Les Arcs

Les Arcs

Les Arcs is an extensive and varied resort with plenty of good places to stay in. As part of the enormous Paradiski (Les Arcs and La Plagne) it offers high altitude skiing with good terrain for all standards of skier and plenty of decent off piste opportunities.

Les Arcs is split into 4 different resorts at different levels: Arc 1600, Arc 1800, Arc 1950 and Arc 2000. The main villages are all fairly functional and drab, with Arc 2000 having good access to the slopes but little else.

However, the new Arc 1950 is stunning with a friendly village atmosphere and spacious and modern accommodation.

Pros

• The villages are largely traffic free and have good slope side access.
• There is a wide variety of pistes mixed with some great off piste terrain and some excellent tree lined runs making it a good choice for mixed ability groups.
• The cable car link to La Plagne puts the resort in the same league as the Three Valleys.

Cons

• The original villages lack any charm and there is little non skiers to do.
• Nearly all the accommodation is in apartments and the nightlife is a bit quiet.
• There are no green runs for beginners, a lot of flat areas for boarders and some of the chairlifts could do with an upgrade.

The Skiing

Just within Les Arcs there are 200km of pistes, with the whole Paridiski area offering a massive 425 km. There is a great variety of terrain with slopes suited to all levels of skier and boarder with intermediates best catered for with plenty of red and blue motorway pistes.

Les Arcs also has its own speed skiing area, The Flying Kilometre, where you can see just how fast you can go. It really is a vast ski area with a good mixture of runs to suit all levels and with a high percentage of the runs above 2000m the snow reliability is good.

Facts And Figures

• Resort altitude 1600 -2000m
• Highest lift 3225m
• The Paridiski area has 144 lifts and 425km of pistes
• Les Arcs has 54 lifts and 200 km of pistes
• Plenty of ski in ski out accommodation

The Town And Apres Ski

There isn’t a huge amount to do off the slopes. Several of the newer apartment blocks have pools, there are spa facilities at Arc 1950 and bowling and skating at 1800 and 2000.

On the whole the mountain restaurants are nothing special. The Chalets de L’Arc is an exception with a cosy interior and great service. If you’re after great views and a warm ambience then try The Solliet. Another place worth a shot is the Belliou La Fumee, a 500 year old hunting lodge which is charming and rustic.

Les Arcs certainly isn’t the place to be for après ski. Of all the villages Arc 1800 is the liveliest where you can try Apolalypse and L’Igloo and the Red Hot Saloon has live music, theme nights and pool. Chalet La Luigi at 1950 has a bar and a nightclub and is building a solid reputation and O Chaud is always lively.

Useful resources

www.lesarcs.com
www.lesarcsnet.com
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Arcs