Les Arcs 2024 / 2025

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Sorry too much wine! I mean best time of day to do the Aiguille Rouge! Hic.

A snowHead

When the queues are shortest - so lunch or late !

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News from radio les arcs about the rockfall. Google translate.....

The road won't be open anytime soon!
The information so feared by ski resorts came on Sunday evening.
The portion of the N 90, affected by a major landslide on Saturday, will not reopen for the start of the winter holidays, on February 8 for schoolchildren in zone B, despite the significant resources deployed to secure this strategic axis.

The day after the landslide, teams specializing in natural risks intervened on the cliff from which the three blocks that blocked the road leading to the Tarentaise valley (Savoie) fell away. Purging work immediately began, using hydraulic cylinders, in the middle of the torn safety nets.

But we are still far from being able to ensure traffic in complete safety, as explained by François Ravier, prefect of Savoie, who visited the site on Sunday.
You will need to anticipate your car trip and be patient.

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@Arctic Roll, you’d think they were confident of a 1-year build. Otherwise all of Villaroger will be out of action next winter.

I find the whole project a bit curious. If the gondola top station is near the current top of the Violettes chair there isn’t a lot of flat ground there to create a beginners’ space. You also have a mismatch between a high capacity gondola feeding the Dorset chair, which is old, slow and low capacity. A recipe for horrible queues, and not a huge amount of space to stack people. I’d assumed that all three chairs would be replaced by a 2-stage gondola like the TransArc, with the mid station located wherever was best for a beginners’ area to be created and a natural point for starting the download to the village.

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@rob@rar, From what I've heard, the reason it doesn't go all the way to the top with access into 2000 is to keep the Villaroger sector separated from 2000 on high risk avalanche days etc.

However I agree with you it is a bit bizarre. I do wonder if it is more of a summer/year round plan from the resort? There is great potential on that side of the hill to open up even more mountain biking and hiking etc.

There is a big development going in at Villaroger too, new parking, shops etc.

After all it is free

I do have a fondness for the Dosset chair though. It's old school, how it used to be before the overcrowding and safety risks that brings.

@timlongs, I can understand the avalanche point, but a 2-stage gondola addresses that (TransArc for example).

Summer facilities must be high on the agenda for all new development, I’d guess?

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You know it makes sense.

Spring appears to be here! Crying or Very sad

Slushy below 2000m and rain is lashing the window in BSM. Hope it’s falling as snow higher up - but doubt it.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

No rain here at 1950 , snowing down to 1600 this morning. Pistes higher are superb , few hard patches lower down but all round pretty great .
Heavy snow now so things are just getting better and better .
Had a great off piste day yesterday ( Wednesday) and more snow now !
Anyone coming next week your in for a treat Very Happy

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That's good to hear. I was mildly stressed reading the post about slush. We're heading down tomorrow, arriving in resort tomorrow evening. Can't wait!

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Just got back in , it’s snowed all day . We stayed low for visabiliy and its snowing albeit wet snow down at the Vanoise station. 1600m
Still snowing heavily and much colder tomorrow should keep things in good condition. snowHead

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We got put off by the cloud and 20 metre visibility so quit early and have been listening to the rain hammering down in Bourg for most of the afternoon. It was snowing at 1600 when we came down so looking forward to good things tomorrow.

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Over to LP for us today and it was lovely! Sign at Derby read -9degC at 0915 ish on the way out and 12degC at 1500ish on the way back. I’m suspicious that the positive reading is always inflated by the sensor being in a black box in direct sun but that’s a big range!

Generally good pistes that will take an edge but the odd patch of ice did show through in the very heavy traffic areas. Heads down for a very busy week!

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Hi all, skiing with family at 1800 next week, and looking for advice on where to hire skis- we are mixed light red to black skiers. Is it Intersport or bust?
Also, and recommendations for good food for hungry kids, and for excellent coffee on the mountain? thanks so much!

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Hey thanks @macker13! Having finally checked the accommodation at Les Arc [rolls eyes for level of disorganisation] We are staying at Le Chantel. Do you know if the Precision Ski there is any good? Thanks!!

After all it is free

Not sure I’m afraid, the one in Charvet is good and have used before so given the other two are good I’m sure the Chantel one will be ok. Never used it as it’s up the hill in chantel so not in the village

Quick question if I may about booking through Maeva v booking with PV.

Looking to booking my daughter and her partner for a week in March. There is availability, but it is significantly cheaper if I book through Maeva than through Pierre et Vacances directly. In both cases, it's a one bed apartment. What is the difference? It's a saving of over 200 euros for the week, so not insignificant.

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@SCruttonStreet, https://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=156690

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Question for the regulars…

My wife is training for an 100km ultra marathon and, typically, our Easter snow trip to Arcs 1950 coincides with what should be a big training week.

Aside the fact that a week in the mountains and snowboarding during the day is plenty of exercise, she would like to get some specific running / walk training in.

My suggestion of a hike up to the lake in the 2000 bowl and lap the lake the requisite number of times (lake seems to be nearly a kilometer loop) has been met with some disdain.

I have seen some guided hike/snowshoe sessions with Evolution2 which has met some approval.

Any other options folks can think of?

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Get the funicular down to Bourg and use the running track next to the Tennis Club?
Lots of cycle and walking tracks too, miles of them running alongside the river.

What sort of terrain and gradient does she want to train on?

@Richie_S, Get your wife to follow Garda Steyn on instagram , Olympian, Ultra Runner and winner of the Comrades 3 times ! , she has a place in Sainte Foy and regularly posts her training in SF but more importantly in the valley . She’s a lovely lady and if your wife contacts her I’m sure she will give her some training tips in Bourg .

https://www.instagram.com/gerda_steyn?igsh=MW52MDJ2ZzNmYzVieA==

You know it makes sense.

@Richie_S, Couple of friends of ours are ironman competitors (not Ultras but its not for everyone...). When skiing with us, each morning they take the bus from 1950 down to 1600, then run back to 1950 for breakfast. About 10km, uphill (obviously): sets them up nicely for the day's other activities.

Walking / running around the lake is deadly dull and boring: I've had to do it when covid isolating (yes, yes... ) and the rest of the family out skiing. And, although the lake-round path is flat and clear, is clear, the path to it is icy and has steep bits, so correct shoes for the differing terrains are tricky.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Great conditions out here in Les Arcs this week, though @Wi11iam, is right with the comment about catching edges, as I've done that a couple of times this week, including today as I was approaching the Pre St Esprit bottom station. My 13 year old tells me I did a somersault. I just know that I went flying and landed with a wallop on the back of my head. I was fine and up immediately, but I've binned the helmet and replaced it this evening.

Today has been an ode to @johnE, day. I popped over to 1600 yesterday and went over Secret. John has mentioned that it's one of his favourite runs, so this morning I made a point of going over to ski it. I can see why. A fantastic run. Later in the day, I headed over to Peisey-Vallandry and took the 2300 lift up to pick up the Ecureuils black just below its start.

John and his wife took me there last Easter and babysat me down it as it was my very first black, but we weren't able to ski it further than the bowl where the Vallandry top station is as it was closed from there. Today it was open all the way down to Plan Peisey, so I was able to go all the way down. I really enjoyed it. It was icy in the last 5 metres or so, but otherwise it was in great condition, and crucially, it was very quiet!

This afternoon we headed back to Secret (that's where we were headed when I fell) as I took my boys to do it, and prior to that we did Grand Col. I was under instruction from my 11 year olds instructor to take him to practice on difficult runs more (we normally stick to cruisey blues in the afternoon as it's Mr. O's comfort zone). As Mr. O was taking a day off, we took advantage and hit those tricky reds.

I called it a day after Secret partly because of my head bump and partly because I could see 11 was fatigued. So back up Comborciere and into 1800 from there.

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@Scamper, @Le Grand Renard, @Arctic Roll, thankyou for your suggestions.

I assume the run back from 1600 to 1950 is broadly on the road (no pavement) from what I recall. Did your friends feel ‘safe’?

In terms of type of training.. her ultra is in Dorset. So I expect undulating … In terms of training she will want low intensity and long duration.

You’ve all given me something to go on, so I will explore these further.

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@Richie_S, they kept doing it, so I'm guessing they did! (obs hi-vis was in evidence) .

There is a footpath through the forest alongside the road starting from about the UCPA - used for snowshoeing IIRC, but whether it is suitable or accessible during the winter to walkers/ runners I'd have my doubts (also comes out at the bottom of the Secret piste as above with @Owlette, so you'd definitely need to revert to road after Pre St Esprit).

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With buses, lorries and ‘enthusiastic’ locals to add to blind bends I wouldn’t be happy road running around or between resort towns so echo the ‘down to Bourg’ suggestion. There’s a lot of paths and quieter roads.

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To continue there is a cycle path / running path beside the river in Bourg that runs between Aime and beyond Seez , a good 20km there and back . A few hundred meters from the Funi .

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@Owlette, thank you for your kind words.

Is the resort busy? If so then the 1600 area is usually calmer than the rest of the resort. Try Clocheret for a nice red. The route is usually quiet due to the slow eponymous chair to access it and the fact that 1/3 of the lift user go down Secret and another 1/3 take the blue.

If you feel like another straightforward black then try Rouelles from the top of the Cachette lift. The first part if fairly gentle but easy to miss as it follows the route of Lutins. It gets a bit steeper after crossing the Traversee piste. That second section is often closed. On the old piste maps it is designated as a red, but I suspect in those days it was bashed. Now it is a Natur. One summer I saw a motorcyclist ride down it. It is really no steeper than most reds. Shepherds corral there sheep on it during the summer, but don’t worry about that; if the snow doesn’t cover the droppings the piste will be closed.
Have a good ski.

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Thanks John, I'll have a look at that one tomorrow morning, as that's my next solo ski.

The resort is incredibly busy. I popped over to 1600 a few days ago and was rewarded with empty pistes (I skied the Mont Blanc blue), but unfortunately the lift lines back up were nuts as the bottom is a pinch point, which put me off doing it again. That said, Mr. O and I might head that way at lunchtime once we've dropped the boys at ski school, as there's a whole host of blues he's not explored yet.

Yesterday was an excellent day. I had a slower start to the day as I've been up and out early most days. I skied down to Charvet to buy some new goggles as the helmet I binned had a built in visor and my new one doesn't. Treated myself to some photochromic ones so I don't have to worry about lenses. Oh my. Game changer in this blazing sunshine. So I'm feeling better about having to bin my old helmet (I really liked it). Then took Vagare up just so I could have a nice ski back to the apartment. I mainly hung out on the reds from there, just picking up the blue as I needed to get back over to Chantel to round the kids up for ski school.

Dropped them off and hopped onto Transarc for a run down Grand Renard and onto Traversée to meet my husband at the Transarc base station as he was running a bit later than the rest of us. As I passed Golf on Traversée, there was someone near the bottom of Golf being attended to by medics, with the wagon next to them. We've seen so many people on those wagons this week, usually flying past us with the sirens going. I've never seen so many before. Often 5 or 6 in a day. Yesterday was just two, including the Golf one.

Husband and I popped up to 1950 for a quick bite at Melli's and then headed back to collect the boys from 1800. From there we headed over to Vallandry as 11 wanted to do the wooden animal decorating at the Vallandry relaxation area. I hung out with him there and 13 and Mr. O went to Les Enfants Terribles for a drink. We joined them when 11 had finished. We've been trying to get to Les Enfants ever since we started coming here, as Macker recommended it, but I could never work out where it was and the name of it isnt obvious from the pistes. So I was delighted when I went in and saw the sign above the bar.

Mr. O has declared it his new favourite watering hole thanks to decent lager at the cheapest he's found on the mountain (knocking Bulle off the top spot). He was pretty content there, so the boys and I headed off to do Ecureuils. They both loved it. 11 declared it easier than Secret, but I suspect that that's because he was fatigued when we did Secret.

After leaving Vallandry at after 5pm, we went back to 1800, jumped on Villards and skied over to Charvet. The boys got a waffle each with three generous toppings from The Candy Shop, and whilst they were indulging in thar, Mr. O and I went into the Intersport opposite as he wanted to - wait for it - buy his own boots! He was delighted with the service he received and even more so that the price on the shelf included custom fitting. He's under instructions to ski in his new boots today and then go back this evening for any adjustments. The guy on there really knew his stuff and was the sort of gruff no-nonsense that Mr. O and I appreciate.

I imagine we'll end up back over in Vallandry this afternoon thanks to Les Enfants and the infinitely quieter pistes. And because its in the same valley as 1800, we don't have that stress of missing the last lift.

Whilst the ski conditions have been amazing in February, we won't be coming back in February half term! Back to Easter for us. February is far too people-y.

After all it is free

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Les Arcs 2024 / 2025

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