Resort / Trip Reports

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Resort: Peisey-Vallandry (part of Les Arcs)

Country: France

Domain: The Peisey-Vallandry area is a part of the huge Les Arcs domain which in turn is now linked to La Plagne under the name Paradiski.

Author: kuwait_ian

Date: 20th Jan - 27th Jan 2005 (mid week travelling)

My holiday: My first ski holiday as an 'independent traveller' after many years of using T.O.s. Also my first visit to Les Arcs. Intermediate 'plateau' skier. Reds & Blues cruising.

Website : Peisey Vallandry still maintains a degree of independence from the overall Les Arcs domain and has it's own web site http://www.peisey-vallandry.com/index_hiver.asp . Click top right for English version.

Basics : Peisey Vallandry is at one end of the 'Les Arcs' domain straddling the terminal of the Vanoise Express double decker cable cars crossing over the valley to La Plagne, arriving above Montchavin. P-V are two adjacent smallish villages. Above Peisey Nancroix. Not far from Bourg Saint Maurice and nearest railway station is Landry. I flew Southampton to Chambery then by road to the resort which takes approximately 1 hour 45 mins (traffic and conditions permitting). The return was done by train from Bourg to Chambery town center, taxi to airport, then back to S'ton on FlyBE. You could also use Lyons airport or the snow trains. Masque went by bus - PM him for info.

Lift system : Very well linked into the entire Les Arcs system (55 lifts - mainly chairs - few drags). Peisey is right next to the Vanoise Express for those using the Paradiski area. There is a fast 6 person chair up out of Peisey itself. No queues anywhere during my visit.

The terrain : The two main lifts up from Peisey & Vallandry go up through the trees to a wide bowl above the tree line, where there are dedicated nursery areas. My favourite was Les Ours (the Bear) red run back down to the village. There are also off piste possibilities through the trees. A zig-zagging blue (La Foret) gives an easy ride back if you are unhappy with conditions on the more direct red runs. A black (Ecuerille ? spelling = Squirrel) also starts from the top of the Peisey lift. The whole Les Arcs area seems to be very well linked as far as runs and lifts go and the signposting is excellent.

The snow : Friday 21st. Jan steady frozen drizzle all day. Overnight blizzard. Sat. and Sun. steady snow falls. Moderate temps. Approx 50cms total at resort level. > 1m where it had drifted. Wonderful conditions on piste at low level with the trees to give perspective - almost whiteout higher up. Stayed skiing mainly in the P-V area for that reason, with Masque. Monday gave better weather but very cold. Tuesday and Wednesday crystal clear and calm. Bitterly cold - especially up top. -30C. Visited the other end of Les Arcs (Villaroger area) with PG and Rob@rar.org on Tuesday. Summary - snow will be fine for early February visitors but more is needed for later in the season as the overall base has still not really been properly established yet.

Off-piste : I don't do it but if you don't mind the possibilty of hitting tree stumps, it is done under the chairs in the P-V area. Loads more available elsewhere in Les Arcs of course.

The resort P-V are small quiet villages. At about 1400m. Mainly purpose-built but they don't look it. South or West facing. Super views over the valley. Get there quickly if this is your kind of place - a 290 room Club Med is under construction between them and scheduled to open for next season. Vallandry has the bigger commercial centre with a cinema and pharmacy and doctor's surgery. Peisey is very small and mainly widely spaced chalets. NB there are free shuttle buses between the villages and down to Landry and Nancroix, but these services do not connect to Arc 1650, 1800, 1950, & 2000 which have their own shuttle service. Some pictures now available in the new snowHeads multi media zone

Food : The Flying Squirrel bar does {Edit - - did....} devastingly good bacon butties. Even better BLTs and Steak and Chips, etc.. {Edit - special burgers and tex-mex have had good reports from other snowHeads. Taken over from the BLTs} Draught Guinness. Live Music and Quiz Nights, etc.. L'Armoise Restaurant next to the Vanoise Express is well thought of for local specialities, etc. (didn't try it myself). More on food, drink and entertainment from Jamie - a Peisey 'local' - in this post

Accommodation : The villages are mainly chalet style accom - including a couple of Brit T.O.s Ski Beat & Ski Esprit, plus a few small hotels. I used the Hotel La Vanoise which is ski-in/ski-out, 2*, a Logis de France. Overlooking the Peisey chair lift and the Vanoise Express. Ideal location. Very clean, very French. English web site on http://www.hotel-la-vanoise.com/html/gb/index-ete.htm . Madame Muriel Villiod (the owner) speaks excellent English and you can certainly make a booking by email on hotel-la-vanoise@wanadoo.fr. Will Nicholson (aka snowHead Flying Squirrel) provides a no fee, no commission accommodation finding agency service for Peisey if you want a s/c apartment/chalet. No catch - just patronise his bar with your friends.

Costs: Flights incl taxes etc £83 return (mid week flts). Train BSM-Chambery 14 Euros (one way). Taxi Chambery Station to Airport ~ 17 Euros. Hotel (low season) double with shower 58 Euros p.p.p.n. H/B (+ single supp 20 Euros per night). Twin or Family Rooms with bath and balcony are a little dearer. Home style cooking. 4 course dinner. Not gourmet stuff but at these prices what do you expect. Good buffet breakfast. 6 day lift pass for the Les Arcs domain incl Carre Niege insurance 199 Euros.

Conclusion: If you like a quiet resort with great access to good varied skiing/boarding areas, P-V is recommended. Will's small bar can be quite lively if you don't mind smoke. I will probably go back again as there is so much of Les Arcs still to be explored, given better weather conditions. Any specific questions, PM me and I'll try to answer. Cheers.

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