Slush, slush, baby - spring skiing in La Plagne

I know there will be those of you coming out who are disappointed in the lack of snow on the forecast and those of you who will bemoan the lack of off-piste and powder opportunities, but I for one love this time of year and would recommend to anyone to book a trip out now and make the most of this spring skiing.

We were lucky enough to have a healthy few weeks of snow before this warm weather came upon us so we’re now enjoying the sunshine on a mountain still extremely well covered with snow. The extremes of the piste map are all accessible and in excellent other news the Glacier is once again open too! I mentioned last week that I’d heard the glacier gondola had suffered cable damage and wouldn’t be open again for quite some time, well that information can be discarded as pure rumour and lies because the glacier is open and all lifts are running smoothly making it possible to visit every corner of the map.

I in fact headed out on Saturday to do just that, gathering a group of friends who had the day off we decided to make the most of the empty mountain and set out to visit all corners of the map and very nearly succeeded. We began from Plagne centre with a trip up the Becoin and the Adrets and all the way down into Montalbert where we found thick snow coverage all the way to the village. Although it was early in the morning, it was rather more icy than I’d have liked.

Next up we made our way back to Plagne Centre, over to Bellecote up the Arpette and all the way down in Montchavin. This is not a village I visit very often because of the many lifts it takes to get back, but the run down to it is great; it’s one of the longest in resort and meanders happily through trees and round houses and farms. By the time we reached the bottom at 1250m we were well and truly in slush city, but there was still a large amount of snow on the ground and through the village.

After several lifts to get back up to altitude, we found ourselves taking the Crozats and then Inversens chair up to the top of the Roche de Mio (the highest point possible that day as the glacier was shut) and from there we cruised the entire length of the Levasset run down the Champagny side of the mountain. A quick Verdon Sud up and over and we were back in Plagne centre and with legs burning, we stopped for a well-deserved beer in the sun. We were a Les Bois run short of reaching Champagny Village and a glacier trip short of conquering the entire piste map, so we shall try again next week!

Elsewhere on the mountain you’ll find fun to be had under the Arpette, as the Fun Slope has finally and officially been finished and is now complete with its 360 degree turn and tunnel combo. The run is as the name suggests a whole lot of fun, I especially love the many rollers along the run, nicknamed ‘whoop whoops’ because of the noise you have to make as you cruise over them, Whoop Whoop! Definitely head over to check it out but do be warned that because it’s awesome it is attracting the crowds, pros and beginners alike all cruising down one after the other picking up speed as they go. Make sure you leave plenty of space between you and the person ahead of you in case one of you comes a cropper on one of the features, especially in the run up to the tunnel as it’s really not wide enough for over taking. Have fun!

In Plagne centre this week you’ll see that the Stade is getting set up for the Telemark World Championships which will be taking place on the Stade Olympic from the 14th - 17th of March, head over and check it out to see a display of world class talent at this tricky sport.

Bon Spring Ski!