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More springtime in Paradiski

30th March 2011, by Ice and Fire

Climbing the hill in search of some off-piste

With spring now firmly upon us we thought it was time for Ice and Fire to get out and see exactly how well the snow is holding up in the Paradiski area.

This year has not seen the most abundant for snowfall in Europe, but luckily in this area we are blessed with two glaciers and over 70% of the ski area above 2000m. We decided to see how good the snow was from top to bottom and this meant a trip to Les Arcs – from the Aiguille Rouge glacier at 3226m to Villaroger, all the way down at 1200m and still open for skiing. Boy were we in for a surprise!

The meeting point for our little adventure was the top of the Transarc bubble in Les Arcs where we were greeted by stunning blue skies and T-shirt weather on the balcony of the bar at the top. The snow was in amazing condition after recent falls and the slopes much quieter. A few people were taking a hike up a slope beside the bar to have a go at the short off piste run back to the bar. With every arrival back being cheered by onlookers. After a quick refreshment stop it was time to head up to the glacier via the Varet lift and then the glacier bubble.

The view from the top is nothing short of breath-taking and you can’t help but stop for a while and take it all in. The route down to Villaroger is one run all the way from 3226m to 1200m a staggering 16km, and is claimed to be the longest pisted run in the world. At the start there is a choice of a short black section or a red road section which both meet at the same spot. You then have a short narrow section before it opens out to the stunning red Aiguille Rouge.

The snow up there can only be described as a carvers’ dream! Very grippy and confidence inspiring, allowing you to open up really go for it. It is really quite impressive that at this time of the season you can still ski all the way down to 1200m, and with nearly empty slopes. As we got further down the snow conditions did change, which meant taking the foot off the gas a bit. But there was none of that horrible scraping sound from hard pack ice, the snow just got softer – something that we really loved.

After a long ski down there is nothing better than a spot of lunch at La Ferme, a fantastic little restaurant in Villaroger – good food and great value. You know it’s good because all the locals come here.

All that remained was to make our way back over to Les Coches. What a fantastic spring day out!

All this skiing plus much more is easily accessible from our chalet which is right by the Vanoise Express in the middle of the Paradiski. Look out for Spring/Easter specials on our website www.ice-fire.co.uk

The slopes are open to Villaroger

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