France, Paradiski Ski Area
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From traditional, sleepy villages to bustling and lively, ski-to-the-door resorts, the huge ski area of La Plagne is a dazzling fusion of ten separate villages each with its own distinctive character. Belle Plagne, built in the chalet style is the most scenic village, while Plagne Centre has superb bars and restaurants. The variety of villages is replicated in the range of ski runs. Throughout the resort there is excellent skiing and snowboarding - no matter your ability. Plagne Soleil is ideally situated in a sunny snow bowl and offers easy ski-in/ski-out accommodation perfect for beginners, while up on the Bellecôte glacier there is some of the most challenging off-piste in Europe, a must for passionate freeriders.
Intermediates are exceptionally well catered for as well. The long and winding pistes of La Plagne are ideal for perfecting your parallel turns. A high proportion of blue and red runs means exploring the mountains on your skis couldn’t be simpler. And what an area you have to explore! This superb ski area is linked to Les Arcs by one of the world’s largest cable cars, the Vanoise Express, forming the huge Paradiski domain with 425kms of runs.
As a thriving winter resort there is also plenty to keep you occupied away from the slopes. Après-ski activities include tobogganing, bobsleigh, ice climbing, and airboarding. You can even choose to spend the night in an igloo.
Beginners skiing and snowboarding in La Plagne
Beginner skiers are well catered for in La Plagne. There are several beginner areas and it is simple to progress from green runs to blues and beyond. La Plagne is well connected with a series of free lifts in most of the villages, so that complete beginners can easily learn before heading out onto the mountain proper. And with lots of blue runs leading off the mountain and into the villages it is simple for beginners to ski back to their hotel - a rewarding way to end a day on the slopes.
Intermediates skiing and snowboarding in La Plagne
La Plagne is known as a heaven for intermediates. And with blue and reds making up 80% of the groomed pistes the reputation is well deserved. With long winding runs, La Plagne offers visitors ample opportunities to cruise and perfect those parallel turns. There are a fantastic range of runs to explore, from skiing on top of the Bellecôte glacier, which at 3250m is the highest lift served location in the resort, to slalom courses and tree lined pistes. We recommend the Mont Blanc blue: a gorgeous, long and winding, and well maintained piste running all the way down to the Vanois Express gondola from the top of Dos Rond.
Advanced skiing and snowboarding in La Plagne
Alongside its reputation for incredible intermediate runs, La Plagne is also renowned for its amazing, high altitude, off-piste – a veritable freeride paradise. Take the Crêtes drag lift and hike into Le Biolley to experience the fantastic powder, chutes and spines. Or head-up to the top of the north face of the Bellecôte Glacier to attempt some of the most challenging off-piste in Europe. We recommend you ski with an experienced guide as you explore this challenging part of the mountain.
The Bellecôte glacier is also fantastic for advanced on piste skiing and boarding. Heading from the top of the glacier down into the steep, black le Dérochoir run provides thrill seekers with a bumpy and winding challenge as the piste is rarely groomed.
Freestyle and terrain parks in La Plagne
There is a strong freestyle scene in La Plagne and the resort has a number of snow parks available in which you can practice your jumping and trick techniques. These include Le Petit Park for beginners and Le Grand Park for more experienced freestylers. Together the parks offer a strong range of kickers, tables and rails and there is also a couple of boardercross courses and a halfpipe available in resort.
There are several schools offering freestyle lessons in La Plagne. So if you have never tried freestyle skiing or boarding, and have always wanted to, this might be the holiday where you give it a go.
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Restaurants, food and drink
La Plagne is a Shangri La for food loving skiers and snowboarders. There are plenty of excellent restaurants serving delicious, traditional French dishes. For lunch, we recommend the lovely Le Chalet du Friolin. Nestled in a beautiful valley on the way to Montchavin, this delightful restaurant just off the pistes serves excellent French cuisine and the terrace has the added advantage of being a real sun-trap too. Le Matafan restaurant in Belle Plagne is another firm favourite here at Inghams. This charmingly, rustic restaurant serves traditional Savoyard cuisine. When we visited for dinner we sampled the delicious beaufortain – a cross between fondue and raclette.
Après, bars, clubs and nightlife
The après scene in La Plagne isn’t focused on one single area but instead spread between the many villages. This has led to a diverse range of options for the die-hard aprés skier – from cozy pubs, via igloo themed bars to open-air bars with DJ performances by the piste. Scotty’s is one of the best known après bars in resort, thanks in part to its location right at the bottom of the Olympic run in Plagne Centre. Another good option is Le Saloon, an American themed bar in Belle Plagne is one of the best places on the mountain to party all night. Perfectly located in the centre of Plagne 1800 and with its quirky, mining inspired décor and regular live music, Bar La Mine, is another fantastic place to spend a night out.
Shopping
Winter sports is the principle past-time in La Plagne and this is reflected in the number of sports shops selling mountain equipment and clothing. Away from the usual winter sports services there are plenty of tabacs selling souvenirs and postcards to send home to friends and family. Visitors to La Plagne staying in self-catering accommodation will find Spar supermarkets located across the resort.
Spas and relaxation
Many of the hotels throughout La Plagne provide spa and wellness facilities, including the Hotel Carlina in Belle Plagne which has a sauna, whirlpool and Turkish bath; the Hotel Araucaria in Plagne Centre has excellent spa facilities including a hammam, pool and sauna; and the Les Granges du Soleil Apartments in Plagne Soleil has a Jacuzzi and a sauna. All offer beauty treatments which you can purchase locally.
It couldn’t be easier to get straight from the slopes to the sauna when you stay at either the Hotel Vancouver or the Sun Valley Apartments. Both offer door-step skiing complete with an indoor pool, sauna and steam room. Available to the public, there is an open-air, heated pool in Plagne Bellecôte where the water is kept at a toasty 29°C. It’s a relaxing and unique way to experience the mountains of La Plagne.
Arts, culture and events
Throughout the season La Plagne buzzes with a thriving calendar of events, both cultural and sporting. The resort consistently hosts professional competitions and tournaments including the Ice Climbing World Championship in early February and the FIS Telemark World Championships in late March, fantastic spectator events for any visitor to La Plagne.
From folk to jazz via rock-n-roll and dance, the Snow Music Festival entertains skiers both on and off the mountain in early February. An eclectic range of musical genres are performed live and in the open-air, with performances lasting until late into the day. Later in the month the Festi'Gliss is your opportunity to road-test some of the latest and wackiest inventions created for getting down the mountain. This surreal showcase will let you test such modes of transport as the yooner, the airboard, the snake gliss and the snowscoot (to name but a few).
The season ends in La Plagne with a massive party. The Subli’Cimes transforms six separate summits into differently themed areas, truly highlighting the diversity of the resort. From adrenaline junky activities to magic shows and beauty treatments, the entertainment on offer is genuinely eclectic.
There are a full range of après ski activities and events in La Plagne, so even if you aren’t skiing or snowboarding you will certainly find an activity to keep you entertained. Our representatives in resort can help you to book many of the activities we’ve listed below – so if you see something which captures your imagination be sure to mention it to your rep.
Ice Grotto
At the top of the Bellecote glacier the La Plagne ice grotto makes for an interesting and beautiful diversion from a day on the slopes. The grotto is filled with ice sculptures which change every year as the glacier moves and reforms.
Olympic bob-sleigh experience
There aren’t many places in the world where you can experience an Olympic bob-sleigh track but Plagne 1800 is one of the few places where you can. The 1500m long bob-sleigh run complete with 19 thrilling bends is an unusual and memorable experience. You can choose from 4 grades of experience ranging from the 80kmph bob raft to the full-on 130kmph Olympic experience.
Parapenting
Parapenting or paragliding where you soar around the mountain by parachute is a popular mountain pursuit. And there are many activity operators in La Plagne offering visitors the opportunity to experience this exciting sport, both in Belle Plagne and Plagne Centre. Your Inghams representative can help you to find the parapenting experience that is right for you.
Snowmobiling
Snowmobiling is an exciting way to explore the mountainside and the glaciers and wide pistes of La Plagne are perfect for bombing around on on a skidoo. There are a number of activities operators in La Plagne offering this experience and our representatives can help you find the most appropriate tour one for you.
Tobogganing
When the weather is favourable Le Colorado Park opens its mile-long sled run to the public. This lengthy and exciting toboggan run next to the Colorado ski lift in Plagne Centre provides spectacular views of the surrounding mountainside, including glimpses of Mont Blanc.
Other activities in La Plagne
SAVER PACKS SAVE £££s | LEARN TO SKI 6 days local lift pass, 6 days ski/boot hire, 6 days tuition* Belle Plagne Adult £380 (high season) £353 (low season) High season is 23 Dec-2 Mar and 31 Mar-20 Apr |
All Saver Packs must be pre-booked in the UK and are not bookable locally.
Lift Passes* | Days | Adult | Child Seniors-65-74yrs** | Child | Family - 2 Ad & 2 Ch 6-17yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paradiski Premium | 6 | H £249 L £TBC | H £196 L £TBC | FREE | H £839 L £TBC |
| La Plagne Discovery* | 6 | H £218 L £TBC | H £171 L £TBC | FREE | H £737 L £TBC |
*Discovery pass includes 1 day in Les Arcs. **Seniors ages 75yrs+ should arrange pass locally. High & Low Season prices shown as H (16 Dec - 13 Apr) L (14-20 Apr).
| Equipment | Description | Blue | Red | Black |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult | Skis | £85 | £97 | £111 |
| Skis & Boots | £112 | £131 | £147 | |
| Snowboard | - | £97 | £111 | |
| Snowboard & boots | - | £131 | £147 | |
| Child (6-12yrs)* | Skis & Boots | - | £61 | - |
| Snowboard & boots | - | £61 | - |
Equipment Hire (6 days) – Please see here for description of hire categories.
*Child snowboard & boots from 8yrs. White category skis & boots available for children 3-5yrs: £46.
| Tuition | Ski & Snowboard tuition available to pre-book - 6 half days from £114 |
Prices and supplements are correct at time of publishing but may vary up or down; correct prices will be advised at the time of booking.
Resort Code: FRLA
Languages spoken: French
Time difference: GMT+1
Currency: EUR
Flights depart Saturday
To Geneva
From Gatwick
Manchester
Heathrow*
Jersey
Edinburgh
Belfast Int'l
Inverness
Birmingham
Isle of Man
Cambridge
Newcastle
Leeds Bradford
Transfer 2hrs and 45mins by coach
Flights depart Saturdays
To Chambery
From Gatwick
Exeter
Stansted
Manchester
Southamton
Bristol
Transfer 2hrs by coach
Supplements apply on some flights.
*Only private transfers (at supplement) available on these flights.
Rail
Direct Eurostar to Moutiers
Transfer from Moutiers - 30mins
Private transfers and Self drive are available.
Car hire available: No
Evening resort bus service: Yes
Parking available: Yes
Resort Ski bus available: Yes
Ski bus info: Free bus links all villages, runs every 15 minutes until about 12:45am.
Inghams is a brand of Hotelplan Limited, “part of the Hotelplan UK Group” © 2017. All Rights Reserved. Registered in England and Wales as Hotelplan Ltd. Registered No 350786. ABTA V4871. VAT No: GB 217 4698 42.
Registered office address: Mountain House, Station Road, Godalming, Surrey GU7 1EX
