FEATURED

FEATURED
50 YEARS OF LES ARCS: Click on the photo for an instant briefing

Tuesday 31 May 2011

The End Of Winter

Some would trace this back to late December, given the terrible season that was 2010/11....


Here is the traditional end of season for the ESF - the instructors' race at Valloire - an underrated resort in the Maurienne valley, and home of the mighty Col du Galibier (cf this year's Tour de France....which will see it climbed not once, but twice).


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lELpVep6KYA

Here Comes The Summer

Most resorts - including Les Arcs - are now firmly closed.  Above 1800, the builders are in to make more progress on the new Chantel development.  Over at 1600 a new Mont Blanc lift is planned for 2011/12.

Further north, Les Gets opened a couple of lifts for mountain bikes last weekend, and is planning to open Thursday-Sunday this coming weekend (2-5 June).

Back on snow, Val d'Isere opens its summer skiing at the Col d'Iseran on 11 June - with Tignes and Les 2 Alpes following a week later.

In the meantime, some websites:

www.grenoblecycling.com is full of ideas for cycling right across the Alps - including the Haute Tarentaise.  It doesn't get updated too often, but the latest are now accompanied by videos and satnav reports - recommended!

www.snoweye.com is as comprehensive a guide to webcams as you will find.   Some are turned off for summer (apparently they can be damaged by storms....), but there are still lots there.  Good for seeing how your favourite resort looks like without the snow...

www.lesarcs.com has been upgraded although lacks depth, and could do with a little more TLC right across the site

www.lesarcs.net is an unofficial site which rents apartments etc - though they have good updates on what's happening in and around the resort

www.perso-laplagne.fr OK, so La Plagne may or may not be Les Arcs' local rivals - but this is the best site I've seen from the area: entirely unofficial, with both current gossip, and some history thrown in.  The latest piece covers the redevelopment of Plagne Centre. In French, but there is a Union Jack button which allows for easy translation