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Les Arcs, France |
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And there is more, new high speed lifts whisk you all
over the area in no time at all, not to mention the
largest lift in the world, the high speed double decker
Vanoise Express that links Les Arcs up with its
neighbour La Plagne. The combined ski area is a
serious contender on the world stage and offers a
fabulous variety suitable for all levels of
ability.
On the
mountain
There are 2 areas either side of a ridge
conected by a myriad of varied pistes and lifts.
Two fast chairlifts and a very long blue are all it
takes to move from Arc 1950 at one extreme to Plan
Peisey (home of the Vanoise Express) at the other
extreme.
Arc 2000 is overlooked by the impressive
3000metre plus Aigulle Rouge, and is the start of
some superb long reds and punishing black bumps.
The sheer quantity of terrain over 2000 metres in this
area ensures good quality snow until late in the season.
The truly adventurous or just plain stupid may like to
try and reach over 63mph on the flying kilometre. |
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On the westerly side of the ridge are the
treelined slopes above Arc 1600, 1800, Vallandry and
Plan Peisey. As well offering plenty of fast
and fun swoops it is also a safe 'bad weather' option.
Les Arcs considers itself the original 'home of the
snowboard' and is very proud of it's state of the art
board parks. Moving between areas, however, needs
some planning to avoid a few flattish
tracks.
On the town
As well as not winning any beauty prizes Arc 2000
does not rate as one of the 'all time top party'
apres-ski resorts. There are
enough restaurants and bars (one with
spectacularly bad live music) to keep those in search of
some before and after dinner liquid refreshment
happy for a week. A late night gondola to
classier 1950 runs until around midnight
a couple of times a week. For a wilder night out
with more variety of activities and better music head to
Arc 1800 on the bus.
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| VITAL STATISTICS
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Resort Height |
Top Lift
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| Arcs 2000 |
2000m |
3225m Aiguille Rouge |
| Arcs 1950 |
1950m |
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| Arcs 1800 |
1800m |
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| PISTES |
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| km |
200 |
| Lifts |
56 |
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Green |
1 |
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Blue |
53 |
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Red |
32 |
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Black |
19 |
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| Off piste
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Challenging, good and steep high up + lower
tree line potential. Does not get tracked out
quickly. |
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| Artificial Snow
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12km | |
| RATING |
| Beginner |
*** |
| Intermediate |
**** |
| Advanced |
**** |
| Snowboarding |
**** | |
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| CHILDREN |
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Pre-Ski
years
Les Marmottons (04 79 07 64 25) in Arc 2000
for 3-6yr olds. Pommes de Pins Nurserie Garderie
in Arc 1800 for 1-8yr olds. Childrens Ski School
Ski
School with ESF and New Generation with
mostly British instructors - Book in
advance for high season. |
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The new Vanoise
Express cable car joins the vast Les Arcs ski area with
La Plagne forming the Paradiski with
420km of runs. Lift passes can be bought for the week or
by upgrades on a daily basis. 6 day Les Arcs
pass includes a day in nearby
resorts including Tignes, Val d'Isere or the Three
Valleys.
| APRES SKI
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Friendly choice of bars, restaurants and
shops. |
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| OTHER ACTIVITIES
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Snow-mobiling, snow-shoe, dog sledding,
skating and sleigh rides. |
| TRANSFER |
Air-Grenoble |
Train - Bourg St
Maurice |
SKI BUS
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| TIME |
3 hours 45 mins |
30 mins
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Free with lift pass
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For more information
www.skifrance.co.uk
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