Love & War in La Plagne

Resort is packed with great picnic spot, there are tables and viewpoints all over the map but new this year is the dedicated picnic area at the top of the Montalbert cable car. Newly built this summer it consists of a large area of wooden decking complete with deckchairs, tables, Wi-Fi and phone charging points. Well worth giving a go this week if you fancy eating alfresco or just want to take a break with a view.

Alas not all of La Plagne’s new investments are paying off quite so well, of the three new things I told you to keep an eye out for last week I can sadly only confirm that one of them has actually happened. The Envers chairlift is still not running but it should be open at the beginning of March. The Fun Slope is also yet to be completed; it has been extended with a few new features including a rainbow bridge but still no sign of the giant 360 degree loop or the tunnels that featured in the digital video.

I assume the lack of snow is to be blamed for the biggest feature not being created yet but given the wonders La Plagne has been working with artificial snow I find it hard to believe that they couldn’t have got it together by now. Fingers crossed for next week but with no new snow on the forecast it seems unlikely that it’ll be finished.

Good news though; the third thing I predicted for this week actually came to pass and that is Mont de la Guerre opened for the first time this season!! The Mountain of War run despite its ominous name is one of my absolute favourites in La Plagne and is all the more special for the fact that is rarely open. It spans a massive drop in altitude starting at 2290m and finishing up all the way down in Champagny Village at 1250m. With no snow cannons near it and such a low altitude end, conditions have to be just right for it to open up and it doesn’t stay open for long. Well Saturday was the day for War and as soon as I saw that little green Ouvert sign I raced on over there to make the most of it.

The beauty of this run is its variety, it starts on a cat track branching off from the Bozelet blue, snowboarders will need to pick up some speed to make it across the track but once round the corner you’re all good and the piste opens up to a wide cruisey red with powder fields either side of it. It drops down into the trees next and then weaves along hairpin bends that twist around farm houses and rustic out buildings, all the while with a view down the valley through the woods to Champagny village perched on the valley floor below. This is a long run and will take its toll on your legs especially since they aren’t pisting it every day so moguls are getting kicked up along it. Maybe tackle Mont de la Guerre early in the morning when your legs are fresh and the moguls are at their smallest, and take plenty of breaks along the way to rest and take in the view at the many photo opportunities. I did this run again today and the snow is already much thinner at the bottom that it was on Saturday so if I haven’t made it clear enough yet DO IT! Do this run now before they close it again!!

It's lucky that the pistes are so beautiful in resort this week because the off piste is taking a bit of a battering from the warmer weather now. Small slips can be spotted around resort already and will probably increase as the week progresses. Please make sure you’re keeping an eye on the avalanche risk in resort this week, conditions change throughout the day and are different on north and south facing slopes. Do not venture off piste without someone who knows what they’re doing and never go without all the correct safety equipment.

Our thoughts are with the friends and family of those affected by the avalanche in Tignes yesterday and we ask that everyone stay as safe as possible out there.

Now go ski Mount de la Guerre while you can. Piste and Love from La Plagne.