Les Arcs - ski area

Ski highlights for all levels

Beginners: Generally, Les Arcs is a good ski area for beginners.  There are plenty of wide, high-altitude blue runs to progress to, giving a real sense of exhilaration. Arc 1800 has the best of the area’s dedicated beginner skiing, with its new development at Mille8 having a special peaceful zone for beginners. Good runs to progress to are the gentle blues from the top of the St Jacques chair in Arc 2000. Novices should take the Carreley and Villards chairs to access the easiest skiing. There is a "ski tranquille" zone here which should normally be free of more experienced mountain users flying through at top speed. Finally, introduced in 2023, is Les Minis: a beastie-themed ski run from the top of the Les Villards gondola, with wood cabin rest stops along the way. 

Intermediates: For intermediates, Les Arcs is a paradise with some fabulous terrain: long, wide blues and reds where you can put your foot down and criss-cross the mountain. Plan des Eaux and Plagnettes are classics of this genre. All these blues interlink well with a wide variety of rolling red runs too, and the fact that much of the terrain is tree-lined is a massive benefit whenever visibility is poor. Try the runs above Arc 1600 and Vallandry for the pretty blue descents of Mont Blanc and Fôret.

Experts: Head for the top of the Aiguille Rouge and get 2,000 metres of vertical drop on the 7km journey down to Villaroger, the longest piste in the Alps. It’s black at the top and then turns into a red partway down, and there are some great views on the way. Alternatively, instead of going all the way down, turn off the Aiguille Rouge black onto the red Arandelières. From here, you can drop down into a bowl on some steep blacks.

Off-piste

Freeriding Les ArcsPhoto: Tristan Shu

There's plenty of accessible powder here when it snows. Les Arcs’ best off-piste runs are from the 3226-metre-high Aiguille Rouge down towards Villaroger in the valley below. Take a guide with you up the Grand Col, hike up for 15–20 minutes and then drop over onto the north face. If you take the Aiguille Rouge cable car, you can access some more difficult and steeper itineraries.

Ski schools and guides

Les Pitchouns kids obstacle coursePhoto: Juliette Rebour

The École de Ski Français (ESF) has multiple schools: ESF Arc 1600, ESF Arc 1800 and ESF Arc 2000 with around 280 instructors between them. The schools are renowned for their ski évolutif method, where students start learning on short skis and get onto longer ones as they progress.

If you are looking for something a little different from the tried and tested ESF route, head for Evolution2 in Arc 1950 or Arc Aventures in Arc 1800, both offering top-notch tuition.

Another option is the popular British-run ski school New Generation. Run by BASI examiner John Thomas, the school is based in Vallandry, in the gap between Les Arcs and La Plagne, and now has a team based in Les Arcs 2000 as well.

Lift system

Aiguille RougePhoto: Juliette Rebour

Many people come to Les Arcs on the strength of the Vanoise Express, the cable car spanning the Vanoise National Park and linking it with La Plagne. The lift is an impressive work of engineering and worth a ride, but if you are staying in Les Arcs, there's no need to pop over to the next-door neighbour for more than a day.

Nonetheless, the linking has another beneficial effect. It has meant that the lifts accessing the Vanoise Express have been improved over the past few years too. Some of the chairlifts in the Vallandry area, such as the Plan Bois lift, were very slow before but are being replaced with fast, high-capacity chairs.

In 2023, Les Arcs also saw a major upgrade to its Transarc lift linking Arc 1800 to the resort's peaks. The new cabin lift takes skiers from 1,707m to 2,544m in just 13 minutes and is easily accessed from the base village by a brand-new reception and escalator. 

Snow reliability and snowmaking

Much of the ski area in Les Arcs is above 2000 metres and enjoys a good snow record, although many of the slopes are west-facing. The grooming of runs has been improved recently.

Terrain park

SPARK Snowpark at Les ArcsPhoto: Andy Parant

The excellent SPARK Snowpark above Arpette has features aimed at different levels of ability, colour-coded for ease of identification. The park includes four runs, two lines of three kickers, two lines of boxes, one beginner-friendly rail line, and one expert line too.

For dedicated freestylers, April 3rd is the day to visit (or thereabouts), as the local snowboarding crew hosts the John Doe Invitational. Expect music, competitions, and good vibes all round.

Ski-in-ski-out

The villages in Les Arcs are very ski-in-ski-out, none more so than Arc 1950, which is exceptional in the Alps. Snowcarbon Founder, Daniel has made a two-minute film about Arc 1950, interviewing skiers to ask what they think about it, which you can  watch here: