THE "B" ROADS OF LES ARCS: Avoiding the February Crowds

The February holidays see Les Arcs, like most of the other big resorts, getting very, very full.  To have a lift system in place which eradicated queues completely would of course be utterly uneconomic.  So, February visitors, tied by school holiday dates, have to be ready for busy slopes.

That said, when there's snow in the lower resorts (which of course there most certainly is this year...), this does tend to reduce pressure on Les Arcs et al.  And indeed, with the full area open (in contrast to 2011), there is more scope for everyone to spread out a bit.

February also sees various events in the resort.  People on British half term will miss the "LA session", which is fun and attracts a good crowd - see below.  For a full list of events click here.

But if you are around in February, you will still need to plan your days carefully to avoid spending too much time here:

Here are some ways to avoid the crowds:

1.  Have an early lunch - be at your chosen restaurant at 12 and you should be fine both to get a table and to get back on the pistes while everyone else is eating.

2.  Take the slow lifts.  You can avoid the biggest queues by relaxing slightly and taking some of the remaining 1980s lifts: Renard will take you to 2000; Comborciere will link you back into the area above Arc 1600 (including the fab Malgovert red run), and Grand Col is rarely too busy, taking you to more than 2800m in the process.

3.  Ski anywhere in Villaroger.  Or potter around the Les Granges area below 1600.

4.  Take a day trip to La Rosiere.  Park your car at Les Ecudets car park just above Séez, get yourself a full area pass, and ski over to the sparsely populated pistes of La Thuile.

Enjoy!

Above La Thuile