Less grooming and new lift in La Plagne

29th September 2016, by Dave Watts

La Plagne has a new chairlift to Aime 2000 and will no longer groom pistes on the glacier

Until 2015/16, getting from the outlying village village of Plagne Montalbert to the main La Plagne ski area was a slow business. Last season a fast 10-person gondola replaced two successive old chairlifts. This season the pistes from the top of the gondola lead to the new high-speed “Les Envers” six-person chairlift to Aime 2000 in the heart of the ski area. This much quicker journey will make staying in Montalbert — or just visiting via pleasant tree-lined pistes — much more enjoyable. The resort claims the new chair is a ‘prototype’ and the first of its kind in a ski resort — with new technology, redesigned seats, better comfort, etc.

La Plagne has also announced that “due to demand” none of the runs on the glacier will be groomed in future. We regard this as a retrograde step as intermediates who want gentle cruising on top-quality glacier snow will no longer be able to enjoy that experience.

There will also be a new Family Fun Run at the top of the St Jacques blue run in the Plagne-Bellecôte sector. This will include tunnels, jumps, raised bends and bridges.

On 1 April 2017 (we’re not sure whether this is a joke or not) there will be a new Superslalom event where amateurs will be able to compete against professionals on the world’s longest slalom course. This will be 4km long, include 320 poles and 400 participants will be allowed to enter; times are expected to vary between four and ten minutes.

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