Ready for the snow? View our range of shovels here

Visitor reviews for La Plagne Ski Resort

---

---

• January 24, 2012
  Karina Schultz from United Kingdom
  

  Have been on numerous ski trips with my partner, friends and the school trip I run. Done about 12 weeks in total and La Plagne over Christmas 2011 has been my favourite to date. The resort is huge, we stayed in Plagne 1800 and was advised not to waste money with the full paradise ski area as resort was so large and I'm glad we didn't. Every day we skied new runs and got to visit favourites again, the queues for lifts weren't that bad other than Le Bergerie which I would avoid at 10am. great snow and stayed in crystal chalet and had the most amazing host. I'm def going back - a great resort.

• La Plagne Ratings

  Based on 16 votes. Vote

  Access: 3.4 (1) At least one overnight stop, (2) requires a whole day, (3) requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns (4) arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon, (5) there is a main airport within an hour of La Plagne.	Public Transport: 4.0 (1) There are no buses or taxis to La Plagne, (3) there are slow or infrequent buses / trains available, (5) getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections.
  Scenery: 3.8 (1) An ugly resort in a bland setting, (3) average mountain views and resort, (5) a spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town.	Accommodation: 4.7 (1) No places to stay in/near La Plagne, (3) a few places to stay in the resort, (5) a wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets.
  Cheap Rooms: 3.3 (1) No budget accommodation available, (3) just one or two hostels so book ahead, (5) several cheap hostels and pensions available.	Luxury Hotels: 3.6 (1) No luxury accommodation available, (3) just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead, (5) several up-market hotels in La Plagne.
  Ski in/Ski out: 4.8 (1) The ski area is located far from any accommodation, (3) a free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip, (5) Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available.	Childcare: 4.2 (1) There are no child care facilities at La Plagne, (5) the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche.
  Snowsure: 4.8 (1) Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing, (2) is often closed due to a lack of snow, (3) occasionally suffers from a lack of snow, (4) rarely suffers from a lack of snow, (5) La Plagne is snowsure even in the poorest seasons.	Snowmaking: 4.2 (1) La Plagne relies entirely on natural snow, (3) there are just a few snow cannons, (5) there are snowmaking facilities on all pistes.
  Snow Grooming: 4.5 (1) There are no snow groomers at La Plagne, (3) occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state, (5) all the runs at La Plagne are groomed daily.	Shelter: 3.6 (1) there is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut, (3) there are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close, (5) La Plagne is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close.
  Nearby options: 4.5 (1) If snow conditions are poor at La Plagne, it will be poor everywhere nearby, (3) there are good alternatives within an hours drive, (5) other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions.	Regional rating: 4.4 (1) La Plagne usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region, (3) has average conditions for the region, (5) usually has the best snow conditions in the region.
  Lift Staff: 4.0 (1) The staff at La Plagne are rude or unhelpful, (5) lift staff at La Plagne are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help.	Crowds/Queues: 3.6 (1) the resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues, (3) it is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays, (5) it is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare.
  Ski Schools: 4.5 (1) No ski schools available, (2) one or two ski schools but local language only, (3) a few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors, (4) plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available, (5) excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors.	Hire and Repairs: 4.6 (1) Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex. (3) there are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance, (5) good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible.
  Variety of pistes: 4.6 (1) The ski runs are featureless and unvaried, (3) the ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week, (5) La Plagne has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain.	Beginners: 4.3 (1) Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard, (3) a few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week, (3) Vast areas of gentle terrain.
  Intermediates: 5.0 (1) No intermediate terrain at La Plagne, (3) intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days, (5) vast areas of cruising runs.	Advanced: 4.3 (1) Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders, (3) enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste, (5) Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week.
  Snow Park: 4.1 (1) Not even a kicker at La Plagne, (3) average sized park quite well looked after, (5) huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails.	Off-piste: 4.0 (1) No off-piste worth mentioning, (2) off piste is out-of-bounds, (3) some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days, (5) a vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days.
  Cross-country: 4.0 (1) There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around La Plagne, (3) there are some cross country trails available, (5) the area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails.	Luge/Toboggan: 4.5 (1) No designated luge or toboggan runs, (3) there are toboggan runs that open quite often, (5) La Plagne has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages.
  Mountain Dining: 4.1 (1) Nowhere to buy food by the pistes, (3) some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive, (5) there is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets.	Eating: 3.9 (1) Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop. (5) A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants.
  Apres-Ski: 3.9 (1) Nothing to do, not even a bar, (3) there are a few bars in the resort but nothing special, (5) clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere.	Other Sports: 3.7 (1) No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts, (3) resort has just a small public swimming pool, (5) resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool.
  Entertainment: 3.5 (1) Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here, (3) the non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week, (5) the resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports.	Winter Walks: 4.2 (1) Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails, (3) a couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails, (5) extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities.
  Ski Pass Value: 4.3 (1) A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available, (3) the ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts, (5) ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area.	Value (National): 4.2 (1) Overall, La Plagne is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money, (3) overall represents average value for money, (5) overall offers the best value resort in the country.
  Value (Global): 4.0 (1) Overall, La Plagne is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world, (3) overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries, (5) internationally the resort offers excellent value for money.

  Based on 16 votes. Vote

• January 21, 2012
  RL from United Kingdom
  

  Visited 23-30 Dec 2011, Ski World chalet Clarine in Belle Plagne. Days 1 and 6 snowy, 2-5 clear blue sky and no wind. Chalet great as were staff and other guests. Boot room door literally on the piste. Great skiing, quite busy and queues tiresome late pm, I say late but actually 3 onwards as a lot of lifts shut before 4. That made trips to Champagny and Les Arc a little rushed. Later in season longer hours would be better. 8 and 10 year old daughters wearing me out now but that is how it should be. Back to Val at Easter for some serious vertical descents but Belle will always be worth a visit, especially on a good late booking deal like this time.

• December 31, 2011
  Sandy Stewart from United Kingdom
  

  Spent a week 19th - 26th Dec 2011 here. Great resort for families. Loads of snow and the off-piste was great finding new stashes everyday. Plenty in La Plagne to keep us happy for a week without paying for the full Paradise sky pass. Quite a few flat spots so not ideal for boarders although we saw plenty. Could really do with a rope tow or magic carpet in Plagne centre to get up to the chairlift and gondola. Good ski schools and prices were reasonable for a French ski resort. Stayed with Ski Bug who were a great chalet company. We will definitely return in the future.

• December 13, 2011
  Tom from United Kingdom
  

  I have been to La Plagne twice Jan 2009 and Jan 2011.

  This is a huge resort with good reliable lifts and a mega choice of runs to explore, the off-piste is very accessible and amazing so long as there has been some snow. 2009 was amazing with powder everywhere and clear sky's during the day, 2011 was dire with nearly no snow all season! The pistors did do an amazing job keeping the vast majority of runs well groomed and open all be it the lower runs were getting very bare and icy by the end of our week, not surprising when it reached +6 at 2500 m in mid Jan !

  This is a good resort for all ability's just hope you get some snow !

  It does still suffer from French rip off prices however !

• December 04, 2011
  MIKE from United Kingdom
  

  if you want to spend the week in the bar partying La Plagne is probably not for you, nor if you are looking for chocolate box pretty villages.
  La Plagne is great for novices and intermediates, the weakness is probably the lack of reds and blacks but if you are good enough to go off-piste it is truly awesome.

• April 04, 2011
  keith richards from Holy See (Vatican City State)
  

  Just back from La Plagne, it's great. Perhaps some of the moaning English skiers could learn to speak a few words of French ...it does actually help.

• March 27, 2011
  Tony from France
  

  We have just returned from La Plagne. Stayed for one week. No snow from 16th March. Stayed in Plange village ski in / out. A bit sparse but ok, selfcatering. Mainly ski up the top, some slopes got a bit slushy in the afternoon. We are in our mid sixties, we live in the Lot, France. Took 1 hour to get there, the traffic was bad but, all in all, good time.

• March 03, 2011
  Mick from United Kingdom
  

  I came back to La Plagne in January 2011 - the first time since maybe 2003 - this time staying self-catering in Plagne Village. Had a fantastic week and although the snow conditions could have been better, the pistes were pretty good despite no new snow for at least 2 weeks. Cost was very reasonable since we "ate-in" throughout the holiday, shopping at the local convenience Spar shop. All-in cost including absolutely everything (flights, accommodation, transfers, lift passes, ski & boot hire, food, drink, more drink...) worked out to about £600 per person, for 2 adults.

  Say what you like about the architecture (er.. ugly?), night-life (OK I guess), La Plagne is all about skiing for which it offers something for everyone.

• March 03, 2011
  J Snith from United Kingdom
  

  Just been out in La Plagne. We stayed in the centre in a chalet hotel right on the slopes with ski in ski out which was great! The weather was fantastic and considering they haven't had much snow this season, the conditions were fantastic - I'am and intermediate / advanced boarder and found it great - not much to go on off piste but having been there in past years I know there are some great secret spots on the mountain!

  Expensive to eat and drink but not as bad as other resorts like Tignes Val and Courchevel. We found Scotty's early on in our stay which is the busy English bar in the Centre. Really great classic food and good service, also some amazing bands in the nights with a ski raffle as well - although I didn't win that one!

  I would definitely recommend the resort for all levels of skiing and I'll definitely be going back next year!

• February 27, 2011
  Darrin from United Kingdom
  

  Just got back from half-term week at Belle Plagne, where I stayed at the Chalet Balcon 1.
  Was the resort busy? Of course it was - this is Brit ski time!. All lifts in the immediate area converge on Plagne Centre or Bellecote. Peak times are from 10-12am and then after lunch 'till around 4pm. Queuing on the bottom lifts can be around 15 minutes. However, there is ample opportunity to get out of the valley and stay out, either using the chair lifts dotted around the vast Paradiski area or going on those long blue/red runs from Roche de Mio or down into Mont Chevin etc. These lifts are much quieter. The only other lift that will be busy is the Roche De Mio to Glacier lift. A good example of getting out and not coming back is the blue Mont Blanc run which is one of Europe's longest runs. The Mont Blanc run will take you over an hour to go down on and to come up again with less than a minute's queue at each station.
  Even at peak times there was plenty of room on the slopes with the vast majority of skiers and snowboarders using good etiquette. The only thing to watch out for are the numerous ESF processions that zig-zag down the blue slopes on most days. These do not change course for anyone!
  Plenty of variety for the intermediate and advance skiers too. There were at least two slalom runs, a tricks park and a half-pipe just above Bellecote. Further afield there were some good black mogul runs and off-pistes off the edge of mountains within easy access. Good access was also available across to Les Arcs on the same lift pass, whilst Tignes etc is less than an hour away by road.
  I can recommend the Chalet Balcon. Direct access from the ski room to the slope and, again, direct access into the ski room from above (from the Arpette lift blues) Clalet Balcon also has it's own SkiSet hire shop which is much less busy than the one on Belle Plagne itself.
  Other sports include: bobsleigh on the Olympic track, swimming in the heated open air (yes, you heard me) pool, cross country skiing on dedicated tracks, skiidoos and ice skating (plus ice hockey sticks, pucks and nets too).

• February 22, 2011
  Dan Plant from United Kingdom
  

  Got back from La Plagne a couple of weeks back after my first skiing trip with my wife and I am well and truly in love with La Plagne. It would be easy to criticise the expensive restaurants and the bad 70s architecture in Plagne Centre, but why bother when the skiing is this good.

  Such a variety of slopes, minimal queues and as long as you stayed away from the standard training blues (Trieuse and bottom of Mira) then there was very little traffic on the slopes either.

  I started the week as a beginner, but the progression of the slopes meant that by the end of the week I was a competent intermediate with a love of all the red slopes.

  My favourite was to go over the back of the mountain from either Verdons or Grand Rochette and take any one of the lovely routes down to Champagny. Le Bois was open as well and was a truly brilliant, challenging, exhilarating and beautifully scenic run.

  Dropping down from the very top of the glacier down La Combe was also a highlight.

  Our apartment was in the Residence Grange du Soleil in Plagne Soleil - we were lucky enough to have a balcony right on the snow so were able to literally ski up to our apartment at the end of the day or at lunchtime where cold beer was permanently waiting for me. Who cares about €7 beers in the pub when you can buy a crate at the local supermarket for €10!

  I could definitely recommend La Plagne for advanced beginners and intermediates. There also looked to be loads of great off-piste for advanced skiers although that was off limits for me this time - next year though, bring it on!

• January 16, 2011
  Paul.A.Newton from United Kingdom
  

  Have just returned from Plagne 1800, where my wife and I stayed at a Crystal catered chalet named Marmotte. I can thorouhly recommend this one. We were in Montillet, within this chalet, with the host named Will. He is a fully trained chef and his meals were by far the best we have experienced in any catered chalet that we have stayed in previously. The chalet is about 2 years old. The Mines bar down the road is very unusual but beware of the happy hour as only the ordinary beer and soft drinks are at half price. The nearest chair lift is only about 150metres down the hill or the ski bus stop to Plagne Centre or Bellecote is outside the door and runs every 15 minutes.

• January 08, 2011
  Phil C from United Kingdom
  

  Belle Plagne is probably the best of the places to stay in La Plagne. High and good links up to the Roche de Mio esp if you get on the telecabin as soon as it opens. If you are a beginner snowboarder avoid Le Tunnel as there is a lot of flat on this run so you'll end up walking quite a bit. Arpette is a nice wide blue for beginners although it gets quite steep as you descend into Bellecote. Riding most of the blue runs with my 2 children in a mixed ability group was pleasant and easy enough to do.

  I booked the resort through Crystal and overall the experience was good. I'd booked my 2 children into ESF and as they had previous tuition and were classed in England as intermediate riders. Watch out as the ESF intermediate standard seems to be much higher.

  I didn't notice too much queueing for lifts but a rep reported that the new year week had been very busy.

• November 18, 2010
  Martin from United Kingdom
  

  La Plagne probably once worked rather well as a resort but not so much any more. I have visted a number of the resorts that make up the La Plagne ski area and have noticed it getting more and more busy each year. When the original hubs of Plagne Centre, Bellecote and Aime La Plagne were constructed lifts ran from these resorts to the top of the slopes. More recently La Plagne has gravitated up the mountain with the creation of Plagne Soleil, Plagne Villages and Belle Plagne. None of these resorts (possibly with the exception of Belle Plagne) have direct access to the top of the slopes so the only way to move about is to ski down to the original hubs to gain height. This results in cronically overcrowded pistes and lifts particularly in Bellecote.
  La Plagne has become a victim of it's own success and has become completely overdeveloped. A real shame as it is now ruined in my opinion. The link to Les Arcs has only made matters worse as the hordes decend from Les Arcs. This adds to the queues and the really bad snow conditions on the lower slopes which are mostly a combination of bomb proof ice in the morning, chewed up crud over lunch and slush by the end of day. Throw in the masses veering all over the place and you get the general idea. A great shame as my earlier memories of La Plagne were good.

• September 27, 2010
  Morgan Slade from United Kingdom
  

  We have been many times to La Plagne. It is great! My son has grown up in the ESF ski school. La Plagne centre is the place to be for families. We always stay at the Hotel Terra Nova which is comfortable and has the right mix of things for a family holiday. There is a vast ski area and will suit all levels of skier. It can be a little bit crowded at some lift stations around holiday times but so are other resorts. Off-piste is very good and some ESF group classes specialise in this. For the kids there is the ‘Milka Cow’ run and for a bit of public singing you get a hand out of free chocolates.

  We are going back Xmas 2010. Maybe we will see you there?

• April 15, 2010
  gary park from United Kingdom
  

  Myself, my partner and our 14 month old daughter stayed in La Plagne 1800 in chalet Arpette 2 weeks commencing 20th Feb 2010. The Paradiski area is fantastic and we loved La Plagne. But, unfortunately, the chalet had a strong stench of cannabis mainly at night which seemed to be filtering through from other apartments in the premises used by seasoned reps. Although this sadly spoilt our holiday we will be going to La Plagne again next season but definitely not staying in Arpette.

• April 08, 2010
  andrew parton from United Kingdom
  

  Just returned from La Plagne March 2010.
  Stayed at Hotel Vancouver in Soleil. Very good food (big buffet breakfast and choice of mains at night : fish particularly good), clean hotel. Did not use pool but evidence of problems with the roof. Some of the staff not that friendly but some very good. Same anywhere I suppose. 6 (that's six) pounds per pint: same everywhere apart from 1 hour happy hour: beer only half price. Would stay ther again if we got the same deal.

  Skiing - perfect for group of mixed abilities. Easy to get on and off piste and lift queues were negligible (Easter half-term). We particularly liked the run down from Colussus lift to Plagne centre and the run from Col du Forcle to Bellacote. Best skiing we have had (Les Gets, Avoriaz, Kaprun, Scheffau, Niedarau, Sestriere and Passo del Tonale) and would definitely go back to La Plagne. The views from Roche de Mio were awesome.

  Not a lot of red stuff and some stretches of blues are really red standard:eg blue down from Grand Rochette to Soleil.
  One boarder in the group enjoyed the range of stuff.

  Apres not much. We tried Monica's bar in Soleil for the football and had a live band on one night (crowd = 2 people after we left). Still £6 per pint though.

  Eating out was ridiculously expensive and so we had a big breakfast and made do with a snack: which was a shame.

  Trannsfer from Grenoble a bit of a nightmare (2.5 hours).

  You come to ski and enjoy the company and scenery and it was spectacularly good, the food in hotel was v good and the holiday superb.

• April 05, 2010
  Sam C from United Kingdom
  

  Coming up to the end of my season in La Plagne...
  The real story about the resort...

  The sking is great. If you're a boarder and find yourself with not enough speed to get over flats, then maybe you could consider taking more lessons, I have not unclipped my back foot once in 5 months.
  The skiing is good with nice runs: well pisted where it matters (they could do with more piste bashers for lower resorts).
  Off-piste is v good: over 35 decents around La Plagne, some good some ok, but something for everyone. I spent 4 hours skiing over 3 big runs: North Face, Freland (spelt wrong I'm sure) and various other valleys. If you can't find enough challlenging runs, get an off-piste guide. 95% of the people out here would not be able to ski the North Face let alone another 20 off-piste runs.

  The bars are expensive, as with everywhere in France, the nightlife is quieter than the raaa crowd in the 3 valleys, but still fun. Lift waiting times: twice in 5 months did I wait for more than 2 mins at a lift (bottom of the Derby in Les Arcs, and La Arpette in Belle Plagne).

  I was in the resort of Les Coches, which is quiet but mostly chalet orientated. If I were to come here (I'm 29), I would go to Peisey Valandry, as it has more going on.

  La Plagne is a great place in all, you'll have a blast here.

• March 21, 2010
  Elliot from United Kingdom
  

  Just returned from 1 week at Plagne 1800 (La Plagne), which I would say, although not the best linked/night life, it's by far the nicest looking place to stay.

  La Mine is good for cheap beer and live bands but it gets very busy. The pizza bar was our choice, the owners were excellent with cheap (ish) food but some drinks expensive compared to La Mine.

  Our Chalet was Momosses through Crystal - very good with excellent food in our opinion.

  The snow was good but we've had the best of the last snow, so I wouldn't go back this late in the season again just in case the weather improved sooner than it did this year. A local told us this year the weather was cold for this time of the year but trust me, we all have sun tans.

  Les Arcs has much better lifts, longer runs and quieter. Although La Plagne good, the lifts are much to slow and someone has already mentioned the lift staff never smile!

  The La Plagne was good but Val and 3V just a little bit better in all aspects.

• February 24, 2010
  D Mitchell from United Kingdom
  

  We have just returned from a week skiing in La Plange. The skiing was great, however, we stayed at the hotel Vancouver in Plange Soleil. We booked the hotel as it advertised an indoor pool and spa. We did not use the facility owing to the disgusting state of the overcrowded changing room, single toilet and filthy water in the hot tubs. I would not recommend this hotel to anyone.

  D Mitchell.

• February 07, 2010
  Jonny from United Kingdom
  

  There seem to be some very misinformed comments about La Plagne and I find it hard to understand why. There is a massive variety of pistes plus the extensive off-piste which should keep most levels of skier more than busy. The runs from the Bellecotte glacier are great fun.

  The word disjointed seems to be used a lot but I found that it is usually possible to get to the different sectors using a variety of routes - admittedly boarders and people who struggle to interpret a piste map can struggle but it really doesn't take long to work out your way around the extensive lift and piste network.

  I've stayed in Belle Plagne and Plagne Soleil and yes, the night life is relatively quiet but there are some decent happy hours in the evenings at places like Igloo (Centre) and Tete bar (Belle Plagne) or if you prefer the European dance scene Bellecote is meant to be lively later on.

  I've been to the mega resorts like Tignes, St Anton, Verbier, Courcheval and Meribel and think La Plagne ranks pretty well alongside them particularly as it can be significantly cheaper to stay there. The link to Les Arcs is a bonus but personally I preferred the snow conditions and wider variety of La Plagne.

  Prices are no more than other large resorts. If you want to eat and drink on the cheap it's possible by using the happy hours and takeaways but otherwise it will be fairly pricey but then where in France isn't?

• January 28, 2010
  Suzanne from United Kingdom
  

  I am so surprised that everyone is moaning about the cost of food and drink at La Plagne. Since when has skiing ever been a cheap holiday?

• January 26, 2010
  Angus Carter from United Kingdom
  

  Jan 14-18 '09
  La Plagne ok but like some have said, you can spend too much time on the lifts. Some lift attendants severely lacking in smiles and assistance. Skiing pretty good but Les Arcs area leagues better for layout and variety of runs. We stayed in Belle Plagne apparently where all the apres action was - well there still wasn't much. Best apres bar I've been to is that one in Verbier (you know the one don't you?) where the roof winds back to let the snow/stars in - excellent! If I went back to this area I would go to Les Arcs. We did the Aguille Rouge run a few times - really great run, would love to do at end of the day (but impossible if you're staying in Plagne!). Couldn't believe it when we saw a crazy (and v. skilled) off-pister going under the rope and down the 60 degree couloir from top of Aiguille gondola..crazy French dogs !! Happy skiing everyone, snow is amazing at the moment.

• January 12, 2010
  nick durbano from United Kingdom
  

  I just had to comment after reading some reviews on La Plagne. First, the pistes are groomed very well. I agree the blacks are not and as a boarder it sucks but they are blacks so they are meant to be hard. The runs are not really disjointed and if you study the maps you can get around easy. Also, there are maps to hand everywhere. With regard to the comment that the skiing is not hard enough as there are not enough blacks, the off-piste is second to none and very accessible and as safe as you can get. The pistes are numbered well so if you can't count you may get lost.
  The drink, yes, £6 for a pint but most bars have a happy hour and each area have at least 1 club. If you want to party it is not the place to be. The food has been the same price, within reason, for the last 4 years. It's just the £ is worth f all. The staff are as polite as they can be when you have rude Brits who would be better in a English theme pub in Majorca.
  4 years ago was my first trip to La Plagne. I had about 5 seasons in Tignes/Val before and yes, class places but too busy and way more expencive and the same with the 3 valleys. There are a lot of blue runs but a 1/4 of them should be marked as reds but as they have the width they are blues. La Plagne does swing more for the families than the young who party and ski hard. I love it because it's not too busy and for the off-piste.

• January 06, 2010
  mickey from Ireland
  

  Stayed in Terra Nova Hotel - Plagne Centre over new year 09/10. Hotel was quite nice: good food, good location but too warm, it was like a sauna!. Slopes at La Plagne were very disjointed and not really 'piste-bashed' everyday. Purchased full area ski pass (not good value €800 as I only got over to Les Arcs once due to queuing for lifts in village of Bellecote which cannot be avoided to get to Les Arcs. French piste attendants did not bother to fill up the chair or bubble lifts which did not help. One of our snow boards was stolen from Hotel locker room-had to pay €430 to replace it! Restaurants at La Plagne are over priced: €8.50 bowl of soup, vodka/coke €8. Overall, not a patch on Tignes or 3 Valleys- I'm afraid I would not return to La Plagne.

• January 04, 2010
  Heath Edwards from Australia
  

  Paul June 08 nailed it on the head with his comment re La Plagne resort being disjointed. I have just returned from a New Year 09/10 trip and we also had this problem. You simply spend far too much time trying to get from one spot to another so you lose valuable time enjoying the slopes. There were some other problems we encountered, apres-ski was non existant. 2 bars in total are in La Plagne Centre, poor piste signage and non groomed pistes. We made a complaint to the tourism office about the pistes at La Plagne not being groomed and the response we received was the area is too large to groom in one night?? I've skied many resorts, some with double the skiing area and never ran into this problem in the past. Overall, yes it's a nice looking resort with the dotted villages, yes there are hundreds of run, yes this is catered more for families, but if you're after a serious ski holiday with plenty of action and apres-ski, head to another resort.

• June 15, 2009
  Alan from France
  

  I have now lived and worked in La Plagne for the last 13 winters (and most summers). La Plagne really is a gem.

  Too many people judge the place without ever really getting to know it. Sure there are not that many bars, but that means we don't get drunken idiots causing trouble. As for angry French locals, I seem to find them some of the nicest people of all the French ski resorts I have been to.

  As for the skiing, nothing to be said as it speaks for itself. Some of the best on and off-piste going. Especially the off-piste; so few people (they all go to Val D'Isere).

• June 08, 2009
  Paul from United Kingdom
  

  La Plagne is a truly awful resort. I worked there for the season and ended up moving to Val d'Isere by Feb (much, much, much better in every way possible). The resort is so disjointed. You spend most of your time on lifts trying to get to places rather than skiing. There are far too many flats. Yes, it is high but that doesn't make up for the pistes and all the bottle necks that cause horrific queues. It also faces north which may mean it keeps its snow but it is pretty much in the shade 24/7 = ice so make sure your skis have good edges.

  As far as nightlife goes there isn't any at La Plagne. If you want to go out to more than 1/2 bars in a night then good luck. Due to the fact that it is split into about a million separate resorts and the buses stop at 12 midnight you can't really go anywhere except your particular area, and if you do, expect a very long cold walk home. Any bar you do go into watch out for angry French locals.

  The only good thing about La Plagne is that it is linked to Les Arc which is a great resort. But, again, you need to get over there and back which is a pain as the Vanoise crossing is always busy. Getting back is a nightmare at the end of the day. Solid ice everywhere and hundreds of people; about 200m of skiing to do with 4 lifts in between.

  Hey, I'm only one person, but working/living there gives you a much better insight.

• April 07, 2009
  Paul from United Kingdom
  

  Got back from La Plagne last Saturday after an excellent week's skiing. Snow was good, Belle Plagne was excellent and, apart from one day, crowds were almost non-existent; often had the pistes to ourselves. Great for a mixed-ability group, and enough variety to keep most skiers busy; I accept that there weren't masses of blacks, but with the Paradiski lift pass we spent a day in Les Arcs too so found enough to entertain us. I'd highly recommend La Plagne resort.

• March 29, 2009
  david (grand montets) hemingway from United Kingdom
  

  La Plagne is one of the better high altitute stations and it's great for kids. Generally ugly and a bit tatty like all the high stations. If you want a 'choclate box cover' go to Switzerland. Off-piste at La Plagne is excellent; was very surprised. Tree runs off the Arpette and lines off Bellcote and Grand Rochette are great. Would go back but only with good snow or it would be a bit boring as piste skiing is very lame above intermediate.