 Poster: A snowHead
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@skitrack, Jardin Alpin will also allow you to get to the Belevedere piste and hence the Vallandry or Grizzly lifts. Apart from when the bus comes round it must be the least used lift in Les Arcs. I've been on it. Has anyone else?
The Transarc will give you a long, varied run down to Peisey or Vallandry including the interesting bit of Reches and if you wish a real belt down Bellete, but TBH I'd take the Charmetogger (if only I could remember how to Pronounce it.)
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| johnE wrote: |
| (if only I could remember how to Pronounce it.) |
Show Me Todger.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@rob@rar, That's what I feared. 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| johnE wrote: |
| @rob@rar, That's what I feared. |
I really don't think that's correct, but once you've seen it you can't unsee it.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@LesMiz, welcome to SnowHeads. Great choice, Paradiski, for the different needs of your group.
We have area experts on here, who can answer any question you have, I should think. Well, except ‘what will the snow conditions be?’. Actually that looks very promising already!
A few specific observations from my trips there.
I like the 3 red runs through the trees down to Vallandry. A real blast and especially good on bad visibility days.
The ride across the valley on the Vanoise Express is impressive. Double decker cable car. Glass floor on lower deck if you fancy that.
However...the route back to the the Vanoise Express, returning from La Plagne, whilst not especially steep, can get very icy and busy. Not one for an early intermediate if icy IMO. Even as an experienced skier I take great care down there.
La Plagne has a lot of good intermediate cruising pistes. Great for big distances, building up confidence and improving technique.
For your daring boarder. The long run from the top of the Aiguille Rouge, all the way down to Villaroger, is very good.
+1 for lessons for your early intermediate. If finished late morning, still time to meet up and ski together.
If any days are just too snowy or windy to get on the mountain, the Pool/Leisure complex just above Arcs 1800 is good. A ride down on the Funicular, from Arcs 1600 to Bourg St Maurice, is another diversion. More like a proper town to walk around.
Hopefully all bluebird days with a couple of night time snow top ups. Enjoy!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| PeakyB wrote: |
@LesMiz, welcome to SnowHeads. Great choice, Paradiski, for the different needs of your group.
We have area experts on here, who can answer any question you have, I should think. Well, except ‘what will the snow conditions be?’. Actually that looks very promising already!
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Thanks for the welcome! I've already gotten answers to just about everything I could possibly ask.
| PeakyB wrote: |
The ride across the valley on the Vanoise Express is impressive. Double decker cable car. Glass floor on lower deck if you fancy that.
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I'll probably be avoiding the glass floor like the plague 
| PeakyB wrote: |
La Plagne has a lot of good intermediate cruising pistes. Great for big distances, building up confidence and improving technique.
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I'm looking forward to these to refine my carving technique.
| PeakyB wrote: |
For your daring boarder. The long run from the top of the Aiguille Rouge, all the way down to Villaroger, is very good.
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That's at the top of his list... How hard is the alternate red run that weaves down from the same location?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| Quote: |
I'll probably be avoiding the glass floor like the plague
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You don't stand on it. It is a caged off area where you canlean over and peer at the ground below. It is actually much nicer to gaze up the valley.
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[quote=LesMiz]That's at the top of his list... How hard is the alternate red run that weaves down from the same location?[/quote]
Honestly the black is much better, it's only very steep at the top for a short distance and being high up the snow is often pretty good which makes it easier to handle after that it's really more of a red and one of my favourite runs in the alps so don't be worried about it. And as for that steep bit you can take the red path down that bit and join back to the black, it's basically the same run with some slightly more forgiving parts on the steep section.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@LesMiz, The only bit I find the slightest bit difficult of the black (or red, the piste merge at this point) is after the initial steep bit there is a narrow track that first zigs left then zags right. It always seems stoney and full of nervious beginners. After that the glacier itself is beautifully wide, usually has good snow and is a gentle gradient even for a red. It is made for fast GS turns. At the end of the glacier the routes split, the red (and access to Robert Blanc) goes left and the black goes right down a fairly wide track. I have no idea why it is marked as black. There are many harder red runs in Les Arcs. It may be because from here to Plan Violet, the start of the Droset lift, there can be rather a lot of stones.
From Plan Violet there is the only mogul field on the whole descent, and it is marked as red. There are various routes from there to the bottom. The tiny remaining black option, Solliet, is delightful if it is open, which it is sadly rare.
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If you search "aiguille rouge Les Arcs" and swap to images in search function, then there are some very good images of there. Some aerial too that show in great detail the peak and piste etc.
It's easily accomplished with reasonable skills and careful approach as its been modified over the years to effectively give safe and planned route down for a wider cross section of skiers now. It was originally quite a "chunky" and altogether more daunting prospect for progressing skiers some time ago.
Also, absolutely fabulous views up there across the whole alpine region. It's very well worth the trip when staying in LA and shouldn't cause any undue fears.
Really though, if you judge for yourself that you don't wish to ski, then it's easy to decend via cable car. Thoroughly worth going though, also for great group pictures at the peak.
As John says, superb skiing down with hugely wide piste to enjoy.
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You know it makes sense.
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I agree with everything @johnE, @ski3, and others says about the Aiguille Rouge. We are 'annual 1 week family trip' skiers.. ('thou i snowboard) and I have taken my two boys (now 13 and 11) down 'the black', apart from the very top section, for the past 3 trips to LA. (so since the middle son was 8 ) .
This season, i fully anticipate being able to take my youngest 7 year old down it ("seven and A HALF", as he would say  ). He will be in Yeti2 lessons with Spirit1950 this year, equivalent to the 2 star in ESF, if that puts any perspective on it.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@johnE, @ski3, @Richie_S, thank you all for the information! I'm feeling much more confident about this run now and it would be awesome to have one of the longest runs in the Alps under my belt.
I must have seen an older video because I was under the impression that the top was very chunky, but from what I'm seeing now it looks pretty manageable.
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FAQ
Otherwise, I feel confident that 
