La Plagne Ski Resort, France

Overview of La Plagne

It’s almost as if the La Plagne plateau was created for skiing. Positioned in the centre of a huge bowl, the resort and ski area are contained to the east, south and west by towering mountains which help to preserve the snow and act as a perfect suntrap.

What more could a skier ask for? Glancing at a La Plagne ski map, one may notice the liberal use of blue lines – skiing La Plagne is a dream for the cruisy blue devotee or a family or beginner ski holiday as the gentle slopes are perfect for gaining confidence or bombing around with the kids.

However, any advanced skier should be aware that the resort also boasts some seriously undervalued off-piste terrain. Plus, making up half of the Paradiski area, one of the world’s largest ski areas boasting over 420kms of pistes, means the resort can offer enough kilometres to keep even the most piste-hungry skier satisfied.

La Plagne is actually made up of 10 villages, with traditional mountain hamlets lower down and purpose-built ski stations higher up to a respectable altitude of 2100m.

The original Plagne Centre is one of France’s first-ever built-for-skiing villages and what the buildings may lack in charm, they more than make up for in convenience.

Tunnels and walkways interconnect many parts of the resort – extremely practical in the cold and snow. A free bus service or late-night pedestrian chairlifts ferry visitors between the resorts and although nightlife is on the quieter side in keeping with the family atmosphere, those looking for a party will find sufficient choices.

3 Things We Love About La Plagne

1. Extensive Ski Area – La Plagne has more than enough skiing to keep most people occupied for a week on its own, let alone when you factor in the rest of the Paradiski area, including Les Arcs, which offers a total of 425km of marked pistes.
2. High snow-sure resorts – Which also offer ski-in/out convenience.
3. Family Friendly Feel – La Plagne’s easy-going air, accessible villages and great swathes of cruisy intermediate skiing make it a great choice for a family ski trip.

Skiing and Boarding in La Plagne

La Plagne is part of the Paradiski area (which includes the neighbouring resorts of Les Arcs and Peisey-Vallandry), the third largest ski area in France. Over 80% of La Plagne's pistes are blues and reds, providing a lot of scope for beginners and intermediate skiers to develop. All the villages have great access to the whole ski area via a network of gentler slopes and the vast network of blue runs means you can easily explore with a mixed-ability group.

The local area pass is ideal for beginners as it covers a huge range of terrain and provides ample area to explore. Most intermediate skiers will also be content with a local area pass as it contains more than enough runs to keep even advanced skiers happy for a week. For those who want complete freedom over the area, the full area pass is perfect: you can cover as many pistes as possible and go from each area as often as you would like.

Beginners

• Each of the main villages have a nursery slope. One of the best is in Plagne Bellecotte which catches the sun from mid-morning all the way through to late afternoon.
• The long snaking blue runs that run from the top of the Arpette chairlift down to Belle Plagne are also great for beginners.
• The blues down from the Blanchets chairlift are lovely and that side of the mountain is always in the sun.

Intermediate

• Under the Arpette chair, there are some excellent rolling blues with enough challenging terrain to test your abilities.
• The Carina run from the top of the Funiplagne Grande Rochette lift is great for testing your speed.
• From the top of the Roche de Mio bubble, there are two good red runs to try, named Sources and Inversens. Both are quite long runs with nice views and some more challenging sections.
• For a bit more of a challenge, try the long and quite physically demanding red runs from the top of the Becoin lift above Plagne Centre all the way down to La Roche (one of the lower satellite villages).

Advanced and Off-Piste

• There are a couple of black runs from the top of the glacier, one of which is a challenging mogul run if you really want to get your knees working. From the top of here, you can ski all the way down to Montchavin for a nice long descent with all difficulty levels of piste along the way.
• Test your abilities while enjoying some scenic skiing on the black runs on the far-right side of the piste map, accessed via the Becoin, Cretes, and Envers lifts. This side of the mountain is also great as it is much quieter, away from the main part of resort.
• If you want a bit of an adventure, and if the snow conditions allow it, you can ski off-piste down all the way to Champagny town, before jumping on a bus back up to resort.
• Try some tree skiing through the forests down to Montchavin or Montalbert. There are some great tree runs here in between and around the pistes, and when there's good powder these areas are often less tracked out than other parts of resort. They're also great for snowy, bad visibility days.
• There are big cliffs and steep powder fields in the off-piste areas under the Inversons chairlift.
• What experts really come to La Plagne for is the Bellecote Glacier, featuring three of the most famous off-piste descents in the Alps, including the legendary North Face.

Park

• The Riders Nation snowpark is a park designed for all ability levels, featuring XS to XL jumps. It also has spectating areas if you'd rather just watch others than actually take part.
• Have a go in the mini half-pipe located just above Plagne Bellecote.
• There are two border crosses: one in the Champagny-en-Vanoise sector and the other in Montchavin - Les Coches.

Additional tips

• Head over towards Vanoise to take the gondola over to Les Arcs with your group for a 'ski-away' day.

When skiing or snowboarding in any un-patrolled / un-pisted area, you should always have the correct equipment and employ the services of a qualified mountain guide. Skiing or snowboarding off-piste can result in injury or death even with a professional mountain guide or instructor. Our partner ski schools in La Plagne, ESF, New Generation and Oxygene, offer off-piste lessons and guiding.

Activities in La Plagne

• Aerolive - New for winter 24-25, this is La Plagne's exclusive new experience - two gondola's without walls, so you're open to the wind and fresh mountain air.
• Bobsleigh - Pit your nerves against La Plagne's Olympic bobsleigh track! Hop in the bob with three friends and get piloted down the hair-raising run by a professional bob-driver. It's a real adrenaline rush and a crowd favourite.
• Parapenting - Soar above the Paradiski on a tandem parapente (paragliding) with a qualified pilot. Weather permitting, this is one of the most memorable activities you can experience in the mountains. A true joy on a sunny day in spring.
• Ice Skating  - The open-air ice rink in Plagne Bellecote is a great way to spend an afternoon with family or friends. Both skate hire and rink entrance fees are charged on a walk-in basis, and there's a café next door serving snacks and drinks including Vin Chaud. You can even have a go at ice hockey.
• Swimming - In the village of Plagne Bellcote, right at the base of the slopes, you'll find the open-air Magic Pool. The water is always a nice temperature, so even when the snow is falling it's a great way to spend an evening unwinding outdoors.
• Snowmobiling - Discover a different side to the mountains when you explore them on a snowmobile. On an hour-long excursion, you'll visit a few of the villages as well as a bit of backcountry. It's a thrilling adventure and great for a group. Evenings are the most fun!
• Cinema - If you feel like catching a film while in the resort, head to Espace Les Ecrins in Plagne Centre. There are lots of screenings of new films, often in English (some subtitled).
• Bowling - In Belle Plagne, the 10-pin bowling alley is open from 4pm until the early hours. The best time for families is right after skiing and if you're in a grown-up group, it's a fun evening activity.
• Tobogganing - Try your skills on the Superluge Derby in Aime 2000, ending in La Roche. A massive 4km luge run with 30 luges going down at once! Runs every day after the lifts close. Pre-booking is recommended and a hot drink plus return transport to each village of La Plagne is included.
• Ice Cave - In the Chiaupe glacier at the top of Bellecote (3,417m), the Grottes des Glaces ice cave has been dug out every winter since 2005.
• Ski Show - During the school holidays the instructors of ESF La Plagne offer you a great evening ski show and the infamous 'torchlight descent'.
• Ziplining- Super Tyro Zip Line, Aime La Plagne. A 600m zip line from Aime 2000 to La Plagne Centre.
• Dog Sledding - Explore the breathtaking mountain scenery of the Paradiski ski area in true Alpine style on a dog sledding tour of La Plagne.
• Oxygene activities - Oxygene ski school offers a selection of non-skiing activities as well as ski lessons. These include snowshoeing, moonbiking, and sledging. When you book, be sure to say you're a Skiworld customer!

Après Ski in La Plagne

As La Plagne is quite spread out, it is not always straightforward getting to and from the different villages, so keep that in mind for your nights out.

• Le Bonnet - In Plagne Bellecote and with a Folie Douce vibe, Le Bonnet offers outdoor apres right off the slopes. Grab a drink and enjoy the live DJs and party atmosphere before skiing the short distance back to the village.
• Chalet d'Altitude la Bergerie - On the pistes of Plagne Villages you may hear La Bergerie before you see it. Once an old farm house, it is now a classic apres ski venue offering great food and drinks accompanied by live music and a great vibe every afternoon. It's on the piste so closes soon after the last lift. Be prepared to ski home!
• La Mine - A little hideaway in Plagne 1800 and extremely popular with seasonnaires, La Mine is a traditional pub with an ‘olde-English’ style. They have a huge selection of beers and rums on offer, a friendly and convivial atmosphere, and live music on most nights.
• Spitting Feathers - You'll find this traditional English pub in the Plagne Bellecote part of the resort. It's owned by an avid Arsenal supporter, so you're guaranteed to be able to catch a footy match or two.
• Igloo Igloo - A funky and upbeat venue in Plagne Centre with DJs, bands and homemade cocktails. The bar itself is inside an igloo-shaped room with faux fur draped over the seats.

Places to eat in La Plagne

As in all ski resorts, especially in peak season (or when heavy snow brings everyone on the mountain!), it is best to book your restaurant in advance.

On the mountain

• Le Petit Chaperon Rouge - A traditional French chalet-style restaurant located in Plagne 1800 with a lovely cosy atmosphere. Located on the piste, right next to the 1800 chairlift, it's easy to find too. All the classics are on offer; raclette, croziflette, fondue and tartiflette, as well as French classics such as onion soup, snails, grilled steaks, beef tartare, and duck.
• Le Forperet - A chalet with its own farm, located in Plagne Montalbert, that offers simple but delicious dishes such as raclette, tartiflette, pierrade and lots of fondues.
• L'Arpette - Restaurant/bar with panoramic views from the terrace.
• Les Borseliers - Restaurant at altitude specialising in savoyard gastronomy.
• La Rossa - Restaurant located at the top of the Champagny telecabine, serving traditional mountain food.
• Les Inversens - Bar and restaurant with amazing terrace views.

In town

• Le Refuge - One of the oldest restaurants in La Plagne, located in Plagne Centre, with a great ambience and plenty of Savoyard character. Grilled meats are one of their speciality dishes and each table has a copper hood suspended above it for you to grill your own meat on the pierrade, right at the table.
• Le Auberge de Balcons - Located in the Balcons Hotel in Belle Plagne, this restaurant is a real gem. A relaxed atmosphere, open fire, well-stocked bar and a menu featuring Savoyarde and Italian classics. You should definitely book to avoid disappointment.
• Le Loup Blanc- The rustic wood and stone décor give this place an authentic feel, and it's got a menu of traditional dishes to match. You've got all the cheesy mountain favourites, as well as French classics such as snails in garlic butter. Located in Plagne 1800.
• Au Coin de Feu - Located in Plagne Soleil, this restaurant's modern mountain decor compliments the traditional menu, which includes indulgent raclette and meat cooked on an open fire.
• Le Matafan - Arguably the best in Belle Plagne, take your time choosing from the small but very varied menu - from foie gras and scallops to steak, duck and lamb shank, to mouthwatering desserts.
• Le Monica's - Offering Plagne Soleil's best sun terrace! This restaurant serves snacks and crepes in the daytime and traditional cuisine and pizzas in the evening.
• Le Grizzli- Traditional savoyard and homemade cuisine, located in Plagne Villages.
• Le Vega - Great pizzeria located in La Plagne Centre.
• La Cantine- Located in Plagne 1800, this restaurant specialises in pizza and is very popular with our Skiworld staff.

Family Features La Plagne

Please also see the 'Activities' and 'Ski Schools' sections for a wealth of non-skiing and skiing options for families.

Depending on the age of your child, there are a few childcare options available in La Plagne.

• Crèche Les P'tits Bonnets- Daycare centre for children aged from 5 months to 4 years.
• Garderie Les Lutins - Daycare run by ESF, for children ages from 2 to 6 years.
• Club Yeti - Ski lessons and childcase run by Evolution 2, for children from 3 years old.