TRANSARC LATEST

Everything seems to be going to plan re the new Transarc.  Here's the middle station on 5th August.  The cables were going up that day.  The new set-up will take you from Arc 1800 to the top in 13 minutes rather than the previous 20, and in stylish sit-down luxury along the lines of the neighbouring Vallandry lift.

SKI SEASON REVIEW: Les Tops et Les Flops

 It's nearly the end of the season, with April conditions easily an 8 or 9 out of 10 compared with the norm. A few thoughts on what's hot and what's not so hot in Les Arcs this winter.

One of the top viewpoints is from summit of Grizzly chairlift in Peisey-Vallandry

LES TOPS

* Coffee: The snow shack below the Arcabulle (en route to les Chalets de l'Arc) is far less busy than the Bulle Cafe and a great place to stop in the sunshine. Bring cash.

* Lunch: The Vanoise Restaurant in Peisey-Vallandry remains the go-to place for a sit-down meal, with prices in line with what you get at the self-service places in the more mainstream areas of the reports and quality far far higher. Pro tip: try the Tarte au Beaufort with a glass of sparkling Savoie or regular Les Abymes white wine.

* Afternoon drink: The Altiport is quieter and has better views than the Arpette. Staff and punters seem super-happy here! The patron of the Rooftop bit is a wine fan and has a fun Instagram account (rooftop_altiport). I hear good reviews of their lunch dishes as well. 

* Social media: Follow R'Les Arcs and Eric Siri on Facebook if you are a French speaker. Ski Club of Great Britain - Les Arcs on FB is great for latest conditions and opportunities to meet up with people to go skiing. The Les Arcs account on Instagram is quite good, though they seem to have given up on Twitter. Follow @RFJ1966 during the season instead.

LES FLOPS

* Morning buses from Arc 1800 to the Funicular on Saturday (changeover day) simply can't cope with the demand.

* The Blanche Muree: sadly it isn't what it was since the change of ownership. High prices and middling service/food.

* Club Med: it's been there a few years now, looking sullenly up at the beautiful Mont Blanc piste and refusing to fit in with the landscape. The feeble Xmas trees above the jardin des enfants will presumably soften the view in time. The only silver lining is that it seems to have been a catalyst for change as the new administration in Bourg-Saint-Maurice now have a "no new developments" policy.

OTHER THINGS

* The new Arpette restaurant has a great Les Arcs vibe including memorabilia all over the walls, but I wasn't sure they had the menu quite right. There is still a self-service, but it lacks that genuine mountain and everyone-in-it-together of yesteryear.

* The lightshow at the Varet gondola is well worth the time.

* Stand by for NEW Transarc for 2024/25 which will be an 8-seater (like the Vallandry lift) and reduce journey time from Arc 1800 from 20 to 13 minutes.

WHAT'S NEW IN LES ARCS

A few NEW things in Les Arcs this season.

1. The Arpette (pictured) is under new management (the operators of the Base Camp Lodge in Bourg Saint Maurice. They have gutted the interior, which has not pleased everyone, and it feels even more oriented towards apres-ski vibes than ever. The Wednesday evening savoyard evening continues, with pisteurs escorting you down the mountain at about 9pm.

2. Season ticket prices: Anyone staying for a couple of weeks or more may as well buy a season ticket pass as they are MUCH cheaper than previously, at 629EUR. The background to this is a French court ruling which forbids offering reduced priced season tickets for locals, prompting an understandable outcry. A reasonable compromise appears to be in operation in Les Arcs, which gives the chance for seasonal workers etc to buy a 250 EUR pass for 2/7 days of the week. And the reduction in the price of the full season ticket pass is a happy outcome for the regular tourist.

3. Stage 1 of the Transarc redevelopment. There's a swish new escalator taking you up to the foot of the lift, which now features a new building with ticket officer, toilets etc.

Police visited the Arpette in February 2023
and instructed the management
to turn the sound down

 

END OF SEASON UPDATE

After an up-and-down season both Covid and weather-wise, April sees fantastic conditions, with the resort staying open until 30th April.

NEW additions and developments since pre-pandemic days include:

1. A handy restaurant at the foot of the Derby lift - ideal for groups of skiers to meet up at specific times

2. The Blanche Muree has new owners - and a newly-extended terrace

3. The new LES ARCS sign overlooking the Tarentaise from the Carrelly lift

4. The picnic area at the top of the Comborciere, which is a triumph

5. The Malgovert piste has rightly been promoted from red to black

NEW SKI SEASON: The Latest

This week sees the provisional go-ahead for ski resorts to start their lifts from 7 January, although everything is dependent on the latest coronavirus assessments.

The best site for news about the resort is the R'Les Arcs Facebook Page.

In the meantime, the Les Arcs Film Festival is going ahead online this year.  Details are here and the programme includes a new film, "Slalom" which includes many scenes shot in Les Arcs.  You can watch the trailer here. 

In "normal times" of course the lifts would be running by now, alongside the Film Festival venues. Best wishes to all the resort workers and businesses who are having to adapt to the current circumstances. 

SUMMER SEASON is ON

Les Arcs will be open from 4th July - 29th August this summer.

On the agenda: regular events like the music festival and all the mountain activities (presented in the form of the rather complicated HERO card).

Plus - in a bid to boost the number of visitors and make up for at least some of the lost winter trade - the funiculaire will be free to all.

The summer website can be found here.

FOR THE MONEY AND THE FEW

This season sees the lift company "revolutionising its ski pass" set-up.

It involves the depressing prospect of "priority lanes" around the resort.  Which takes us some way from the idea of skiing for the masses which powered the development of Les Arcs and its neighbours in the 1960s and 1970s.

There will also be an express route for skiers wanting to access the Aiguille Rouge cable car.  In principle this may not be a such bad idea as it gets so packed, even out of high season, that some kind of rationing is probably needed.

The general idea seems to be to persuade people to buy the full Paradiski pass rather than (as most skiers do) just getting a Les Arcs/Peisey Vallandry ticket.  In recent years, those buying a 3 day pass have been given rights to have a day in La Plagne as part of the deal.  That seems to have gone.

The executive option doesn't look worth the extra unless you are a keen swimmer or sledging fan.

For more details see the Les Arcs press pack.

SEASON 2018-19: Les "Tops" et les "Flops"

For the second year in a row, it's been an excellent season snow-wise in the Tarentaise, with great conditions right the way until closing day.

Col de la Chal, 14 April 2019

By way of a very quick round-up, here are the good and the not-so-good things to report back on.

LES TOPS

1. The new "Secret" piste, launched in conjunction with the new Comborciere lift, opens up a new dimension.  At the top of the now-reasonably-fast lift (it's second hand) there's also a fab new picnic area and a choice of pistes: Secret (dark red), Comborciere (black) and the un-groomed Malgovert (red with black sections, certainly when its icy).  All in all, it's become a bit of a destination.

2. The new pedestrian footbridge (aka la passerelle panoramique) at the top of the Aiguille Rouge is a good new innovation, and the resort is now so much better for non-skiers, with a proper pietons lift pass, swimming pool at Arc 1800 etc etc.

3. On social media, the Pisteurs Arcs Facebook and Twitter (@PisteursArcs) give a great inside track of the dynamics of the resort, as does the ever-energetic R'Les Arcs radio station.  On Twitter, @SkiVillaroger is often skiing in the other Tarentaise resorts like Sainte-Foy and is a good guide to the local conditions.

 LES FLOPS

1. Feels a bit harsh calling out the Aiguille Rouge cable car, given it gives access to such epic views and one of Europe's finest runs - not to mention the new opportunities for non-skiers to explore the site.  But it now has pretty awful queues most of the time, including out of high season. It almost feels like some kind of timed ticket system like you get at the doctors or deli queue might be necessary.

35 minute queue beyond this point

2. The Paradiski Priority Lane: All the main lifts now have a priority lane reserved for those who have bought the Paradiski 6 day ski pass (retail price 305 Euros).  This gives off a not-very-nice vibe and is contrary to the whole idea of Les Arcs and similar resorts which was to bring skiing to a wider audience.  Anyway, it's not such an issue as hardly anyone buys the full Paradiski pass in any case.  But low marks to Compagnie des Alpes nonetheless.

3. The Club Med at Arc 1600, which opened in December, is a monument to unthinking development.  There is no reference to the traditions of Les Arcs' architecture, and no respect for its amazing setting.  It just sits there in its Soviet-syle glory, manspreading across the lower reaches of what was Les Arcs' most beautiful away-from-it-all blue piste.  Poor show to the local authorities who allowed this through.

Last year Alpe d'Huuz. This year, Les Arcs. Coming soon: La Rosiere
Club Med has big plans to attract skiers from new markets
like Brazil and China and - to its credit - is committed to
the summer season as well as the winter period

SEASON 2018/19: 10 Things To Know

1. Les Arcs is celebrating its 50th anniversary

...and the coming year will see a whole range of innovations and animations.  For newcomers, the key things to know are that it was founded by a local Robert Blanc, who had been working as a ski instructor in Courchevel and got together a group of architects, developers and other assorted pioneers to set up a new resort above Bourg-St-Maurice.  The first base, launched in 1968 was Arc Pierre Blanche, now Arc 1600.  People from established resorts like Val d'Isere thought they were crazy.  For more on the history, including Charlotte Perriand's ground-breaking architecture, click here.

2. There's a new clock at Arc 1800.  But it's more than just a clock...

It's a "musical sculpture", designed to bring a new element of poetry and musicality to Les Arcs - and forms a cornerstone of the 50th anniversary celebrations.  Conceived and constructed locally, there are 19 bells, to denote a "chromatic" octave-and-a-half.  It's at the heart of the front de neige, just by the Vagere lift.

3. Panorama Matters: "pedestrian footbridge" at 3,226m

Pedestrians are being actively invited to join their skiing friends and spent time at Les Arcs' highest point.  This year's new innovation is 35m in length and boasts an unparalleled view of Mont Pourri. On Christmas week the summit was open for visitors to take advantage of the site, even though the piste down remained closed.

4. RIP to the Hotel du Golf Bar

The Hotel du Golf remains at the heart of Arc 1800.  But it is no longer the heart of the resort, complete with live jazz featuring quirky musicians for 3-4 day stints.  New operators Belambra Holiday Clubs have a completely different format.  Apparently it's working well and the hotel is often full.  But it has lost its soul.

5. Parking charges at the Funiculaire are Not A Thing

At 68EUR for a 4-day stay, a group of people can save a lot of money by driving up and either paying in resort or parking somewhere cunning like Plan Devin below Arc 1600.  A poor show and does not tie well with the resort's assertion of its environmental credentials.  Anyway, at least...

6. ...there will be fancy New Carriages for summer 2019

On winter Saturdays, the funicular links Les Arcs with 3 European capitals: London, Brussels and Paris.  From next summer, visitors will be able to enjoy the new panoramic cabins as they make the 8 minute journey to resort.

7. Brexit starts with...The Great British Celebration

Now in its 3rd year, the resort's annual celebration of all things British is scheduled to kick off on...you guessed it, March 30th.  The brainchild of the local mayor, last season's event featured Olympic snowboarding star Jenny Jones

8. There's a new lift (and a new piste) in the Comborciere sector

The lift is second-hand and the red has distinctly black-ish shades, but these developments - coupled with a rather excellent new picnic area at the summit - certainly provide more reasons to spent time in this beautiful part of the slopes, with its "high mountain" feel.  A shame to see the reggae music banished from the departure point though.

9. For a day-trip from Les Arcs, try La Rosiere

La Rosiere has always had a lot to offer, but on the French side the runs (according to some) lacked variety and interest.  This year sees the the opening of two new chairlifts and five new pistes, with the summit rising to 2,800m.  If you're keen, you can watch a full France 3 TV programme on the resort's offer and ambition here.

If you haven't got a car, there's a bus from the Funiculaire (the Arc 1800 tourist office has details), which takes you to the Les Ecudets lift just above Seez.  If you have got a car, park at Les Ecudets anyway as it saves a lot of driving.

10.  La Plagne has a new logo

Two years after Les Arcs launched its new visual identity, La Plagne has introduced an update to its famous logo.  They too have gone for an upper case font.  If you look closely, the smile is not as "enigmatic" as it was:

Before

After

TOUR DE FRANCE 2019

After ignoring the Tarentaise for what seemed like absolutely ages, the Tour de France returns this coming summer for the second year in a row.  This time it will be right at the end of the race, and it could be Tarentaise tarmac that determines who wins.

Following on from Geraint Thomas' victory in La Rosiere, the Tour will be visiting Tignes for a stage finish on 26th July, having first claimed the 2,700m Col de l''Iseran (from the Maurienne side).  The tour last visited Tignes in 2007 when the stage was won by the soon-to-be-disgraced Michael Rasmussen - more here.

And then the next day - the last one before Paris - the Tour will start at Albertville, pass through the pastoral delight that is the Beaufortain and then drop into Bourg St Maurice en route to the long drawn out final climb to the summit finish at Tignes.

In Bourg the best place to watch may be by the roundabout at foot of the Cormet de Roselend.

Full route details here.

LA ROSIERE ON THE MOVE

Across the valley, La Rosiere is getting ready for this year's big opening: the unveiling of the new extension to its ski area.

The runs on the French side just above the resort are already great fun, with brilliant views towards Tignes and down to Bourg Saint Maurice.  But it's not that big an area.   This is all about to change, with a €15m investment going into giving the resort 5 new red pistes, plus another off-piste zone. The top of the skiing rises to 2,800m and - usually for La Rosiere - some of it faces north.

To get to La Rosiere from Les Arcs, drive to the Les Ecudets lift just above Seez, rather than wear yourself out driving all the way.  And you get a super long run home through the trees as a bonus. There's also a bus which picks up from the funicular at Bourg - ask in the Arc 1800 tourist office for a leaflet.

LES ARCS at 50

This summer's big event is the visit of the Tour de France to La Rosiere and Bourg Saint Maurice.

Looking further ahead, here's the latest gossip on what's coming up, courtesy of the "3A" proprietors' association:

1. Les Arcs at 50.  A year's celebrations are planned, including a new art installation by the swimming pool at Arc 1800, various "animations" during the school holidays and a special music festival next summer.  Plus a new book coming out about Charlotte Perriand and the architecture of Les Arcs.

2. Arc 1600 will see the renovation of La Coupole, improvement to mobile phone reception and of course the opening of the blot-on-the-landscape Club Med on (15th Dec).  The end of free parking in the resort is on the horizon, it seems.

3. The ancient Comborciere lift is on its way out, although eyebrows are being raised as it is being replaced by a second-hand installation.  There are also concerns about the impact on the environment in this beautiful and remote valley - both of the new lift and the red run which is being created to save intermediate skiers from the embarrassment of stumbling down the black run...

Dismantling the Comborciere lift, June 2018
Photo: @PisteursArcs

A DAY TRIP TO TIGNES: Dos and Don'ts

The Espace Killy ski area is well within striking range for a day trip from Les Arcs.  It claims to be "le plus bel espace de ski du monde", and you certainly can't criticise the majestic mountain scenery which awaits - including buckets of off-piste.

Here are a few dos and don'ts for the keen day-tripper...

Do:

• Park at Les Brevieres rather than struggle up to Tignes Le Lac - it's much nearer, the parking is free, and you get a nice long run home (blue or black) at the end of the day.
• Book an Espace Killy pass, as it's likely you'll stray over the Val d'Isere border at some point during the day
• Study the piste map. The links between Le Lac and Val Claret are not immediately clear, so you need to plan your route
• Have a good old moan at the restaurant by the Col du Palet lift which makes you pay to go to the loo
• Plan your lunch; the mountain restaurants on the Tignes side are few and far between. The self-service at the top of the Chaudannes lift is reasonable.  Avoid the fast-developing Tignes 1800 at lunchtime: it lacks both soul and sunshine 

Don't:

• Take the Marais lift once you arrive at the gondola above Les Brevieres.  It's very slow and broke down for half an hour during our day there.  A visit to the Aiguille Percée is a must, but much better to take the lift from the other side

• Forget that the fast Les Lanches chairlift is an excellent alternative to the underground at Val Claret, which I'm not too keen on as it reminds me of my morning commute

Tignes has far more slow lifts than
Les Arcs: Le Marais is one of them

L'Aiguille Percée

EN ROUTE TO LES ARCS: Megeve

Get the first flight to Geneva and you can be on the slopes at Megeve by mid morning.  La Princesse gondola, right at the entrance to the town, is barely 60 minutes from the airport.  Which makes it a great stop-off en route to Les Arcs.  You can continue up the valley, passing other skiing opportunities at Megeve Rochebrune and L'Espace Diamante (including Crest Voland) and join the main road at Albertville.

There is free parking outside La Princesse, as well as a couple of ski shops.  The lift takes you into the heart of the skiing.  Although it does not feel Tignes-Like altitude-wise (the top station is 2,350m), there are certainly some areas that feel "haute montagne" alongside the lower areas of tree-lined runs.

It's a huge ski area and so you can only scratch the surface with a 4 hour ski pass.  We pottered around the L'Epaule area, getting mildly lost in the St Nicolas de Veroce sector, by-passing La Folie Douce and ending up at a very nice lunch spot by the Les Communailles lift.  

Our only gripe is the piste signage which rather assumes you already have a good grasp of the resort's geography.  

La Princesse gondola

WHAT'S NEW IN LES ARCS

The great news is that, as elsewhere in the French Alps, there is loads of snow.  The resort is 99% open, which means it should cope well with the New Year crowds.

Here are six things to know about What's New in Les Arcs season:

1. Ride in Style
The Pré Saint Esprit lift is well and truly open, and it does indeed have heated seats.  It opens up the lower part of the Arc 2000 Valley (for more on the project, click here and here), replacing the old 1980 chairlift which left from a little lower down.  Good skiers based in Arc 1600/1800 can now access the  Arc 2000 valley by taking Clocheret and then the Muguet/Comborciere piste, which is much more fun than using the Arpette lift.  Next season sees the upgrading of the Comborciere lift itself - one hopes the reggae music will be able to continue.

2. Transport Hub
Arc 1800 has a new "bus station" at Charvet.  Actually it's rather more than that, with toilets, showers, baggage storage and a waiting area.

Click here for the resort's guide
on how to get to Les Arcs

3. All Change at the Hotel du Golf
It's now been taken over by a chain called the Belambra group, who seem to have a slightly uniform "club de vacances" vibe.  One hopes they will be able to keep the essence of the Hotel du Golf which, with its evening jazz bar, is very much a Les Arcs institution.  On the positive side, they are opening in the summer season, which is really important for the resort.

4. The Fast Lane
The Varet lift now has a special lane reserved for those skiers who have shelled out 299 euros for the full Paradise 6-day pass...

5. Get Away from It All
Villaroger now has artificial snow which means there's no excuse for giving this quiet and beautiful part of the mountain a miss.  It opens up completely different views, looking over towards Sainte-Foy and the Haute Tarentaise, and can mark a welcome break from the motorway pistes of Arc 2000.  And you don't need to take the mega descent from the top of the Aiguille Rouge to get there - Lanchettes lift from Arc 2000 provides a direct link. The Solliet restaurant half way down marks a fine pit stop.  It's under new ownership this year, apparently.

Aiguille Rouge, 3226m, 23 Dec 2017

6. Blot on the Landscape
It will open summer and winter and it's creating lots of jobs.  But I'm not keen on the style of the new Club Med development at all.  It sits arrogantly at the foot of the Mont Blanc piste, marking an abrupt end to the resort's most beautiful blue piste.  It would have been nice for the developers to have made at leas some reference to the architectural heritage of Les Arcs, but this does not seem to have been part of the brief.  At least they've built the lower part of the buildings into the hill.  It opens in December 2018.

New Club Med will be open summer and winter,
with a capacity of 1,050 beds

VILLAROGER ON THE MOVE

The skiing on the Villaroger opens up a third valley to Les Arcs' slopes.  Immediately, the mountain is steeper, less crowded and more rustic.  There are some interesting variations to explore on the long descent to La Ferme restaurant and the foot of the lifts.  Slow things down further and Le Solliet makes a worthy stop for a drink or lunch half way down.  You're looking down on the Haute Tarentaise from here, with good views across to Ste-Foy.

But the lifts date from 1981 and snow conditions can be pretty variable, to say the least.

However, all of this is about to change, as this Guardian article explains.  Snow cannons are in place for the new season, with more planned.  New lifts are on the horizon as are an extra 750 beds as part of an expansion blueprint which claims to involve Villaroger keeping its credentials as a"green ski village".

BUILDING MATTERS

Visitors to Arc 1600 may be a little surprised to see a ginormous new building as they ski to the resort from the ever-flattering Mont Blanc piste.  Step forward the new Club Med development....

Source: R'LesArcs Facebook page

THE GREAT ASCENT: Villaroger to Aiguille Rouge

Summer provides the opportunity to revisit the famous run from Aiguille Rouge down to Villaroger.

This time, it's from the bottom up.  A 2,000m ascent from the foot of the pistes right the way up to the Varet Glacier.  For an armchair view of the experience, follow this link.

ELECTIONS ROUND-UP

The 2nd round of the French presidential elections saw Savoie vote for Macron over Le Pen by a 65% to 35% margin.  A result which almost exactly followed the national picture.

Locally, the valley tends to vote for the candidates of the right, but not of the far right.

Val d'Isere is the most notable example of this pattern - with 52% voting for Fillon in the 1st round - not far off the 58% recorded by Sarkozy in 2012. Yet just 12% supported Le Pen, and she trailed in 4th place - just behind Melenchon (12%) and Macron (11%).  Come the second round, the village voted strongly for Macron, by 72% to 28%.

Tignes followed a similar pathway, albeit without quite such thumping first-round victory for Fillon.

Bourg-St-Maurice is more of a mixed bag politically, with Fillon emerging out in front after the first round, but only just.  Again, Marine Le Pen came in fourth:

Bourg-Saint-Maurice 1st round results

Click here to explore all the results

Set against all this, the most politically interesting village in the valley is Landry, which put Melenchon first, with all the main candidates putting in a decent showing.

Séez is notable for having Le Pen narrowly ahead in round 1, albeit defeated by 62-38 in the run-off.  The FN candidate did relatively well in Villaroger too.

Meanwhile, neighbouring Montvalezan (below La Rosiere) saw one of the heaviest victories for Macron last Sunday, by 76% to 24%.

Next up: the parliamentary elections in June...

A HIVE OF ACTIVITY: The Valleé de l'Arc

Few visitors to Les Arcs these days spend much time in the Vallée de l'Arc below Arc 2000.  Skiers venturing below the Bois de l'Ours are faced with a long ride back on on the Pré St Esprit lift or or the similarly slow Comborciere over to the 1600/1800 side.  Most piste-bashers therefore avoid the area, which is a shame.  The Comborciere ride may be slow, but the high mountain scenery is stunning.

Click here to see the presentation

All of this is about to change, courtesy of a €20m investment by lift company ADS.  The background:

• It's a strategic site - linking Arc 2000 with both 1600 and Villaroger
• It's a beautiful site - direct views of Mont Blanc
• The two lifts are old (PSE dates from 1980, Comborciere from 1985) and slow (14 and 13 minutes respectively)
• The current blue slope is tricky for beginners
• There's no artificial snow

All of this is about to change:

• The Pré St Esprit lift will be replaced in time for December 2017 (planning permission is out at the moment).  The new lift will be twice as fast and have twice the current capacity.  The planners are sensibly moving the top station to be higher than at present - linking directly with Plagnettes.  This will relieve the strain on the key Arcabulle lift.
• There will be new investment in snowmaking, and a new building for clients with toilets and other facilities
• The blue piste is going to be expanded by 40% - made wider and the slope modified to make it a piste "accessible to all".
• The Comborciere lift will be replaced the following year (i.e. in time for December 2018).  Journey time will be reduced to 5m30, and the base station will be adjacent to the Pré St Esprit.  There willl be a new project to create a new red piste.  (Presumably this means a downgrading of the black Comborciere piste, but the presentation doesn't go into details).

The piste provides bad whether links to Villaroger, as well as
an alternative route over to Arc 1600.
It also provides access to the Belliou La Fumée restaurant