Content
© copyright La Plagne Tourist Office
La Plagne / Ski area
One of la Plagne's great strengths is that almost all of its summits, spread over the eastern valley of Les Bauches, the central bowl comprising most of the accommodation centres, and the western valley of Montalbert, can be skied north, south, east and west. Some of these routes are off-piste but for any skier able to exploit them, the resort has great flexibility and ensures that you can always find good snow conditions whatever the weather.Montalbert
A first glance at the piste map can be confusing, but the skiing can be divided into seven distinct well-linked areas. Starting on the right of the map, to the west, the pretty, gentle, tree-lined slopes of Montalbert are often underused and are a great option in flat light and high winds. Bois Croizelin offers a red and blue way down and is a particularly scenic descent. There is a tendency in the resort to always aim high at the expense of some of the most charming skiing in the valley. The same is true for the other lower altitude area of Montchavin-Les Coches, though the link to Les Arcs has increased traffic here. Don't always follow the crowd up the mountain: some of the best skiing for all levels is found between the trees, good snow cover permitting.
Above Montalbert is the summit of Le Biolley (2350m) which is well served by both Plagne Centre and Aime La Plagne and opens up the top of the Montalbert valley with some fine blacks as well as offering good runs back into the heart of the ski area.
Les Verdons, La Grande Rochette and Champagny
Les Verdons and La Grande Rochette (2505m) are the main peaks accessed from Plagne Centre and offer several fabulous runs, from the bumpy red of Vega to the sculpted motorway of Carina, which flies down under the Colorado chair. Next to this is the well-skied (though strictly speaking off-piste) area known as the grand canyons, which is like a giant natural half pipe running down under the lift.
These peaks, along with the others along the high ridge line between here and the glacier, also allow you to drop down onto the south-facing slopes of Champagny. This area has some wonderful off-piste to skier’s right from the Mont de la Guerre (2290m) peak: sumptuous slushy late-season bumps, good intermediate terrain and splendid views over the valley towards Courchevel.
Bellecote
Most of the skiing above Belle Plagne is accessed from the lifts of Plagne Bellecote and is dominated by the imposing Roche de Mio (2700m) which has great runs feeding off in all directions as well as big cliffs and steep powder fields under the Inversens chair which regularly feature in extreme-ski videos. This is also where you take the cable car first down to and then up the Bellecote glacier (3250m). Although there are a few blue runs on the glacier and an easy path down, this is predominantly expert terrain. Aside from the challenging blacks, there are also three of the most famous off-piste descents in the Alps: the south facing Cul du Nont glacier; the banks of Friolin, leading back down into the valley of Les Bauches (carrying on down to Montchavin gives you 2000m of off-piste vertical); and the awesome north face itself. None should be attempted without a mountain guide.
La Plagne
| Base | 4,101 ft (1,250 m) |
| Summit | 10,663 ft (3,250 m) |
| Elevation | 6,562 ft (2,000 m) |
| Snowmaking | |
| Ski area | |
| Beginner | 67 % |
| Intermediate | 25 % |
| Advanced | 8 % |
| Number of trails | 134 |
| Longest trail | 0 mi (0 km) |
| Snowfall | 171 inch (434 cm) |
| Season start | late Dec |
| Season end | late Apr |
Boxes leftside
Navigation
Quick access
Resort shortcuts
Advertise your business on Ultimate-Ski.com
Promote your business on Ultimate-Ski.com in a full page advertisement and reach our targeted audience of skiers and snowboarders.
Boxes rightside
Search Site
Custom Search
Ski Chalet Rental
Competition
Ultimate-Ski.com and the Canadian Ski Destination Consortium are giving away a 7-day ski holiday for 2 to one of 10 great Canadian ski resorts. The winner gets to choose which resort with flights from UK courtesy of Canadian Affair.
Enter here
Enter here
Ski Insurance
