Review of La Plagne

16th June 2017 by timguy 

We visited La Plagne the week before Easter 2017.  Easter was late this year so this was the last but one week the resort was open.  To encourage visitors to come to the resort that late in the season there were extra activities on several of the peaks, including medieval battles and various therapies.  We were too busy skiing to stop!

The weather was bright and sunny practically all day every day, which meant high temperatures in the day. The snow was very wet below 2000m by the end of the day, but would freeze hard overnight.  This gave rise to varied conditions on the piste, but the piste groomers worked hard to maintain the network and we were able to ski all areas though not all pistes.  As you would expect the best snow was at Roche de Mio and the glacier.  We also used our day in Les Arcs via the Vanoise Express and even a novice on her first week reached the bowl above Arcs 2000, which was in excellent condition. 

Most memorable runs?  Kamikaze on the Champagny side, Combe, Les Sources and in Les Arcs the Grand Col.  Levasset is a delightfully long and varied blue from Roche de Mio with a great place for a hot chocolate at the bottom!  For a mixed group the resort kept everyone happy with the more daring enjoying the blacks above Plagne Aime and Chiaupe on the glacier. The two novices in the group enjoyed their private lessons with Oxygene and felt they improved.

It was a busy time on the slopes, but queues were rarely an issue.  On occasion I queued for the bubble to Roche de Mio, and the Carella chair could be busy.  The bubble to the glacier feels like something out of James Bond and we wondered if we would need his help as it stopped 3 times, no doubt for unusual loads.  Worth a trip even if you only ski the blue or visit the ice cave.

We were staying in Belle Plagne and were able to ski to the door throughout the week.  Just as the snow gave out in the upper village the groomers brought in nearly a metre of snow to see us through.  Quite a remarkable sight to watch at night.  With a location like that we returned to the apartment for lunch most days, a good way to recharge batteries for the afternoon.

Off the piste the most obvious apres ski in Belle Plagne is Matafan which has a great setting by the piste at the centre of activity.  It was busy during the day, but I was surprised to be refused service at the end of skiing as they were closing the bar & terrace service even though it was packed and still sunny.  For a meal, we had an excellent meal and great service at La Godille which offered both Savoyard and a broader French cuisine. If you are after a take-away be warned the portions of chips at Cheyenne are huge.

The boulangerie in Belle Plagne is excellent, fresh croissants ...  need I say more.  For the bread, you should try the different baguettes on offer.  The Belle Plagnard was our favourite.

The bubble gives easy access to Bellecote and the bus to Plagne Centre.  We enjoyed pizza at Domino and Savoyard choices at L’Avalanche.  Again always a welcome smile.  The end of season sales were underway, but the prices still seemed high, perhaps a result of the exchange rate.

A great week for a group of different abilities.

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