Piste Area

La Plagne has been linked with the Les Arcs ski area since the 2003/4 Season, resulting in a massive ski area to rival The 3 Valleys and Espace Killy - giving 240 pistes over 425km of skiing. Thus, in theory, with a 6 day lift pass, it is possible to ski 40 different runs each day without doing the same one twice!

Snowboarder

Paradiski Area
Resort height:	1250m-3250m
Km of piste:	425km
Green pistes:	12
Blue pistes:	132
Red pistes:	65
Black pistes:	29

Belle Plagne is ideally suited to take advantage of this extensive area - being only 2 lifts away from the impressive Vanoise Express telecabine - 200 skiers and boarders on a double decker telecabine - The World's Largest, and we don't know of a faster or smoother one. 4 minutes to cover the 2km across the valley. That's 30km/hr average - including stopping and starting! 2 new 6 packs are being put in to make the return back to Belle Plagne as effortless as possible. For approx £10 extra on your weekly lift pass it is well worth it, if only to experience the crossing.

Further info on La Plagne Area is below:

La Plagne is one of the most popular destinations for skiers and snowboarders travelling from the UK. In the Resort-Seekers bible 'Where To Ski And Snowboard', La Plagne is ranked in the top 4 - world-wide!

The resort excels for the intermediate. The piste network has extensive blue and red runs connecting it, so there are no 'beyond-ability' sections on the lift map for the majority of skiers and snowboarders. This allows access to the top of the glacier at the top of the resort, to the many tree-lined runs at the other; picking up any of the 10 villages that make up the La Plagne ski area in between.

Main La Plagne Ski Area Piste Map (click to enlarge 3.7Mb)	South La Plagne Ski Area (Champagny) Piste Map (click to enlarge 3.8Mb)
Paradiski - La Plagne linked with Les Arcs Ski Area Piste Map (click to enlarge 712Kb)

This does not mean advanced skiers and snowboarders are neglected. 'Fall-line Skiing', the free-skiers magazine, refers to La Plagne as having '…some scary off-piste'. There are 8 blacks to test you - and when the fresh snow falls, the tracks under lifts, between runs, and from the glacier, are evidence of many routes away from the pistes that can be sampled.

Off-piste, a guide is recommended; especially to take advantage of the routes off the north face of the glacier (3250m) - dropping almost 2km vertical into Nancroix (1200m) making for one of the truly classic Alpine descents.

And for those Tricksters amongst you, the Half-pipe and Boarder Cross are only 1 draglift away.

For beginners there are FREE lifts and nursery areas on which you can practice.

As evidence of the resorts commitment to continually improving access to visitors, the lift system is constantly being upgraded. The highlights being:

2001-2: The Grand-Rochette from Plagne Centre replaced by a twin-cable gondola, increasing capacity 3-fold.
2002-3: New 6 man express chair from Bellecote to Roche de Mio
2003-4: Telecabine link with Les Arcs area, doubling the number of pistes, with over 400km of skiing. All-new Roche de Mio Gondola doubling capacity from Plagne Bellecote to 2700m.
2004-5: New 8 pac express chair on the Arpette Lift, doubling capacity from Plagne Bellecote towards Montchevin n/ Les Arcs.
2005-6: New 6 pac express chair from La Roche, opening up the Aime 2000 area, and speeding up the return from Montalbert
2005-6: New 6pac express chair from Les Coches, speeding up return from Les Arcs / Les Coches area.

The Village

Village of Belle Plagne

Belle Plagne is without doubt the most picturesque of the purpose built resorts of La Plagne. Much effort has been made to develop the village in keeping with the traditional Savoyard construction methods using timber and stone. The result is a harmonious collection of smaller buildings resting on the mountainside, nestled by trees. Not only is it pretty, but its altitude of 2050m guarantees the quality of the snow throughout the season, and with ski-in/ski-out access to/from the Chalets, you will be ideally situated to take advantage of all the resort has to offer at any time of the season.

Shops/Services

Within the village - which is traffic free - there are a number of snow sport and gift shops

Snow sport shops (x5)
Ski & Snowboard Schools (x2)
Mini Supermarket (x2)
Bakery
Post Office (and Foreign exchange)
Tabac (Paper shop)
Medical Centre
Cash point

Pubs, Clubs & Restaurants

There are 3 main pubs in the village centre, with various others located in hotels and restaurants throughout the village; they are open until about 01:00, and often have live music playing.

If you have a bit more energy, The Saloon keeps people dancing until 04:00.

For the Chalet staff's night off there are 10 restaurants, giving you a variety of menus to choose from. There is an emphasis on Savoyard fayre (Fondue, Raclette, Pierrade etc.); but many provide options of Pasta, Pizza, Alsace regional dishes and Tex Mex.

Leisure

Swimming Pool and Spa

Within the Chalet Development, there is a Leisure Facility that includes a swimming Pool (10m); a gym with a range of machines and free weights; and a sauna. This is booked separately.

Various types of massage can also be arranged with the resident Physio.