Ski in La Plagne

Where to ski in La Plagne?

When staying in La Plagne, you can choose between the two best ski areas.

La Plagne has a large ski area with lifts, 70% above 2000 metres. It is very well equipped with ski facilities and can satisfy all the family's needs during the school holidays. By choosing the La Plagne ski pass, you will have access to:

• 225 km of pistes

• 135 downhill ski runs, including 8 green, 74 blue, 35 red and 18 black

• 76 ski lifts and the Vanoise Express cable car

• 1 snowpark, 1 half pipe, 3 boardercross and 1 airbag

• numerous play areas for children

As for the most demanding skiers, they will certainly opt for Paradiski, the world's second-largest linked ski area! 

• 425 km of runs

• 3 Savoie resorts in the French Alps, ranging from 1200 to 3250 metres in altitude: La Plagne, Les Arcs and Peisey-Vallandry 

• 264 downhill ski runs, including 12 green, 137 blue, 79 red and 36 black

• 17 new sliding facilities: snowparks, boardercross, airbags, waterslide, air tubing, etc. 

• 153 km of runs dedicated to Nordic skiing

• 130 ski lifts, including the largest cable car in the world, the Vanoise Express

• 958 snow guns

Skiing for all

Skiing through forests and glaciers, soaring to an altitude of more than 2000 metres and linking runs without stopping, La Plagne is a bit of a paradise for riders who love intense, limitless skiing.

Whether you devote yourself to the 225 km of pistes at La Plagne or to push the pleasure to the 200 km of other pistes at Paradiski, you will find various skiing experiences along the way. For example, start with a morning ski trip by booking your place on the First Tracks. This paid activity (about 15 euros per person) allows you to take the gondola from the villages of Plagne Centre, Plagne Bellecôte or Plagne Montalbert to enjoy the views before the ski area opens and then follow the ski patrollers for the first run before finishing with a refreshing breakfast. 

Beginners or intermediate skiers can't miss the longest slope in La Plagne: the Mont-Blanc blue slope stretches over 6.5 km of descent in a natural setting between forest and breathtaking views of the mountains. Another blue run not to be missed: the Levasseur. With its 5.2 km length, you will have time to enjoy your descent and concentrate on your technique.
The more demanding Inversens red run is an old off-piste itinerary and the second-longest run in the resort, which alone is worth a visit. Another mythical piste is the red Mont de la Guerre, which stretches almost 5 km between the top of Les Verdons and the village 1 km below. It is pretty steep in places, but it offers one of the most beautiful settings in the area.

The most experienced skiers will undoubtedly appreciate the Natur' slopes to taste the sensations of off-piste skiing and the pleasure of powder snow in complete safety as they are marked but not groomed slopes.

The black Rochette, with its steep wall, and the equally difficult Grande Pente or the red Esselte run are great forest crossings among these Natur runs.

With children

La Plagne and Paradiski, in general, offer several areas dedicated to young people, including safe and easy-to-access green and blue runs, fun and themed locations and dedicated learning zones.

La Plagne is a resolutely family-oriented resort with gorgeous chalets. As such, it has done everything possible to allow the little ones to enjoy their first runs with confidence and serenity.

The Cool Ski zones are protected areas signposted with pink signs specially designed for beginners. Parents and children will find them in the resorts of Plagne Centre, Plagne Bellecôte, Plagne Montalbert, Champagny, and Montchavin-les-Coches.

You can simultaneously put on your skis and dream of the Wild West: in La Plagne, everything is possible thanks to Buffalo Park. This play area in Plagne Centre will transport children to Colorado for an adrenalin-filled chase. The Buffalo Kids zone is reserved for absolute beginners, while little skiers who are already comfortable on their skis can take to the two fun blue runs in this themed area.

Still, in the area served by the Colorado chairlift, older skiers can swap their skis for a sports sledge or, more originally, for a Snooc, which combines the sensations of a sledge with the manoeuvrability of skis for a 1.5 km sensational descent. The Colorado luge is open every afternoon from 1:30 to 6:00 p.m.

Other tobogganing

The Blanchets chairlift at Plagne Bellecôte provides access to the resort's freestyle zones. Thrills, unique experiences and unforgettable memories await those who love alternative snow sports.

Snowpark, Petit Park and Big Air Bag await you on the Belle-Plagne side. The first is divided into four zones by difficulty level and offers about twenty modules, waves, boxes, rails, etc. The second one also lets you practice freestyle safely while enjoying a half-pipe. As for the last one, it will enable you to perform all the tricks that come to mind without risk, thanks to the landing on an inflatable mattress. These new sliding areas are an excellent introduction for all the free-riders coming to La Plagne to test their level and limits. Those who want to go even further can visit Les Arcs and Peisey-Vallandry, also part of the Paradiski area.

Skiers and snowboarders can also meet on the longest Funslope in Europe.

Tunnels in the snow, spirals, jumps, bumps and banked turns await them on this blue run with its scenic modules.

Coming to La Plagne to ski seems obvious, but what is even more apparent is treating yourself to a memorable bobsleigh run. The French capital of the discipline, the resort hosted the bobsleigh events at the 1992 Albertville Olympics and still has the only bobsleigh and skeleton track in France. This track is open to the public by reservation every day after the teams' training sessions at the end of the afternoon.

Free-ride version

Whether you are attracted by ski touring or freeride, the resort has everything to satisfy you with rich and varied itineraries.

For ski touring, you will have the choice between 7 itineraries, classified by level of difficulty:

• for beginners: itineraries with a positive difference in altitude of 350 metres at Plagne Bellecôte-Col de Forcle and Plagne Centre-Col de Forcle and 390 metres at Les Coches-Plan Bois

• for occasional skiers: the La Roche-Le Fornelet itinerary with a D+ difference of 485 metres and Plagne Montalbert-le Fornelet (265 metres D+ / 80 metres D-)

• for experienced skiers: Montchavin-Pierres Blanches itinerary with a positive difference in altitude of 800 metres

• for experts: Champigny- la Porciere itinerary and its 930 metres D+.

On the freeride side, La Plagne offers a high-quality area with many possibilities on the north face of Bellecôte and towards the forests of Montchavin - Les Coches and Montalbert. Powder lovers will also choose between marked but ungroomed pistes, called Natur' pistes, and off-piste sectors with uneven terrain and hazardous itineraries such as the Combe des Arrieres or the North Face of the Grande Rochette, which require a good level of technical ability. 

The resort is a treat for all those looking to get off the beaten track. The accompaniment of a high mountain guide is highly recommended to find the best options according to the weather and evolve in complete safety. 

Nordic version

In the middle of the superb landscapes of the Tarentaise Valley, the 55 km of cross-country trails in La Plagne have something to appeal to both beginners and experienced cross-country skiers.

Two areas compete for the favours of cross-country skiing enthusiasts in La Plagne: the Nordic area of Champagny le Haut and the Nordic area of Versant du Soleil.

The Champagny area has the "3 Nordic" label and has 23 km of trails for skating and cross-country skiing. Younger children have the Nordic Park area to improve their balance and practice thanks to fun cross-country skiing courses. Other activities are also offered in this area: skijoring or pony sledging for the little ones, sleigh rides, snowshoeing, and ice climbing, which means that many people come together to enjoy their favourite activity. 

On the Versant du Soleil slopes, the Granier-Prachanie Nordic area dominates the Tarentaise valley. You will find there :

• two groomed Nordic itineraries for skating: La Vie Neuve, 5 km long and with a positive difference in altitude of 140 metres and the Montee de la Chavonne and its 3 km for a D+ of 260 metres.

• An unmarked and unsafe ski touring itinerary with a difference in altitude of 700 m D+.

• Three snowshoeing itineraries: the Bonvillard loop lasting an hour and a half (D+ 120m), the Brief loop for which you will need 2.5 hours (positive difference in altitude of 300 metres) and the Cudray chapel, which you can complete in just over an hour (D+ 100 metres).

• a play area for skiing or sledging