Les Arcs

Variety is the spice of life and when it comes to skiing and Les Arcs is tremendously spicy. Combined with the extensive Paradiski ski area, Les Arcs really has something to suit every level of skier or snowboarder. With great snowmaking facilities that allow you to ski back to resort throughout the entire season, you can enjoy 200Km of groomed slopes and 60 lifts at your leisure. That, combined with the La Plagne ski area which is linked by the Vanoise Express, provides you with unlimited access to a further 171 lifts, 2 glaciers and a massive 425km of great slopes. Another notable feature is Les Arc's suitability for all weather skiing. With a mixture of open and wooded terrain, you can enjoy the wide open runs in the sunshine and then head into the trees if the weather turns. Les Arcs is also an ideal resort for children. In fact, Arcs 1800 has a dedicated children's ski area complete with magic carpets, climbing walls and tobogganing for all the little snow lovers in your group. Finally, for those that like spending time in the park, we would recommend that you tighten your helmet straps and hit some of the impressive jumps and features in the Apocalypse Parc, situated between Arc 1600 and Arc 1800 – if you’re brave enough that is. 

Take a look below at our breakdown to find out more information relevant to your ability:

Advanced

Throughout the ski area, Les Arcs offers plenty of steep terrain and long descents with certainly enough black runs to keep experts occupied, many of which remain ungroomed resulting in a large portion of mogul fields. The Aiguille Rouge has some particularly challenging terrain and draws many experts from the La Plagne ski area in search of a challenge. For those keen off-piste* skiers, Les Arcs has a lot of potential, including many options off the top of Aiguille Rouge.

Intermediates

Whether you are a high end or low-end intermediate skier, there is a large selection of easy blue runs all the way up to difficult reds that cater for the whole spectrum of ability levels encompassed by the term ‘intermediate’. So fear not, because at ski resorts like Les Arcs, there are plenty of runs for everybody. Another benefit for groups of mixed ability levels is the degree of selection that most routes offer as there are often various options down to the same area meaning experts can go one way and intermediates another without the group separating. For those intermediates looking for a real test in their ability, a red run named the Cachet has the potential to provide some challenges for skiers that are normally comfortable on reds.

Beginners

Absolute first-timers are extremely well catered for in Les Arcs with all villages containing fully marked beginner zones, perfect for finding your ski legs. For further progression, there are also plenty of light blues available that would qualify as greens in a lot of other French Ski Resorts - plenty of which are long wide and sweeping. In fact, these long wider light blues are also ideal for higher end skiers to warm up on for their first run of the day!

Snowboarders

Les Arcs is pretty much the birthplace of European snowboarding thanks to Régis Rolland and his fish-tail board featuring in the film ‘Apocalypse Snow’, a film that toured Europe and introduced skiers to the novelty going down a ski slope sideways with only two edges to worry about! The rest is history, and history proves that this is still a fantastic resort for snowboarders. For the expert riders, you will find the expansive freeriding opportunities a dream, they also have a good number of parks in the area such as the superb ‘Apocalypse Parc’. For intermediates and beginners, you will be spoilt for choice! With the Paradiski being such a large area, there are some absolute gems to build your confidence or just to enjoy and cruise down.

Off-Piste*

There is such a great range of off-piste skiing and snowboarding available in the Paradiski area. From trekking up to get the best of the untouched snow to just jumping on and off the side of the slope, you are bound to find something that is suitable for you. We do recommend hiring a guide to find some of the best spots though as some of the main areas often get tracked out fairly quickly, so in order to make the most of your experience make sure you do it properly! That being said, the best areas are normally around the Aiguille Rouge and the Grand Col which are great if you are looking for a challenge.

* Ski Weekends strongly advise that off-piste skiing should only be undertaken when in the company of a professional ski instructor or guide.

To find out more about skiing in Les Arcs, feel free to contact one of our friendly Ski Experts on 023 8020 6971 or email sales@skiweekends.com