 Poster: A snowHead
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| jayjayjam wrote: |
| even when they said, with no irony, that they would not be charging us for making the change to the holiday! |
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Wow, so many replies! Thank you all for taking the time to give so much useful information, will take the time to go through all the comments with the other half this weekend, and they will be very helpful for us. What a great bunch of people you all are 
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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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| j b wrote: |
The lower runs in La Plagne to have a preponderance of (actually quite satisfying) blues but there are some challenging runs as well, particularly on the glacier area. And of course you have Les Arcs as a linked resort, though that is a little bit like skiing in Val Thorens when you are based in La Tania - perfectly possible but you have to be organised.
The lunchtime comment applies to most of the big French resorts. At half term it is best to find a restaurant for a quick lunch at 5 to 12 and then get back out on the slopes, or take coffee about 11.30 with a snack and hold off lunch till near 2 - simply because the slopes are less busy 12.30-1.30 and the restaurants will have long queues.
I have to say if I had "skied 3V to death" I would want to explore other resorts - there is a lot of fun in the discovery. 3V has an iconic status as a ski resort, but it isn't so much better you wouldn't want to explore La Plagne-Les Arcs and Tignes-Val d'Isere as well, leaving aside the charm of smaller places which is rather lacking from the biggest domains. |
Yeah, sorry, I think my 'skied 3V to death' was the wrong way to phrase it and was misleading - I love the 3V, there's usually somewhere good to ski whatever the conditions and I always love going back there (and its good to know the cheaper places to eat!). I just meant maybe it wasn't such a bad thing to switch it up and visit elsewhere. We definitely stop just before 12 to avoid the queues, would never get any skiing done otherwise! For La Plagne, I doubt we'd make it over to Les Arcs as one of the kids hasn't got a huge amount of stamina.
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@chaletgirl002, One non skiing point to consider... Years since I was in La Tania but there was only one maybe two restaurants with restricted access to other areas at night. In La Plagne Centre there are many restaurants a regular evening bus service to the other 'altitude' resorts and a cable car up to Aime 2000 that runs all evening. In short many evening restaurant / entertainment choices in La Plagne.
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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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@jd_evans Thanks, height of resort is a big factor in these climate challenged days, even in February it seems. LP definitely has the edge here!
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@boredsurfin Thanks, I only wish nightlife were still a factor  We tend to eat in and crash in the evening, especially as the kids are kaput by then (although for some reason they always seem to have the energy to go sledging...)
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| davidof wrote: |
| johnE wrote: |
I've never skied either of the two areas in the 4 weeks of mid winer holidays but have skied over new year. Yes, La Plagne can have some huge queues but it also has some huge lifts like the 8 seater Arpette.
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Arpette is one of th eproblem areas. Half hour queues after lunch at half term. 8 man chairs are wasted in France as they never seem to be able to fill them.
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Crikey. That looks, er, intense. Is the name 'Colosses' the name of the lift or the queue?! Some planning will be required...
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| jmr59 wrote: |
| With the huge caveat that I've never been to La Plagne, either I'm missing something, or you're massively overthinking this. |
It is indeed very likely I'm massively overthinking this 
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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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| j b wrote: |
| Markymark29 wrote: |
| @chaletgirl002, I'd definitely cancel and rebook with others - if they can not deliver against the original booking they should offer a a full refund, go where you want to go not where they want you to go. |
There are clearly different views here. It depends on how favourable the price is, and the likelihood of being able to match it elsewhere. |
Yes indeed - we booked so early as it was a really cheap deal given it is half term, so its pretty unlikely that we can match the price elsewhere now. At least not without some serious legwork, which I don't have the time to do.
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| valais2 wrote: |
| @chaletgirl002, damn…I love the tree lined runs back to La Tania at the end of a long day. But I’ve skied both and there’s plenty to enjoy at La Plagne. Bottlenecks are grim but early start and early return gets the hours in without the mad queues. Les Arcs has some beautiful terrain. |
I'm with you. That tree run back down to La Tania is the whole family's favourite. Even in the rain.
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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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@chaletgirl002, You may have missed my post on the first page, but the Britannia is available for your dates (11 feb?) - maybe you could swop to that..
Having said that - personally I would go to LP ...
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| Old Fartbag wrote: |
| IME. I'm with those who think that the Paradiski is no "Poor relation" to the 3V. If competent skiers who like to explore, I would advise getting the full area Lift Pass - which also gives handy access to express lanes to bypass the queues on some lifts. |
I'm in the camp that it IS a significantly poorer destination than 3V - I got bored with the La Plagne pistes in two weeks but didn't get bored of the 3V pistes in a season.
The main issue is that the LP pistes are very samey IMO. Plenty of them but all very similar.
In fairness I should point out:
1. I was skiing with young kids who we wanted to be with after lunch so getting to and from Les Arcs was very difficult. LA looks much more interesting.
2. I was the only skier who enjoyed off piste so I couldnt take advantage of the plentiful off piste opportunities
I've spent the last decade skiing in Les Contamines which is smaller than LP alone so I'm not easily bored by limited pistes but in that time I've been able to mix the pistes with lots of off piste.
All that said, if you are going to be able to make use of the whole LA/LP area then I'd give it a go for the change.
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You know it makes sense.
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| jedster wrote: |
| Old Fartbag wrote: |
| IME. I'm with those who think that the Paradiski is no "Poor relation" to the 3V. If competent skiers who like to explore, I would advise getting the full area Lift Pass - which also gives handy access to express lanes to bypass the queues on some lifts. |
I'm in the camp that it IS a significantly poorer destination than 3V - I got bored with the La Plagne pistes in two weeks but didn't get bored of the 3V pistes in a season.
The main issue is that the LP pistes are very samey IMO. Plenty of them but all very similar.
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Did you keep to La Plagne, or did you include the whole Paradiski area. If the former - I'm not surprised. Les Arc has more interesting skiing imo.
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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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| albob wrote: |
@chaletgirl002, You may have missed my post on the first page, but the Britannia is available for your dates (11 feb?) - maybe you could swop to that..
Having said that - personally I would go to LP ... |
Thanks for the suggestion - I just took a look but they (or Crystal at least) don’t offer 2 bed apts, just 1 bed (which doesn’t work for us). As we’d originally booked a 2 bed I’m guessing that’s why it wasn’t offered. Worth a check though, thanks.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| jedster wrote: |
| Old Fartbag wrote: |
| IME. I'm with those who think that the Paradiski is no "Poor relation" to the 3V. If competent skiers who like to explore, I would advise getting the full area Lift Pass - which also gives handy access to express lanes to bypass the queues on some lifts. |
I'm in the camp that it IS a significantly poorer destination than 3V - I got bored with the La Plagne pistes in two weeks but didn't get bored of the 3V pistes in a season.
The main issue is that the LP pistes are very samey IMO. Plenty of them but all very similar.
In fairness I should point out:
1. I was skiing with young kids who we wanted to be with after lunch so getting to and from Les Arcs was very difficult. LA looks much more interesting.
2. I was the only skier who enjoyed off piste so I couldnt take advantage of the plentiful off piste opportunities
I've spent the last decade skiing in Les Contamines which is smaller than LP alone so I'm not easily bored by limited pistes but in that time I've been able to mix the pistes with lots of off piste.
All that said, if you are going to be able to make use of the whole LA/LP area then I'd give it a go for the change. |
Thanks, that was my vague memory from when we went a few times when I were a lass. You sound a lot better skier than us as a group though, and we’ll only be there for one week, so hopefully our experience could be better! It does sound like it’s worth planning a day over in Les Arcs as well though. Thanks for that.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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never been to 3V , only Flaine and LaPlagne.
Ok flaine is out of question compared with 3V, but i have to admit that i agree with @jedster, at least at some points
1. i find LaPlagne perfect for someone who want relative easy slopes. Most of the blues are extremely easy , and some reds are more blues with some points that are a little bit more challenging.
2. i dont like the concept of France that many black slopes are un-groomed. I missed some groomed black slopes in LaPlagne
3. i found the slopes in Flaine more difficult as these in LP
On the other hand i was with the kids (5 and 7) and we manage from Bellecote to Les Arcs 1800 and back after mid lunch. School till 12 pm then something to eat and then direct to Vanoise Express. And my daughter is not soooo quick (still skiing with ploughsnow curves etc)
I will go definitely again, it is perfect for the kids, but if i was alone maybe not.
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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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| Old Fartbag wrote: |
| jedster wrote: |
| Old Fartbag wrote: |
| IME. I'm with those who think that the Paradiski is no "Poor relation" to the 3V. If competent skiers who like to explore, I would advise getting the full area Lift Pass - which also gives handy access to express lanes to bypass the queues on some lifts. |
I'm in the camp that it IS a significantly poorer destination than 3V - I got bored with the La Plagne pistes in two weeks but didn't get bored of the 3V pistes in a season.
The main issue is that the LP pistes are very samey IMO. Plenty of them but all very similar.
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Did you keep to La Plagne, or did you include the whole Paradiski area. If the former - I'm not surprised. Les Arc has more interesting skiing imo. |
Sorry if I wasn’t clear but that is the point I was trying to make. I think we only got across the DD cable car once and not for long. Kids were in morning ski school and were fed by nannies at lunch but we wanted to play with them after that. But the comparison stands to an extent in that I could quite happily spend a week in Courchevel - way more variety of skiing than LP.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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For anyone who finds this post on a search and wants to know how it all turned out… Just back from LP Villages (2100m) and had a great week. Glad we took the offer to change to here, especially as it was a very warm second half of the week and much of LP is very high, so all the skiing was great even where below 2000m was turning into mush and grass. For that reason alone I’m very glad we weren’t in La Tania at 1400m. Glorious sun all week, almost a perfect week skiing! And the mountain restaurant prices seemed slightly (relatively) cheaper than 3V which was a bonus.
In terms of the actual skiing terrain, my original concerns were broadly correct. Lots of wide easy samey blues, and some horrible lift bottlenecks (which you can plan to time or get around). But the blues were mixed with just enough reds to keep us very happy for the week. And the views from many of the tops were astonishing. Loved the back valley down to Champagny. However, even my more cautious blue-run-loving child has said they would prefer to go elsewhere next year, as it was a bit ‘easy’ and felt like we’d skied most of it (so far as conditions allowed, so only the higher pistes). If we were better skiers and went on blacks as well, then I suspect we’d be happier to go back. Or if there was more typical snow for February (if that is even a thing anymore) which would extend the skiing range down.
All in all a fabulous weeks skiing for intermediates, and I was a dafty for worrying. Would definitely recommend, and I’d personally not say no to another week, just not a whole season maybe 
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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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@chaletgirl002, one thing I would say is that I think people appreciate La Plagne/Paradiski more the more you ski it. Also, yes, having good snow and skiing down the lower stations really helps to broaden the terrain.
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Glad you had a good time @chaletgirl002. Yes, those La Plagne blues are good for giving a relative beginner confidence but would get a bit boring on repeat. In colder conditions there is a lot of terrain which I presume you didn't get to explore, for example the pistes over to Montchavin or Montalbert which give a proper sense of travel. (And that is without crossing to Les Arcs, though that would need planning your timing for the return).
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i have to admit that without the black slopes, i found also La Plagne "easy"
My kids also.
The biggest pro for La Plagne (at least for me) is that when the weather is foggy , there are some tree runs heading lower, if the weather is too warm, you always have the option to go higher. And all these without the Paradiski Pass. Only for La Plagne
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| j b wrote: |
| Glad you had a good time @chaletgirl002. Yes, those La Plagne blues are good for giving a relative beginner confidence but would get a bit boring on repeat. In colder conditions there is a lot of terrain which I presume you didn't get to explore, for example the pistes over to Montchavin or Montalbert which give a proper sense of travel. (And that is without crossing to Les Arcs, though that would need planning your timing for the return). |
Yes, we went down to Montchavin one day (checking it out to meet some friends coming across from Les Arcs), but it was horrible horrible skied up slush and a bit of ice. Way too warm for February. Can see they would be lovely runs down through the trees there in the snow though.
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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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| turms2 wrote: |
i have to admit that without the black slopes, i found also La Plagne "easy"
My kids also.
The biggest pro for La Plagne (at least for me) is that when the weather is foggy , there are some tree runs heading lower, if the weather is too warm, you always have the option to go higher. And all these without the Paradiski Pass. Only for La Plagne |
After Val Thorens the last two years, I really liked seeing some trees! It was very pretty. And much higher than expected. Luckily we had clear skies all week 
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| chaletgirl002 wrote: |
| turms2 wrote: |
i have to admit that without the black slopes, i found also La Plagne "easy"
My kids also.
The biggest pro for La Plagne (at least for me) is that when the weather is foggy , there are some tree runs heading lower, if the weather is too warm, you always have the option to go higher. And all these without the Paradiski Pass. Only for La Plagne |
After Val Thorens the last two years, I really liked seeing some trees! It was very pretty. And much higher than expected. Luckily we had clear skies all week |
Thanks for the update, @chaletgirl002 - you'd be surprised how many of these type of posts go unanswered so we never usually get to find out how if it works out or not, so thanks for coming back. As you mention, I do think got lucky being in a higher resort, anything below 1500m would be a bit of a slushy mess!!
You should look at Les Arcs for you next trip - the runs are a bit more varied there. There are a lot of wide beautiful red runs through the trees (relatively easy red runs for your blue loving child!)
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
Thanks for the update, @chaletgirl002 - you'd be surprised how many of these type of posts go unanswered so we never usually get to find out how if it works out or not, so thanks for coming back.
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+1
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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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Thanks for the update.
I was back in la Plagne in early Jan, just before my accident. The skiing is actually very good, my son prefers les Arcs but I disagree but you do need two things
1. good snow down to the villages at 1200m
2. to know the resort and the pistes which takes more than a day trip
The queues this jan were insane again and spoil the whole trip and I understand that there was no low period in Jan and no lunch break. I suppose this is due to many lower resorts having poor conditions.
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| davidof wrote: |
The skiing is actually very good, my son prefers les Arcs but I disagree but you do need two things
1. good snow down to the villages at 1200m
2. to know the resort and the pistes which takes more than a day trip
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Agree with this - also to add it's best to treat Paradiski as a single ski area rather then limit yourself to only LA or LP
The dull bowl above Plagne Centre is the worst skiing of the whole area - as the OP discovered
Last edited by So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much  on Tue 20-02-24 22:23; edited 1 time in total
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You know it makes sense.
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We were in LP for HT too. 1st time there and not sure id go back again at least at HT.
Queues were dreadful, huge lifts didn't clear them because they are so badly organised. A few changes could make it much better, singles queue for sure but why were the info boxes put right in the queue and why the pass machines so close to the lift. Any form of order in the queue was messed up by lift pass then the info box and then tight curves.
We were in Soleil and found it tricky to get around, not helped by my having to guide the Mrs home as she never figured out where she was. Then with my last couple of hours spare the queues meant I couldn't get over to the more interesting skiing.
Blue runs where very samey but the others enjoyed them. There was plenty of nice looking off piste but snow conditions meant I hardly touched them.
Queues were bad but the pistes were also rammed which put off the more nervous ones too.
I'd go again out of HT but it wouldn't be my first choice.
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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@chaletgirl002, Looks as though you found all the tricks and secret rat runs. We do this both at the level of each resort and by going to small resorts day by day. Last weekend - Women’s downhill at Crans….no parking at any of the station car parks…workaround…use hidden small public car park 250m from station, 85 free places, use SIDAS traction soles to walk through village or use shoes and hide them at bottom lift. Earlier in the week - big Qs at the large resorts. No one at Vercorin, Nax etc. Lovely.
Of course there are some genuine choke points in Paradis and Trois Vallee but timing is everything - early out, early back works wonders.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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@chaletgirl002, understand entirely. My 18 year old now sets alarm for 7am, we are out by 8am. That’s a big change from last year…he spent 8 weeks by himself in the mountains and developed a habit of early rise, early bus, first lift, back early. Good lad.
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FAQ
