Where to Ski And Snowboard -

The slopes

  • Extent 4 out of 5
  • Fast lifts 2 out of 5
  • Snow 4 out of 5
  • Queues 2 out of 5
  • Terrain p'ks 4 out of 5
  • Expert 4 out of 5
  • Intermediate 5 out of 5
  • Beginner 4 out of 5
  • Boarder 3 out of 5
  • X-country 4 out of 5
  • Restaurants 4 out of 5
  • Schools 3 out of 5
  • Families 4 out of 5

The resort

  • Resort charm 2 out of 5
  • Convenience 5 out of 5
  • Scenery 3 out of 5
  • Eating out 3 out of 5
  • Apres ski 3 out of 5
  • Off-slope 1 out of 5

Piste maps

  • The main ski area - click on the black arrow for ...

Key facts covers:

  • La Plagne only

Key facts

Resort1800-2100 m
Slopes1250-3250 m
Lifts81
Pistes225 km
Green8 %
Blue 54 %
Red26 %
Black12 %
Snowmaking359 guns
Price index105

Package operators

Action Outdoors, Alpine Answers, Alpine Elements, Chalet Group, Club Med, Crystal, Crystal Finest, Erna Low, Esprit, First Choice, Independent Ski Links, Inghams, Interactive Resorts, Lagrange, Mark Warner, Mountain Heaven, Mountain Wave, Neilson, Oxford Ski Co, Powder White, Powder White Lite, PowderBeds, PV-Holidays.com, Silver Ski, Ski Amis, Ski Beat, Ski Club Freshtracks, Ski Collection, Ski Expectations, Ski France, Ski Hiver, Ski Independence, Ski Line, Ski Olympic, Ski Soleil, Ski Solutions, Ski Supreme, Ski Weekend, Skibug, Skitracer, Skiweekends.com, Skiworld, Snow Finders, Snowchateaux, SnowCrazy, Solo's, Thomson, VIP

La Plagne

France

Belle Plagne and villages

The upside

  • Extensive and varied intermediate pistes, plus excellent off-piste
  • Good nursery slopes
  • High and fairly snow-sure
  • Wide choice of resort villages – high or low, convenient or cute
  • Wooded runs of lower satellite resorts are great in poor weather
  • Cable car link to Les Arcs from one of those satellite villages

The downside

  • Few steep pistes
  • Still lots of slow old chairlifts
  • Serious high season queues
  • Pistes get very crowded in places
  • Lower villages can have poor snow, sunny Champagny especially
  • Brutal architecture in some villages
  • No long green runs
  • Upscale accommodation still rare

Latest user reviews

We went to La Plagne in the first week of April and…

Mark Jennings 15 May 2008 

La Plagne a victim of its own success? Went to…

Peter Hadfield 20 Apr 2008 

I have recently come back from a week spent in La Plagne…

Alistair Bell 14 Apr 2008 

Your views?

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Weather

Summary

With 225km of its own slopes, of which almost 80% are blue or red, La Plagne is an intermediate’s paradise, even if you don’t use the link to Les Arcs. For experts, it has the attraction that the huge area of off-piste doesn’t get skied out too quickly. But the shortage of challenging pistes is a definite drawback, and it’s sad to note that two of the most rewarding black pistes (dropping 800m vertical from the glacier) were wiped from the map two seasons ago.
Plagne-Bellecôte, effectively the hub of the lift and piste network, has had lift queues as long as we can remember; so, when snow is poor lower down, has the Bellecôte gondola to (and from) the glacier. You would hope that as the resort celebrates its 50th birthday this season, it would sort these problems out – but no. At least it is starting to sort the dire shopping malls of Plagne-Centre.

News – this season 2011/12

A new six-pack replaced the slow Verdons Sud chair from the Champagny sector to Les Verdons above Plagne-Centre.  A three-year renovation plan kicked off in the shopping malls in Plagne-Centre. A new swimming pool and spa complex opened in Montchavin, by the main chair.

News – last season

A new black piste linked Col de la Chiaupe, at the bottom of the glacier area, to Les Bauches.
The Les Coches-Montchavin blue run was made easier.

Map unavailable.