Resort hits the heights

You can’t go far wrong skiing at the northern French alpine resort of La Plagne, says Catherine Scott.
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La Plagne is not as well known as some of the other ski areas in France but with its picturesque villages, superb piste network and modern lifts its becoming increasingly popular.

The resort is made up of six high altitude resorts in the Tarantaise region, each with their own look and feel, from the efficient and purpose-built centre to the traditional and picturesque outlying villages which saw their first snow fell earlier this month.

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There is Aime la Plagne (2,100m), Belle Plagne (2,050m), Plagne Villages/Soleil (2,050m), Plagne Bellecôte (1,930m), Plagne Centre (1,970m) and Plagne 1800 (1,800m). In recent years the links between these resorts has been much improved adding even further to the exceptional choice of skiing.

The La Plagne ski area offers 140 miles of piste served by 109 lifts with a nice variety of skiing. With most of the skiing above 2,000m and on mainly north facing slopes, the conditions tend to be good throughout the season and it is regarded as a snow sure resort. The lift system is very modern with continual investment in new lifts keeping queues to a minimum. There is an excellent selection of wide blues and fun reds. There are some good black runs but fewer than in other resorts.

And if that wasn’t enough La Plagne is part of the Paradiksi ski area which includes Les Arcs. You can purchase a variety of ski passes from local area passes to the entire ski area of 400kms of piste.

While it was lovely to have the ability to ski over into the neighbouring resort, if you have children in ski school be warned if you are based in Plagne Centre it is a real challenge to get over and back in time to pick them up. Definitely worth a day trip if you have the time, but if you are a newcomer to La Plagne there is more than enough to keep a smile on your face in the local resorts.

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La Plagne centre, where we were staying, acts as a hub for the resort with the main lifts accessed here and a good range of shops and services. It is purpose built and not the most attractive village but well designed and a pleasant place to stay.

Our chalet was above the main shopping centre which is a variety of shops and all linked internally, with direct access onto the slopes. The surrounding villages are often very picturesque and traditional with minimal development. All villages are easily accessible by free local bus or you can ski between them. The nightlife is not wild but there are of course some great little après ski spots if you look in the right places.

We were staying at The Bourget suite one of seven chalet style apartments run by VIP Ski which make up the aptly named Summit View development. The view from the balcony is stunning as it is from all of the Summit View suites that VIP SKI operates.

The location could not have been better as the ski school meeting place was almost directly below the chalet which made for very leisurely starts in the morning. Our skis could also be left in the Oxygene ski shop also below our chalet, which minimised the need to lug skis and boots up to the chalet at the beginning and end of the day.

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Being so close to the ski school meeting place and on restaurants meant we could pick the children up after a morning’s ski school and have lunch in any one of a number of restaurants in La Plagne Centre which were slightly cheaper than their mountaintop equivalent.

And after a hard day’s skiing we could practically ski in through the door and be welcomed with hot tea and cakes cooked by our fantastic chalet host Elaine.

Chalet skiing isn’t for everyone, as Forrest Gump says “you never know what you’re going to get”. As we were a party of six (four adults and two children) there was only one other couple in The Bourget although it can sleep 11.

We all got on well and, in my experience, with a common love of skiing there is always something to speak about.

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By the end of the week we were all skiing together including Elaine and co-host Will – the latter being dressed as a carrot after making a rash promise to my seven-year-old who had developed a bit of a crush. And that’s the joy of La Plagne. Elaine, a beginner, was able to join us for part of the day and then ski back to get our supper ready!

Many ski brochures boast that a resort has “something for everyone” but in the case of La Plagne it really has. The altitude means that you will always be able to find some quality skiing, the length and variety of runs suits all abilities from those who love to glide down long runs to others who want an adrenalin rush through the trees.

Okay, if you want kicking nightlife this might not be the perfect resort for you, although there did seem to be plenty of lovely bars and restaurants in Plagne Centre. But for a well-linked 
snow-sure family resort with challenging skiing and great accommodation I can think of few places better in France.

Getting there

VIP SKI (www.vip-chalets.com, 0844 557 3119) has seven suites in La Plagne, all part of the Summit View development. The Bourget Suite, overlooking the piste, starts at £869 per person based on two sharing and includes return flights from Gatwick and resort transfers.

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Ski hire starts at £82 for adult skis and boots with children’s hire being between £47 and £57 dependent on age. Paradiski area lift passes are priced at £223 for adults, £167 for children between 6-13 and seniors 65 plus. Four person family passes are £693.

Ski school lessons with Oxygene Ski start at £145 for adults for five days (two-and-a-half hours a day). For children prices start at £85 for five afternoon group lessons. VIP SKIs preferred partner in La Plagne is Oxygene Ski www.oxygene-ski.com

For more information on the resort of La Plagne and events visit www.la-plagne.com