Snowsure: 4.7
- Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing
- Is often closed due to a lack of snow
- Occasionally suffers from a lack of snow
- Rarely suffers from a lack of snow
- Les Arcs is snowsure even in the poorest seasons
Visitor reviews for Les Arcs Ski Resort
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(NOTE: Reviews may be edited by our content team for the purposes of ensuring accurate and relevant information)
(NOTE: Reviews may be edited by our content team for the purposes of ensuring accurate and relevant information)
Latest
March 15, 2010
Jimm from
United Kingdom
Jimm from
United Kingdom
February 06, 2010
Gazza from
United Kingdom
Gazza from
United Kingdom
Had a fantastic week's skiing a couple of weeks ago in January '10 ... possibly the best snow I've seen in the past five years! Stayed in Arc1800 which I think is the best of the four villages with a good choice of bars and restaurants. For value-for-money we had a self-catering duplex apartment L'Archeboc booked online with CIS and only a few minutes walk from the Transarc cable - a real bonus with door-to-door ski-in-out convenience. There are a couple of supermarkets in the village and take-away pizzas etc. Bars are fun but pricey as sterling is weak against the euro.
Skiing is the key focus though and Les Arcs is really great for intermediates with massive long blue-red pistes not to mention challenging downhills like the Aiguille Rouge "nosebleed" run to Villaroger which is a 2000 metre vertical drop and 7 km long - burn those thighs!
I never had time to leave Les Arcs to ski the other half of Paradiski, the La Plagne side connected via the Vanoise Express cable - maybe next time .... over 400 km of pistes is really too much in one week .... especially when the beer is so good.
Lets hope the London St Pancras to Bourg-St-Maurice tgv trains get a bit cheaper - I want to fit in a few more long weekends before the snow goes ....
January 25, 2010
JT - Coventry from
United Kingdom
JT - Coventry from
United Kingdom
Have just returned from a fabulous week's skiing in Les Arcs, staying at the Hotel Village Club du Soleil in 1800. This hotel was great, with friendly staff and excellent food being the highlights.
This was only my 3rd skiing holiday, but the best so far: snow conditions were superb and the weather was perfect (save for Sunday morning and Wednesday afternoon when heavy snow arrived, although this made the skiing better on many of the slopes).
The ski school I attended courtesy of ESF was of a very high standard - I never thought that I would have progressed to black slopes, off-piste and jumps - thanks Mathieu :-). The lifts were also great with minimal queueing, even the drag lifts were gentle compared to Flaine last year!
The only downside was the price of drinks in local bars, which were very expensive, but I suppose that's the way of things in these 'captive audience' resorts, with a weak pound against the euro. Take a tip here: buy bottled beer in the supermarkets, it's far better value!
March 25, 2009
Smith E from
France
Smith E from
France
Stayed at Les Arcs 1950 in March. Resort was lovely, great weather and great skiing. Stayed in Raddison apartments which were great, however very rude staff who were most unhelpful. Booking was wrong when we arrived but they did not care and were not willing to help out at all. The rest of the holiday was fantastic, although very expensive in restaurants and bars so we cooked in the apartments which actually worked out well. We think Raddison should employ some helpful staff for the next season as this is a very real let down and nearly spoilt what turned out to be a fantastic holiday at Les Arcs.
February 27, 2009
H&D from
France
H&D from
France
We are just back from a week skiing in Les Arcs 1950. What a fabulous week with plenty of snow and sun. The resort itself is great with an excellent variety of runs suitable for all abilities.
However, this is our second year to come back to Les Arcs 1950 and we noticed some things this year that we were disappointed by. The queue in the ski hire shop (Concept Board Shop) on the Sunday morning was horrendous (our family queued from 8.10 am and were not out until 10.45 am, meaning that I missed an hour and a half of a lesson with a ski instructor. The operation did not seem as efficient as last year and the staff were not as attentive. My son cried and told the assistant that his boots did not fit, but the assistant insisted that they did fit and he wasn't trying to get them on - it was much later on in the day when we realised that the boots were new and there was paper stuck in the toe. Another family member received a pair of boots which should have been relegated to the bin and after the first day she had to change them, but not before she had developed five quite severe blisters which severely hampered her ability to ski for the rest of the week.
Additionally, I was horrified at the rudeness and general unpleasantness of a member of staff at the ski pass booth - in this day and age there really is no need for this type of high handed attitude.
We stayed in an appartment in the Radisson SAS that was excellent, as ever. The appartment was clean, warm, spacious with good cooking facilities, however, I did notice some cutbacks from our previous visit. Our rooms this year were only tidied once as opposed to daily last year and towels weren't provided in the swimming pool area - these are only minor things, however, important in terms of service delivery.
All in all, it was a great holiday and would recommend Les Arcs as a resort. There is a array of excellent restaurants and the ski instructors are very professional.
February 17, 2009
Georges&co
Georges&co
We have been skiing in Les Arcs for eleven years and still we’re not tired of it. Not only have the lifts dramatically improved over the last years (TC Varet, TSD Vagere, TSD Bois de l’Ours, TSD Derby, and so on), the resort was also enlarged sensibly with, of course, Vanoise Express (taking you right to La Plagne in a matter of minutes). Apart from a couple of lifts, you don’t have any queuing issues and the majority of them are relatively fast.
The domain itself is fantastic: great open spaces in 2000, with lots of off-piste possibilities (directly in between slopes or after hiking for only a couple of minutes), beautiful tree-lined slopes in the lower area’s, a couple of nice surf parks. With the sun out Les Arcs is always enchanting for at least one major area. In the morning it would be the 2000 valley, in the afternoon head for 1600-1800-Peisey).
You should certainly do these while there:
Try the pleasant Aiguille Rouge run, (a staggering 2000+m descent, over 7km). From the surreal 3000m glacier to the outskirts of Villaroger. Awesome.
Head for Grand Col in Arc 2000, it is usually not that crowded and offers mighty off-piste.
For quieter pleasure, explore Peisey-Vallandry and its great red and blue runs. Fun for everyone.
In the afternoon, go to 1600 and the upper 1800 area (Cachette, Arolles, Froide Fontaine, etc). Nice runs, nice landscaping.
Go to La Plagne. Surely you don’t want to miss it.
The six resorts (of which 1950 is of course the most beautiful), are well-connected and easy to reach. Of course, the three original Arc villages (1600-1800-2000) are very much sixties/seventies style (downright ugly). However, they are very practical. We have an apartment in 1800, where almost all of the apartments are directly on the piste, as well as directly in the resort. So you just click on you skis just out of the elevator. If you want to head to the village, you take another elevator and you’re there. Great.
Heading up to Les Arcs again in three days. Can’t wait.
January 25, 2009
Nuno Oliveira from
Portugal
Nuno Oliveira from
Portugal
January 22, 2009
Matt from
United Kingdom
Matt from
United Kingdom
January 08, 2009
Huw Davies from
United Kingdom
Huw Davies from
United Kingdom
Stayed at Arc 1800 (Chantel) with the family over Christmas 2008/9. Great early season snow, quiet slopes (especially in the run-up to Christmas), and the superb extent and range of skiing you'd expect from Les Arcs.
We took the wide-open Paradiski ski passes, covering Les Arcs and La Plagne. This opened up an enormous ski range, but with a bit of effort we made good use of it. Belle Plagne and it's lovely restaurants and cosy atmosphere was a favourite lunchtime haunt of ours, and we'll probably look for accommodation there in future.
My children (aged between 12 and 9) are reasonable (more enthusiasm than technique) skiers, and they really thrived on the extensive red and blues across this huge ski domain.
Only problem this year was the exchange rate between the pound and euro, which really blew holes in the wallet. The exchange rate was still no excuse for the exorbitant rip-off price in one on-piste cafe charging the equivalent of £5 for a cup of chocolate (in La Plagne) when another was a much more reasonable £2.
The other thing I've learned from my first experience driving to France is not to leave at the same time as everyone else. Nearly three hours to travel the first twenty miles out of the resort as all the valleys emptied on the Saturday. Nearly meant we missed our ferries. I'll travel back later next time, and let the traffic go.
But a great holiday, great resort, and we'll be back again. Recommended.
Nearest