FEATURED

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

Sunday, 25 August 2013

LA PLAGNE SKI AREA: What Happens Next?

Update: 9 December 2013:
New 2013/14 plan des pistes, including the new black runs below, and a new "Eldorado Park" piste between the Arpette and Bellecote is here.

***

An update on the changes in and around La Plagne, courtesy of the diligent perso-laplagne site:

The are five pieces of news:

1.  New 4-person chairlift at Les Bauches.  Actually it's not a new chairlift - it's the Coqs lift from the Montalbert, still in good condition, which is being moved over to this area. This links in with the plans for the new Montalbert telecabine, scheduled for December 2014.  The whole Glacier-Les Bauches sector has been growing in popularity, and the Carroly and Chalet de Bellecote chairlifts are also earmarked for replacement during the next few years.

2.  Still in this area, the opening of the gruesome Derochoir piste, as well as the new lift on the glacier, have prompted a return to the piste maps of two black runs: the Bellecote and the Rochu.  These were removed in 2009, but are being extensively used anyway, and this is therefore seen as a logical plan.  It means you can ski on black runs from 3100m down to 1800: see www.la-plagnenet.com for more.

(To avoid lifts, and complete a 2000m descent from the Glacier right the way to Montchauvin, requires a little poling.  It should be on your shortlist: more here.)

3.  Plagne Bellecote can still suffer from Lowry-eqsue queues, and plans are now under way for a new 8 person Colosses lift for December 2015.  This is the strategic link between Bellecote and Plagne Centre and so will make a big difference.

4.  The renovation of the Telemetro between Plagne Centre and Aime 2000 continues, with a new station/access point at Centre which is deemed to be a real improvement.

5.  The seemingly endless revamp of the galeries at Plagne Centre continues. 

For more links to all things La Plagne, click here.

Sunday, 28 July 2013

FRENCH SKI RESORTS: The Premiership for 2013/14

The 2012/13 season saw Wigan (Areches-Beaufort), Reading (Valmorel) and QPR (Les Gets) relegated from the Premier League - which means we need to identify the French ski resort partners of the new teams.

Looking at the three promoted clubs, it seems reasonable to say that Hull City are Areches-Beaufort: off the beaten track, quietly doing some good things, strongly patriotic locals.

And Crystal Palace are Valmorel: getting back to where they were in the 1980s, but still not entirely convincing.  Just as Palace market themselves at their south London catchment area, Valmorel targets its marketing at the south too (of France, that is).

Cardiff City is a tricky one.   I don't really see them as Les Gets.  So I've opted for Montgenevre, mainly because there seems to be some serious money going in there, but (until now) nobody really talks about them much.

Sunday, 21 July 2013

A BRIEF HISTORY OF LA PLAGNE: 1961-2013

The transition from virgin site to the biggest ski resort in the world has been a progressive exercise, over more than five decades.  It's all chronicled in this video, created for La Plagne's 50th birthday.  Here's the timeline:

1961 onwards: Plagne Centre, with its galeries now receiving a long awaited makeover
1965: The Grands Rochettes lift, later destroyed by fire
1968: Aime 2000 - aka the "snow liner"

Aime 2000
1971: Champagny: 77% of the locals voted "yes" in a referendum on whether to join the La Plagne ski area.  Access was via a very long telesiege for many years
1972: Plagne Villages
1972-73: Montchauvin - an enterprise which centred on renovating old sheds/barns etc in this traditional village
1974: Plagne Bellecote and the opening up of the Roche de Mio
1977: Les Coches
1980: Montalbert - where a new telecabine is due for 2014/15
1981: Belle Plagne
1982: Plagne 1800 - ex mining site
1984: Tour de France - won by Laurent Fignon
1990: Plagne Soleil
1987: Tour de France - "it's Stephen Roche!"
1992: Albertville Winter Olympics
2002: Tour de France - Michael Boogerd

2003: The launch of Paradiski, courtesy of the Vanoise Express

For more on La Plagne before 1961, click here.

For more on La Plagne in the Tour de France, click here.



And, for links to other sites and articles about La Plagne, click here.