LA PLAGNE: An internet tour

UPDATED 2/10/14: 

No visitor to Les Arcs should go home without spending some time over at La Plagne. It's apparently the world's most frequented ski resort, with 2.5 million visitors last season. And it's feeling happy:



The resorts are in some ways very similar to Les Arcs, but do have a different atmosphere, terrain, history.  And, despite recent improvements on the arcadien side of the valley, La Plagne wins hands down on having many more places to eat.  Plus, we have the epic logo:

Click here for a quick overview
of the resort's history

Here are some links:

Official website (English version)

http://www.perso-laplagne.fr/ (in French). A wonderful site, full of news, history, photos

Accommodation in Plagne 1800. Along with Champagny this is arguably the nicest place to stay - very handy, but slightly away from it all

The Where to Ski and Snowboard guide to La Plagne

The We Love 2 Ski guide to La Plagne

Summer Walking via The Independent newspaper


Plus, from this blog:

New lifts for La Plagne, including the Montalbert gondola - now delayed.  For an April 2014 update, click here, and to read about the criticism the resort has received for the Bellecote queues click here.  Update Sept 2014 here.

Guide to La Plagne, the Everton of skiing

La Plagne, No1 in L'Equipe's Top 50

La Plagne's 50th birthday

A brief history of La Plagne (Part 1)

A brief history of La Plagne (Part 2)

The bobsleigh track below Plagne1800

La Plagne's 2000m descent, from the Glacier to Montchauvin

Les Arcs v La Plagne: head-to-head

Les Arcs v La Plange: le marketing

The Tour de France and La Plagne

The Vanoise Express

PISTE-SIDE DINING AT ARC 1800

Not a topic which brings with it a lot of material to write about, it has to be said.

We have the Arpette, and the Blanche Murée.  There is the Altiport café, and I suppose you could include the restaurant at the Chantel complex.  But that's pretty much it.  (For more on food in Les Arcs, click here.)

The closure of the Aiguille Grive Restaurant, run by Les Arcs' legends Gilles and Annick, was a big loss.  This was quite a few years ago now.  The building was demolished, rebuilt as an upmarket hotel, but its opening has been delayed.  It will be coming back next season - website here.

The Aiguille Grive, 11 March 2013

The good news for the remainder of this season anyway, is that Gilles is back!  The restaurant attached to the hotel is open, and a review, courtesy of the Avenir et Animation des Arcs site, states:

"The Aiguille Grive restaurant has reopened.  The decor is more contemporary, 

but still in the 'spirit of Les Arcs'.  The ambiance is the same, Gilles Christophe returning to welcome his clients.

At lunchtimes, simple food is served either on the south-facing terrace 

or in an airy dining room with great views of the mountains.

In the evening, with a fire burning, there's the chance to dine in a friendly and relaxing atmosphere.

To reserve, call 04 79 40 20 30."

Season 2013/14 will also see another restaurant on the home runs to Arc 1800 - its foundations are already in place, just below the Transarc middle station.  I imagine there may also be more happening at as Edenarc takes shape.  At the moment it's almost disarmingly low key and quiet.

ARC 2000: The Wembley of Speed Skiing

Speed skiing is apparently the "sport of going downhill in a straight line as quickly as possible".  

Vars and Les Arcs are the two remaining French courses

It certainly goes down as something of a niche sport, but does have a history going back to the 1930s.  The French Wikipedia site gives a more detailed overview than its English language cousin.  The first races were held in Switzerland, in Murren and St Mauritz, with the Austrian Leo Gasper achieving 137km/h in 1931.

During the 1970s the Italians appear to have been the keenest on the sport with the kilometro lanciato course in Cervina hosting an annual event.  In the southern hemisphere a course was established at Portillo, and here Steve McKinney reached the 200km/h barrier in 1978.  

Unsurprisingly, the big shadow hanging over the sport is safety.  In 1978 two fatal accidents at Cervinia prompted the FIS to take speed skiing out of its portfolio altogether. Speed skiing races continued to be organised both in North America (Silverston), in Les Arcs and at La Clusaz.  These events, coupled with improved security, prompted it to be included in the 1992 Albertville Olympics - the one and only time it has been included in the winter games.  That event (which drew the second highest viewing figures of the games) saw the death of the Swiss skier Nicolas Bochatay during training.  More recently, 2007 saw the death of British speed skier Caitlin Tover, who fell from the start area.

The courses at Les Arcs and Vars are still going. But Les Arcs is no longer marketing scaled-back versions of the course to holidaymakers.  I think it is just being left to the people who really, really want to do it.  I am told that there is only one ski maker still producing the 240 metre skis required to take part.

The Vars course has a 98% gradient at the start

Les Arcs does appear to be the Wembley of speed skiing, and both the male and female records were set there (251 km/h by Simon Origone and 242 km/h by Sanna Tidstrand). It starts at 2710m, below the Varet lift, and finishes, 1.7km later, at 2145 metres, at Arc 2000.  You can watch it all unfold from the Chalets de l'Arc restaurant.

                           

The top speeds can only be achieved be gliding on the thin watery layer above the melting snow, and so the records tend to have been set right at the end of the season.  And, from 6 April, the piste will be back in action, during Les Arcs' speed week.  This will see attempts at the world record on skis, monoski, handiski...and mountain bike.  It's the brainchild of Eric Barone, who will be getting back on his bike with a view to breaking the 200 km/h barrier again....