, particularly early in the day and after lunch.

An early pitstop: The restaurant at the top of Roche de Mio surely has one of the best mountain vistas anywhere in the Alps. You need no excuse to stop here, any time of day. There are also countless options in Belle Plagne itself (many routes down pass directly through the village) or, in Bellecôte, there’s numerous piste-front restaurants.

Plage Villages and Plagne Soleil are both great villages to stay in as most of the accommodation opens straight on the piste - however they are slightly isolated in terms of uplift. To compound this, the main chair out (Bergerie) also happens to be a favourite with the ski schools. This area doesn’t have many runs of particular note but both give you very quick access out and over to Bellecôte (to the left as you look up) or Plagne Centre (right as you look up) where a plethora of other routes exist.

Our picks: If you’re up early, take the Bergerie and ride the gloriously smooth Ecartée run back down to the base. Aside from a short steep pitch at the bottom, you can really let rip on this run (though be wary of beginners). If you want to avoid the steep part at the bottom, keep an eye open for a slightly hidden, flatter path which slants off to the right. This is a much easier route down and tends to be quiet as most people don’t know it’s there. In general, however, the majority of the other runs in this sector are used mainly for access and wouldn’t merit spending much time on.

Access from Villages: The Aollets poma in Villages is the main route out but is marked hazardous – and for good reason. Beginners should definitely avoid this lift as it features a steep start pitch, a corner and a track that slants to the side with frequent undulations. It also has a mean kick at the start that topples many riders – regardless of experience. Regardless, if you’re confident enough to try your hand, you can use Aollets to access the Bellecôte sector by following the Mira and Trieuse blues. If not, you’re probably best dropping into Centre by the various routes that slope down to the right as you look up the hill. The short Chevrette poma will give you extra height to save you walking the first flat section.

Access from Soleil: If you want to beat the Bergerie queues, aim to make first lift or take the Dou de Praz draglift which rises from the uphill end of the station. The latter will drop you into the Bellecôte sector on the blue Bretelle Trieuse. Note, you might still get caught out by queues in Bellecôte depending on the time of day. Or you could ride down to the base of Bergerie and take the connecting Boulevard chair up to Centre. Alternatively, continue down to 1800 and take the chair of the same name in the direction of Aime 2000.

An early pitstop: Le Monica’s in Soleil has a huge sun terrace and wonderful views over the hugely picturesque main La Plagne bowl. Also, just above Plagne Villages, you’ll find the Bergerie mountain restaurant with its large sun terrace and live music most afternoons.

Much like the rest of the resort, the bowl at Plagne Centre is littered with cruisey, intermediate blues. The main peaks of Grande Rochette, Les Verdons and Le Biolley all have limitless options to keep you amused. Throw in the occasional red to get those legs warmed up and you’ve got the recipe for a great start to the day.

Our picks: The Capella blue back to Centre is a great, fun piste with banks everywhere on the lower section. This is another run where you get a real sense of travelling as it varies greatly from top to bottom – wide and open at the start before it narrows into natural gullies (perfect side hits all the way down). Note, if you access from the Grande Rochette telecabine, you’ll need to navigate the short, steep pitch of the Carina red first. Even novice riders should handle this with a quick sideslip but, if you’d rather avoid it, take the Colorado chair instead and join the run a little lower down by taking rider’s left at the top. Your other option from the top of Rochette is the long winding Murs blue which takes you briefly past Plagne Villages before cutting back to Centre. Again, there are loads of fun banks and gullies in the lower half of this run – as well as an abundance of natural quarters to throw yourself off. There are yet more interesting blues off the Verdons Nord, a little above Centre – though be warned, the chair of the same name is badly in need of an upgrade and it can get mighty cold on the long ascent to the top.

Access from Centre: The Funiplagne or Colorado are your best bets for quick access to easy terrain. The Becoin chair (to the far right as you look up into the bowl) will take you to the summit of Le Biolley in the Aime sector where the majority of runs turn from blue to red. As ever though, there’s always a handy blue to take down if you get the jitters (eg Mont St Saveur or Pavane).

Access from 1800: If you’re starting from 1800, take either the 1800 or Melezes chairs. Melezes takes you to the foot of the Bergerie, from which you can access the Bellecôte sector. To your right, there is also the Boulevard chair which will take you to Centre and all the terrain of the main bowl. The 1800 chair takes you into the Aime zone where there’s a range of blues or reds. At the top, you could also take the Golf chair which accesses some great blue terrain, including Cornegidouille, a run that drops all the way to La Roche below the bobsleigh track.

An early pitstop: The restaurants at the top of Grande Rochette and Les Verdons have views that have been described as some of the best in the world. With a full 360 vista that takes in Trois Vallées, La Grande Casse, Les Arcs and Mt Blanc (plus everything else in between), you really should stop at these eateries at least once. Should you find yourself peckish at the bottom of the hill, there’s a bunch of good restaurants on the Front de Neige including Scotty’s which does great burgers and snacks.

There can’t be many resorts in the world where you start your day riding downhill to catch first lift. In Aime though, you do just that – with the bonus of a really great beginner’s area right on your doorstep.

Our picks: Anything at the front door including Golf and Dromadiere. If you want a longer first run, keep following the Cornegidouille run from Dromadiere. This is a lovely flowing blue through the trees that comes out below the Olympic bobsleigh track at La Roche. There’s an (easy to miss) fork to your left on this run that links into Pravendue, a secluded blue through the trees that leads all the way down to Plagne Montalbert. Be wary though, this piste does get a bit flat in sections and novice riders should probably avoid it as you frequently have to straight-line to keep your speed over the flatter sections.

Access from 2000: Step out your front door. All the runs are below you.

Early pitstop: Drop down to Centre, take the Becoin chair back up then turn rider’s right at the top, skipping past the Stade JL Cretier slalom track and the Mont St Saveur runs. Perched on a high outcrop, you’ll find a great little mountain restaurant with scintillating views down the Isère valley and the main La Plagne massif. Alternatively, the main building at 2000 has some great restaurants, not least the Panoramique which looks right over Mt Blanc. There are also other places to stop further down the hill in the small village of La Roche.

Options in Montalbert are refreshingly simple. There’s only one main lift out of the village so you’re not exactly spoilt for choice in terms of how to get up the hill. That said, when you reach the top you access a hidden gem of La Plagne – an area that’s oft overlooked by tourists who tend to stick to the higher reaches of the domain. Get Montalbert on a good day – or, even better, on a powder day - and you’ll wonder why it’s so quiet. But shhhht. Let’s try and keep it that way!

Our picks: There is really only one lift worth taking here – the Montalbert gondola direct to the top of Le Fornelet (1970m). While it might sound limiting to have just one lift, step out at the top and go exploring. You’ll soon find there’s enough terrain here to rival many smaller ski resorts. As is often the case in the wooded areas of La Plagne, red runs intermingle quite comfortably with blues and you may suddenly find yourself on a steeper pitch than you intended. As a general rule, heading rider’s left (looking down) in the top sections will, most of the time, keep you on blues. Further down, the run distinction becomes more obvious and you shouldn’t have any problems. If you want reds, either point yourself more right or take anything that looks steeper and points more directly down!

Access from Montalbert: There’s little point taking anything other than the main gondola out of resort.

Early pitstop: The new Panoramique restaurant opens this year at the summit of Le Fornelet with two floors and astounding 360 mountain views. You’ll also find a variety of options in Montalbert village itself where all the runs converge.

To my mind, Champagny is the most interesting of all the sectors of La Plagne. Despite being just a small corner of both the resort and the piste map, there is a wealth of blue and red terrain here that is hard to match anywhere. For me, it has the most varied terrain, the greatest scope for off-piste and the best views in the entire area. Yes, the runs are south-facing so conditions can vary a lot. And yes, there aren’t many lifts so queues can sometimes be problematic. However, don’t let any of that put you off. Spend some time over here and you’ll soon learn the attraction of this area. Anyway, you don’t need a lot of lifts when the terrain they access is this big. Likewise, you don’t need many pisted runs if it means you have the freedom to find your own route down the hill.

Our picks: The long Mont de la Guerre red is often as cited as the best run in the whole of Paradiski, never mind just La Plagne. Be mindful of conditions though as it can vary greatly and, once you’re on it, you’re locked into the end all the way down to Champagny village. For a mellower ride, take the Levasset blue from the top of Roche de Mio down to the foot of the Borserliers chair. This massive run will really get your legs working as it feels like it goes on forever. You can clock up serious miles here doing a great lapping circuit on the Borserliers, followed by the Rossa then the long Carella chair back to the summit of Roche de Mio where you start the long Levasset again. There’s also a fantastic series of blue runs off the Rossa chair (Sérac, Crépines and Rossa), far right of the piste map which have the most beautiful views over La Grande Casse and Les Trois Vallées. As well as the main pistes, you’ll also find a boarder/skiercross and the runs here tend to stay quiet as most people use the Rossa chair just for access. While the runs aren’t the most challenging, they are great for trying out new things or just practicing your technique.

Access from Champagny: You only have one option - the main bubble out of Champagny which rises steeply out of the village, reaching the top in around 8 minutes.

Early pitstop: There are 6 mountain restaurants in this sector, each with its own unique appeal and all worthy of your Euros. Perhaps the two stand-outs are the small snack hut near the entrance of Mont de la Guerre and Les Rocs de Blanchets at the foot of the Rossa runs. Both have truly astounding views and are well worth a visit.

In itself, the ski area of La Plagne is vast and you might be forgiven for questioning if you really need the full Paradiski pass and access to Les Arcs (get it - it is worth it). However, spend a little time exploring just La Plagne’s area and you’ll soon realise there are many different sides to the resort.

Venturing from sector to sector, you frequently get the feeling you’re in an entirely different ski area as each has its own distinct character. Using these mellow runs to get around, you’ll soon find sides to the resort you maybe didn’t even know exist.

While the La Plagne is undoubtedly the sum of its parts, each area retains its own individual, inimitable appeal and each is worth spending time in. Get out there and go explore!

Paradiski: Be smart. Ride safe. Enjoy.